ORLANDO, Florida — Saturday morning Coburn Avenue, near downtown Orlando, filled the air with smells of grilled chicken wings and to-go platters ready to feed the surrounding streets as they passed by CAYA Baptist Church.
The turf at First Academy heated up with flag football teams ready to compete at First Orlando.
Canoe Creek road in St. Cloud spotted orange tents and flags lining the road in hopes of catching the attention of those passing by Casa de Bendición church.
From Palm Bay to Davenport, spanning the width of over 100 miles, Saturday, June 6, concluded a week-long evangelistic ministry larger than any one regional event in many years.
Florida Baptists came prepared and opened the door for God to move in mighty ways.
Led on the backs of hundreds of churches noting their commitment to pray for Crossover week, the spiritual battle of reaching souls for Christ ignited with a flame of compassion and love for a city needing the hope of Jesus.
“Florida Baptist came together all over the greater Orlando area with different expressions of intentional evangelism,” expressed Patrick Coats, east region catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention. “We are overwhelmed by passion and zeal to reach people for Christ. We thank God for Florida Baptist.”
Coats helped coordinate Florida’s team effort alongside the long-standing Crossover strategy of the North American Mission Board.
95 churches hosted ministry events and over 500 churches participated in the Crossover efforts.
Once host sites were secured, serve volunteers committed, and prayer commitments established, the gospel engagements were commenced.
While the full impact will continue to be felt for weeks and months ahead, the North American Mission Board totaled the following stats of the June 1-6 effort. Also, churches continue to reap what was sowed on Sunday, June 7, known as Harvest Sunday.
Number of Churches Hosting: 95
Number of Outside Churches Serving: 276
Number of Outside Churches Praying: 183
Total Number of Churches Participating in Crossover Orlando: 554
Total Number of Volunteers: 3,940
Total Number of People Who Heard the Gospel: 19,905
Total Number of Salvations: 1,077
“It was encouraging to be led by the state that led the convention in baptisms last year of 33,123,” noted Tim Dowdy, vice president of evangelism for the North American Mission Board. “They have done a fantastic job. They have been so good to work with. We are so grateful.”
In addition to the host church sites, the Florida Baptist Convention bolstered an annual summer sports ministry called Huddle Touch, which is led by Jeffery Singletary, central region catalyst for the convention.
“This week was a reflection of how God moves in miraculous ways when the people of God come together on mission,” said Coats. “We are so grateful for First Baptist Orlando, Huddle Touch, Inc, DR, and over 48 Florida Baptist Churches who served and shared the hope of Jesus. What a Time!”
A week prayerfully designed to inject a powerful boost of evangelistic efforts around Orlando, Florida Baptist Convention staff hope this is only the start of momentum in future years for reaching the state of Florida.
Hispanic Churches reach communities during Crossover
At Iglesia Bautista Casa de Redención in Kissimmee, church members organized a neighborhood block party featuring inflatables, water balloon games, popcorn, a food truck, health resources and live Christian music. The celebration followed a week of outreach in surrounding neighborhoods and at Kissimmee’s Lakefront Park, where members invited families to attend.
Under sunny skies, children spent the afternoon playing and cooling off with water activities while adults gathered beneath the shade of live oak trees to enjoy fellowship and food. Pastor Julio Viera described the event as a success, noting that many youth and parents attended after receiving invitations from church members during the week’s outreach efforts.
Meanwhile, Iglesia Bautista Resurrección de Kissimmee mobilized approximately 50 volunteers for evangelistic outreach at Lakeshore Park in St. Cloud. Volunteers divided into teams and walked throughout the park offering bottles of water, praying with individuals and looking for opportunities to share the gospel and invite people to church. Later in the day, the teams continued their outreach at Kissimmee Lakefront Park, repeating the effort among the crowds gathered there.
Other Hispanic congregations across the region also participated in Crossover activities. Events included community festivals with free food, inflatables, face painting, soccer games, live music and family activities, as well as evangelism training designed to equip believers to confidently share their faith.
Together, the churches demonstrated a shared commitment to engaging their communities with the gospel through acts of service, personal conversations and family-friendly events, reflecting the evangelistic focus that has long been a hallmark of Crossover ministries surrounding the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting.
