Sunday, May 27, 2012

A Poem I read at Pat Ward Graveside Service


THE DASH by Linda Ellis

I read of a preacher who stood to speak,
At the funeral of his friend,
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on Earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own:
The cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard
Are there things you’
d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
(You could be at "dash mid-range").
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’
s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives
Like we’
ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your Eulogy is being read
With your life’
s actions to rehash....
Would you be pleased with the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Pat Ward Graveside Service


Obituary for Pansy "Pat" Whitaker Ward
Pansy “Pat” Whitaker Ward, passed away on May 24, 2012 at the age of 94. She was born in Bainbridge, GA on August 8, 1917 to the late Buck and Ollie Whitaker. Pat was a graduate of Fort Myers High School and went on to graduate from Lakeland Beauty College. She was a licensed cosmetologist and owned and operated Pat’s Beauty Shop in LaBelle, FL for 60+ years. Pat married Archie Ward on May 24, 1938.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Archie Ward; parents, Buck and Ollie Whitaker; and eight siblings.

She is survived by her daughter, Carole Pilgrim and her husband Wimpy of Gulfport; her grandchildren, Gaile Dupree and husband Jacob of Salt Lake City, UT and Joey Pilgrim and wife Jennifer of Perkinston, MS; great grandchildren, Celeste and Ty Pilgrim of Perkinston, Lauren and Addison Dupree of Salt Lake City, UT; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other family members.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, with the funeral service beginning at 2:00 pm, on Friday, May 25, 2012 at RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport. A reception will immediately follow at Bel-Aire Baptist Church in Gulfport.

A graveside service will be held at Fort Denaud Cemetery, 1170 Cemetery Road, LaBelle, FL at 4:00 pm, Sunday May 27, 2012. A reception will immediately follow at First Baptist Church of LaBelle, 330 North Main Street, LaBelle, FL.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bel-Aire Baptist Church or First Baptist Church of LaBelle, Fidelas Scholarship Fund . 

Thursday, May 24, 2012

State Board Of Missions

I have had the privilege of serving on the State Board of Missions for the Florida Baptist Convention for the last six years.  This is my last year to serve on this great committee that meets four times a year.  We meet at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center for 3 of our meetings and at the annual state convention in November.  On this trip Cathy was able to attend with me, which is the first time she has been able to do that.  It has been good to have Cathy with me and enjoy some time together.

 I serve on the Properties Committee for our Convention.  We had our committee meeting on Thursday and on Friday all of the committee's of the convention will met together for a joint meeting.  After this meeting, I will have only 2 more times to meet with this group of people that serve our convention.

When Cathy and I leave Lake Yale on Friday, we will go down to Orlando and attend Drew Dyess's wedding that evening.  Please pray for Drew and Lauren as they get married.  Hope to see you Sunday!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Deacon Nomination - Sunday, June 3, 2012

It is again time to begin the prayerful process of nominating and electing new deacons to join those already faithfully serving at First Baptist Church LaBelle.

It is important that the members of FBCL select deacons that have shown and continue to show evidence of the qualifications listed below.


  • Good reputation - Acts 6:3
  • Full of the Spirit - Acts 6:3
  • Full of Wisdom - Acts 6:3
  • Full of Faith - Acts 6:5
  • Worthy of respect - 1 Timothy 3:8
  • Sincere - 1 Timothy 3:8
  • Not indulging in much wine - 1 Timothy 3:8
  • Not pursuing dishonest gain - 1 Timothy 3:8
  • Holding the deep truths of the faith with clear conscience - 1 Timothy 3:9
  • Tested - 1 Timothy 3 10
  • Beyond reproach - 1 Timothy 3:10
  • Husband of but one wife - 1 Timothy 3:12
  • Managing his children and his household well - 1 Timothy 3:12
  • Great boldness in the faith - 1 Timothy 3:13
Paul Burchard and Roy Hererra will be rotating off this year.  We also need to fill Josh Thomas term as well.  Members will be ask to nominate 3 men to serve as deacons, on Sunday, June 3rd in our Morning Worship Service.
The following men are serving as Deacon's currently and can't be nominated at this time. Ron Zimmerly, Paul Burchard, Aaron Deerey, Roy Herrera, Wayne Simmons and Herod Spangler.

If you any questions, please call me at 863-517-0655.
Pastor Frank