Tonight will be an extraordinary evening at Olive. The PANORAMA presentation will be a worship experience the church and community will long remember. Don’t miss it. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m.

For a long time October has been designated as Pastor Appreciation Month. Each year during these days I receive many cards with heartwarming personal notes. This year was no different. One of those came from Forest and Shirley McKinney. Then just two days ago word came that Forest had passed away. He had been sick for a long time. The McKinneys have been faithful at Olive for many years. When these circumstances occur these cards take on even more special meaning.

Thank you for allowing me to be your pastor. During October, I encourage you to say a word of thanks to any of the Olive staff team members who have been a blessing in your life. Our team is filled with remarkable people.

Pastor Ted Traylor

The first grade class at Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco recently took a field trip. Many classes do this. However, this one was a little different. Their teacher, Erin Carder, was getting married to her partner, Kerri McCoy. The city mayor, Gavin Newsom, was officiating. School officials approved the trip to the lesbian wedding by calling it a teachable moment. This is what happens in a state where gay marriage is sanctioned by Supreme Court judges. It has happened in California and also just recently Connecticut.

Teachable moments are important for first graders. The pro gay agenda is to teach children early that gay marriage is acceptable.

Amendment 2 on the Florida ballot in November seeks to define marriage in Florida as being only between a man and a woman. This is a needed wall of protection from Supreme Court judges in our state who may try to legislate from the bench. I am voting YES on TWO and urge you to do the same.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Today is a big day at our house. Liz has a birthday today. Please pray for her. Moving into our new home has been great but tiring for her. She has worked hard to get the new place in living order. I am so proud of what she has done. Many cards have arrived in her mailbox. I am grateful that you honor the pastor’s wife at Olive. Our pastor would be in a mess without Liz!!!

Get ready for the ad campaign to come at you. The opponents of Amendment 2 are well funded. The case is going to be made that we do not need to amend the Florida Constitution with the Marriage Protection Amendment. But court cases in other states tell us we must do this to insure that marriage in Florida is defined as being only between a man and a woman. I encourage you to vote YES on TWO!

Pastor Ted Traylor

Good morning from New Orleans. I am here for the North American Mission Board meeting. Last night we commissioned 106 missionaries. One of those was Gail Powell from Olive. She currently serves in Cleveland with our church plant. Church of the Hills is led by Pastor Randy Chestnut. Gail has been there many months already serving as the prayer and assimilation coordinator. Pray for Gail and the church. I was glad to get a picture with Gail and NAMB Board President Tim Patterson.

Remember that every member at Olive is to be a missionary. A missionary is a person who, in response to God’s call and gifting, leaves his or her comfort zone and crosses cultural, geographic or other barriers to proclaim the Gospel and live out a Christian witness in obedience to the Great Commission.

On Saturday afternoon Rachel and I had a fun time at the Alabama/Kentucky football game. We had the joy of spending the day with Stan and Kristin Lewis.

I will return from New Orleans shortly. Look forward to seeing you in town this week as we all pray for the people on our 316 cards and reach out to them as missionaries.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Team is very important. At Olive I have been blessed to have great staff members. This week we were on retreat for our annual planning time. These are always good days as we look at the future, pray together and brainstorm.

Time is also built in for a little team building fun. On Wednesday we took time to race go-carts at Sam’s Fun City. It was wild as the true competitive nature of some came to the surface – that excluded me of course.

I ask that you pray for the Olive staff. These people do great work. Some of the things they do would surprise you. It surprised me as I learned of the ministry they are involved in that has gone by me. Thank God for our team.

Pastor Ted Traylor

Word came this week of Dr. Landrum Leavell’s death. He was President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary from 1975 until 1994. At Olive we knew him best from the months he served as interim pastor in 1990. He did a great job following Dr. Passmore and setting the church family in order for a new pastor to come. I was that man and have long been grateful for his good work.

When he was going to teach the church he was fond of saying, “I am going to plow close to the corn this morning.” And plow he did. Dr. Leavell was a wonderful preacher and leader among Southern Baptists. He played an important role in our SBC family and was an essential element in the kingdom work at Olive.

This week our staff is spending some time in retreat. These team building and vision casting sessions are always good for us. Please pray as our team looks upward together for the work that is before us as a church.

Pastor Ted Traylor

This morning I am at Blue Springs Baptist camp for a meeting of the Florida Baptist Convention Board of Missions. Reports of Baptist work across the state are encouraging. Nevertheless, some in south Florida are in very tough economic times. We need to remember to pray for our sister churches.

Also, let me urge you to pray for our national leaders today. America is certainly facing some hard choices. Maybe this will be the wake up call to repentance for us.

Regardless of how the headlines and the reports from CNN remember - “Your Maker is the Lord of hosts and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.”

Join me this Sunday in worship. We, as the servants of God, have something to shout about!

Pastor Ted Traylor

I returned home from Arkansas on Sunday evening. Word came to me Saturday night about the death of my friend and former Olive staffer Jean Rea. Her family will welcome guests Wednesday night at Faith Chapel South. The funeral will be at Olive on Thursday morning at 9:30.

This lady was one of a kind in my life. She has been the major catalyst in my heart’s understanding of God’s direction toward the future work of the Ministry Village at Olive. It will be my plan to name one of the major buildings in the Village in honor of Jean. My many discussions with her about what God requires of us in light of Matthew 25 were life-changing for me. I loved her with all my heart as did so many others. One of her favorite sayings has become one of mine. “Failure to plan on your part does not create an emergency on my part.” This was a line I heard her share many times.

We are moving close to being only 40 days away from the national election. I encourage you to commit to pray for God to move across America before this crucial voting. You can find out more by visiting www.IVoteValues.com. This site will help you see what Southern Baptists and others are doing as we pray and plan for the coming election.

Have a great day. Pray for America. And honor Jean Rea by helping someone less fortunate today.

Pastor Ted Traylor

There has been a lot of fear in America and the world this week over economics. Many play the blame game and try to pin the problem on others. Greed is at the root of much of this. These are unsettling days and no one enjoys it. However, this may be God’s way of bringing us to our knees. I was taught long ago to thank God for anything that makes you pray. This week qualifies for that!

I encourage you to study in the Scripture the use of “Fear not.”

Last night in deacons meeting Dan Beard gave us a report on recent giving at Olive. The church is responding with faithfulness in tough times. I applaud you for it and encourage you to continue to seek first the things of the Lord.

Pastor Ted Traylor

These have been unusual days. Ike tore through Texas leaving destruction in its path. The train wreck in California was all but lost in the news. However, it was a deadly crash. Then on Monday a tornado touched down in Louisville, Kentucky. I heard from one of our ministry students there that 250,000 were without power and classes at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had been canceled for the week.

These tragedies remind us that ministry opportunities abound. Helping people in Jesus’ name works. I received an e-mail today from a gentleman in Baton Rouge where our team had been on mission last week. He wrote to say that what happened at his house was real Christianity. Men showed up and helped him when he had not asked and they asked for no pay. They were there just to serve.

Remember what IVAN taught us. You do not have to leave Pensacola to do ministry. Just look around and find someone to serve today. They are there. We will continue to go and help when ministry is presented in disasters. However, we must not wait on a storm to call us to action. The fields in the Panhandle are ripe.

Pastor Ted Traylor