Florida Baptist Disaster Relief and Send Network remain committed to supporting recovery efforts in Jamaica following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. The Category 5 hurricane was among the most powerful storms ever to tear through the Atlantic.

Billy Ray, a retired international missionary and minister who attends First Baptist Church Wildwood, and JD James, a member of Central Baptist Church in Monticello, were among the first Florida Baptist Disaster Relief team members to set foot on the ground in Jamaica. Joining Send Network in partnership with the Jamaica Baptist Union, volunteers worked to repair roofs on local churches.

Local churches have become sources of hope and help for people who are displaced and without access to daily necessities such as clean water and food. Functioning as relief centers, churches are distributing food and supplies to community members.

The team has faced challenges due to widespread infrastructure damage. With only one main road open, heavy traffic has hindered progress. Volunteers leave their hotel at 5:30 a.m. and make multiple trips to transport team members between the hotel and the church. “Traveling in hurricane-affected areas is always challenging, but Jamaica brought it to a whole new level,” James said. “Our group had to turn around several times after hours of travel because roads were washed out or flooded.”

Supply chain disruptions have also made sourcing materials difficult, with many suppliers out of stock on construction items needed for repairs.

“Serving was a great reset for me,” James said. “It was amazing to see storm survivors praising God for their lives being spared. Instead of looking at all the material things they had lost, they were grateful for the gift of life.”

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief plans to maintain a presence in Jamaica through December and potentially into 2026. The primary goal is to help local churches reach a place of healing so they can continue serving those in need in their communities.

James encouraged others to pray, give and serve in the affected areas “even after the news stories end. This will be a long recovery in heavily impacted areas, with rebuilding continuing for years to come.”

Editors Note: To provide financial gifts to aid Hurricane Melissa response efforts, visit the FLDR giving page.

Tim Burdick, associational mission strategist for Lake County Baptist Association, was inspired by the concept of pastors’ vision tours he heard about in a podcast. He approached Jeffery Singletary, Central regional catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention, and asked him to explore the possibility of organizing such tours.

Singletary, who has come to be known for his passion for the Caribbean churches, saw the potential and agreed to help.

“Since the college closed, we started to hear from the pastors there,” said Singletary. “They have churches that do not have pastors; they do not have young men or women getting theological training. They have nobody to replace current pastors; we’ve got pastor-less churches.”

The shortage of theological training in the region makes the need to re-open the college urgent.

The stage was set for Florida Baptist pastors and their congregations to come alongside their Baptist brothers and sisters in the U.S. Virgin Islands to restore the institution responsible for training local pastors and Bible teachers.

It was not long before the first vision tours evolved into hands-on mission trips as pastors and church teams rolled up their sleeves to lay tile in the college’s cafeteria, paint walls and preach in local churches among other things. These efforts were met with not only gratitude but also renewed hope from the college’s administration as well as the local community.

Pastors like Bird Sanders, Ferndale Baptist Church in Clermont, and Juan Negron, MP3 Church in Clermont, have been enthusiastic advocates for the college by taking their church members on mission trips and spreading the word about the need for volunteers.

“Wherever I go, I talk about it; this is an opportunity to be part of something that is not on everyone’s radar,” said Sanders. “Until the Lord comes, we need to be about His business and train men. It’s one thing to go once and win somebody to Jesus, that’s fantastic. But what if we can train a local man who can win a hundred or a thousand because he lives there already?”

Andrew and Sheryl George are currently leading the theological institution, with Andrew serving as the school’s president.  Sheryl expressed optimism about the college’s future and hopes that by August the college will be open for classes.

“If we are ready to go in August, and we could start offering one or two courses, that would give the school life; people would know that we’re serious about what we’re doing,” she said.

For those interested in joining the mission to restore Bluewater Bible College, visit https://www.lakebaptist.org/bluewater-bible for ways to help.

In mid-June, Florida Baptists ministered alongside five St. Thomas churches to conduct a children’s sports camp and men’s conference, resulting in more than 100 professions of faith.

Florida Baptists have partnered with Baptist churches in the U.S. Virgin Islands, covering St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, for seven years. Today nine Baptist churches minister and evangelize across the three islands.

The islanders are “very open to the gospel,” said Jeffery Singletary, Florida Baptists’ central regional catalyst.

Sports camp

The weekend outreach event for children and youth occurred on Friday morning with a basketball and football camp being held at two local high schools.

Among the sports camp leaders were well-known athletic icons, including Robert McCullum, head basketball coach at Florida A&M University; Kenny Berry, defensive back for the University of Miami; and Vantz Singletary, assistant head football coach at Trinity International University.

Also, Julian Jackson, three-time world boxing champion from the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with his undefeated protégé, Deion Pruitt, were a popular draw for those participating in the athletic outreach.

Jackson, with a major roadway named in his honor in St. Thomas, is a “strong, godly Christian man that God has used in many ways,” Singletary said.

Intermingled with athletic instruction and practice were several evangelistic messages. Many of the children and youth had never heard the gospel and listened intently as some of their athletic heroes shared about their faith in Jesus, with numerous young people making professions of faith.

Men’s conference

Baptist leaders in St. Thomas initiated the idea of conducting a men’s conference, something that had never been done on the island prior to this year’s event.

“We want to empower men to be leaders,” said Andrew George, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in St. Thomas, acknowledging that many men on the island often look at “church” as being for women and children.

The Thursday and Friday evening through Saturday morning men’s conference focused on topics including finances, relationships and physical and emotional health from a biblical perspective.

St. Thomas church leaders planned the event, said Myles Dowdy, Florida Baptists’ lead catalyst for missions and ministries.

“We just came beside them,” he said.

Local leaders, including doctors and church and community civic leaders, as well as Florida Baptist leaders served as conference speakers.

The men’s conference was not without challenges. As Dowdy began to speak on Friday evening, the electricity flickered out, with lights going dark and the air conditioner’s gentle whirring coming to a silent end.

“I couldn’t see the back of the room,” Dowdy laughed. But, sensing that “Satan didn’t want the men to hear,” conference leaders persevered, and the men not only showed up but also stayed to hear the speakers throughout the dark and warm evening.

“You could see God was in it,” said Pastor George. “Even with the interruption (the loss of electrical power), there was really no interruption at all.”

A highlight of the men’s conference for George was “seeing the men open up,” even embracing each other as they shared about relationships and personal challenges.

“It was a God thing,” he said.

Pastor George’s wife, Sherryl, said her “takeaway” from this year’s men’s conference was, “It took too long to have such a conference. Men do want relationships with other men; they’re just not open about it.”

The conference, Dowdy said, “was a great tool to strengthen the lives and bring men together in the Virgin Islands.”

Comments from participants on a post-event survey indicate great interest for the men’s conference to be held again.

Invigorated by the response to this year’s inaugural approach of holding a children’s sports camp in conjunction with a men’s conference, local St. Thomas church leaders are already looking forward to a similar event in 2023.

But, first, leaders from all five Baptist churches in St. Thomas are following up with those who made professions of faith—building relationships, answering questions, encouraging them in their newfound faith.

And rippling the baptismal waters.

Strengthening men and strengthening marriage were the focuses of the recent USVI Men’s Conference and Marriage Seminar, both held March 22-24 at  Cruz Bay Baptist Church in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Men’s Conference theme was ‘The Challenges from Boyhood to Manhood’, from a Biblical perspective. Topics were issues men are struggling with including Toxic Masculinity and the enemy within me. An encouraging message from God’s word came from Psalm 103:17 “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness into children’s children.”

Leading the Men’s Conference was Dr. Jeffery Singletary, Regional Catalyst for the Central Region of the Florida Baptist Convention.  “From boys to men they are struggling to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of an emerging culture that views traditional manhood as toxic masculinity,” Singletary said. “From boys to men they are bleeding inside profusely and weeping in silence. Perhaps Albert Schweitzer said it best, ‘The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives’.”

Present at the conference was an 88-year-old man who shared of a wound that occurred in his teens as if it had happened yesterday. “The pain was still real; he was still bleeding. The tragedy was no one had noticed, and it appeared no one cared,” recalled Singletary.

An adolescent boy is often faced with painful challenges where, rather than being validated and guided, he’s abandoned to struggle alone to find a solution or pave a new path without resolving the challenge. The teachings at the conference stemmed from the belief system that “Every coach needs a coach and every man needs a mentor. Your wife is designed to complete you, but it takes a man of wisdom and understanding to help you understand you!”

A man’s experiences in adolescence follow him through adulthood and into marriage. Singletary further explained, “It’s important that he finds healing from the woundedness of his childhood so he may enter manhood healthy, mature and well-grounded in life and living. He can now be the man, husband and father he has been called and ordained to be for his family.”

Dr. Myles Dowdy, Missions and Ministries – Lead Catalyst of the Florida Baptist Convention, lead the Marriage Seminar with his wife Cindy. “Cindy and I had the joy of sharing the amazing truths taught in the Word of God on how God desires and designs for us to be successful in the relationships of our lives,” Dowdy said. “The sweet fellowship and environment provided an incredible time of teaching and dialogue with our family of believers on the island of St. John in the Virgin Islands.”

Separately, Cindy Dowdy shared, “I was so blessed to be able to connect with and encourage sisters in Christ. The people of the Virgin Islands have been through so much and are still recovering from the hurricanes, but their faith is inspiring.”

Last year the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria which hit the islands within days of each other.

“In June and July just after the hurricanes the islands were in panic mode,” said Jeffery Singletary, Central Florida Regional Catalyst. “After the hurricanes there were 60 plus deaths…people were saying ‘I can’t do this anymore’.”

Because of the devastation and hopelessness, Singletary along with other Florida Baptists traveled to the islands to bring training and counseling to the people.

From Wednesday Nov. 28^th to Sunday Dec. 2^nd the group worked with churches in three areas. Myles Dowdy, missions and ministries lead catalyst, led training and information sessions on family counseling. Lewis Miller, West Florida Regional Catalyst, led Sunday school trainings. Pastor Grant Hignight of Central Parkway Baptist Church in Orlando led sessions on assessing and managing stress.

“It was important to help them assess where they are [on the stress spectrum] and give them tools to cope,” said Singletary.

By Keila Diaz, Florida Baptist Convention, December 13, 2018

Almost a year ago, in September 2017, the Virgin Islands were hit by two category 5 hurricanes less than two weeks apart from each other and each leaving behind destroyed homes and broken spirits. This summer Florida Baptist churches traveled to the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John with the task of bringing hope through vacation bible schools, worship workshops and evangelism training.

In a two and a half week period three teams have come to each of the islands for missions, reported Jeffery Singletary, Central Florida catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention.

New Philadelphia Worship Center in St. Petersburg, Hillside Community in Brooksville and Idlewild Baptist in Lutz sent their missionaries to share the hope of the Gospel with the families of the Virgin Islands.

“In St. Croix mission teams are working with a Boys and Girls club during the day and in the evening they are serving at revival services,” he said.

The Feeding of the 5000–as the revival-style worship services are called–has been taking place since Thanksgiving 2017 as a way of providing for physical and spiritual needs by serving hot meals and preaching the Gospel. During their time in St. Croix, Hillside Community put on puppet shows during the day for the boys and girls living in a housing project and in the evenings they preached revival-style worship services.

“Doors were open and people were welcoming and we had many opportunities to share the Gospel,” said Hillside’s pastor Joe Santerelli.

In St. Thomas, the missionaries worked in two locations. First, at Grace Baptist where they led VBS for the children and then in St. Paul Baptist where they led evangelism training and worship workshop for the adults. Meanwhile in St. John, Cruz Bay Baptist hosted VBS for community and church children.

The evangelism training, taught by Idlewild’s Ken Jordan, drew between 40 and 50 folks, according to Singletary. Not only did those who attend listen about practical ways of sharing the Gospel, they also went out into the community and put to practice what they learned.

The Worship Leadership Workshop, led by New Philadelphia, drew close to 80 people and focused on worship fundamentals and worship service design.

Salvation reports from St. Croix put decisions for Christ at more than 10 and St. Thomas reported at least 50.

“Over 80 decisions [have been made] for Christ,” through VBS and revival services, reported Singletary.

Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention called it a “[p]owerful move of God,” in a text message conversation reporting the good news coming out the islands.

By Keila Diaz, Florida Baptist Convention, July 25, 2018

Florida Baptist pastors traveled to St. Croix in the days leading up to the revival and worked with high schools and middle schools on the island.

James Peoples, Send City missionary with the North American Mission Board, said that the people of St. Croix were welcoming and warm to them “despite a majority of them still being without power and having been through a lot since hurricane Maria.”

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Back Dexter Sanders, who was also the 2003 Super Bowl MVP, and Corey Sanders, pastor of Movement Christian Church in Homestead, spoke to the youth at four different schools.

Sanders, who not only pastors but is also a hip-hop artist, challenged the students with motivational words while Dexter shared his testimony and experiences from the NFL.

“It was amazing to share the hope of Jesus with students,” said Peoples.

Peoples preached on prayer, trust and praising God at all times.

Singletary said 15,000 meals were passed out at the crusade.

Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, shared that the result of the revival crusade was a “fantastic, tremendous blessing and movement of God.”

By Keila Diaz, Florida Baptist Convention, February 7, 2018

Jeffery Singletary, central Florida catalyst, said that during the two-day revival, a total of 7,200 meals were served, 45 decisions for Christ were made and attendance was in the thousands.

“The Spirit of the Lord moved in a great way,” he said through text messages exchanged while he was on the island.

Tommy Green said the crusade was an opportunity to speak a message of hope to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands who were adversely affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“Pastors Willy Rice from Calvary Church in Clearwater and Adron Robinson from Hillcrest Baptist Church in Illinois did an outstanding job of proclaiming God’s word,” added Singletary.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to represent our church in this small way,” wrote Rice in a Facebook post. “I have seen the resilience and faith of the people and we are praying that God will use this to strengthen the churches and open doors for compassionate Christian ministry and bold witness for Christ…Thanks for praying for us though.”

“We have seen pastors unite on the island and we have had the opportunity to build relationships with them and the people,” added Dr. Green.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, the Florida Baptist Convention served 28,000 meals and saw 575 decisions for Christ, reported Singletary.

During the Easter season, the Florida Baptist Convention through Myles Dowdy, missions and ministry catalyst, and Singletary will organize another crusade to bring meals and a message of hope in Jesus Christ to the people of St. Croix.

These events “reflect the generous giving of Florida Baptists through their Cooperative Program and Disaster Relief contributions,” said Dr. Green.

By Keila Diaz, Florida Baptist Convention, January 4, 2018