Churches in West Florida Association unite to serve local community
Written By: Brooke Mannion
“Rather than focusing solely on bringing people into the church, we work to bring the church into the community by serving needs.”
WASHINGTON COUNTY–Unity within the family of God is on display through the West Florida Baptist Association as local churches come together frequently to pray for and serve the community.
“Being able to lean on other pastors for support, knowledge, ideas and experience, as well as helping one another with resources, such as skills, labor and finances, has made an impact in our church and community,” said Tim Lanham, pastor, Live Oak Baptist Church in Vernon.
Several churches in the association participate in the bimonthly event, Feeding the Gulf Coast, where nearly 200 families are gifted food boxes containing meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy and shelf-stable items.
“Volunteers from multiple churches gather to pack and distribute boxes and spread the gospel, working together as one church serving the same God,” said Shawn Sanders, a member of Eastside Baptist Church in Vernon who leads the event. “Rather than focusing solely on bringing people into the church, we work to bring the church into the community by serving needs,” he added.
During a recent prayer walk, believers from various churches in the community gathered together to pray for God’s protection and blessing over students, teachers and staff of local elementary, middle and high schools.
“Associational ministry has allowed me a time to meet with other pastors to receive encouragement, to have a sounding board and to show our small church that we can come together to do big things for our community,” said Aubrey Herndon, pastor, Unity Baptist Church in Vernon.
“What we have going on in Vernon is really a partnership of churches acting as the Church, demonstrating the love of Christ in a unified way in our community.”
Live Oak Baptist Church hosts an annual back-to-school bash. The 2025 event was a success with more than 500 people on campus that day. Volunteers from Shiloh Baptist Church in Chipley, Unity Baptist Church, Ebro Baptist Church and Eastside Baptist Church greeted guests, answered spiritual questions and provided school necessities for families.
“What we have going on in Vernon is really a partnership of churches acting as the Church, demonstrating the love of Christ in a unified way in our community,” said Caleb Duncan, associational mission strategist, West Florida Baptist Association.
