Carrying the Pioneer Spirit Forward: A Giving Tuesday Reflection
Two hundred years ago, before Northeast Florida had highways, master-planned communities, or even a clear name on the map, a small cluster of families gathered near Pigeon Creek (In Nassau County). The Knights. The Prevatts. The Dixons. Ordinary people with extraordinary resolve. They carved out a place to worship in 1821, forming what became the first Baptist church organized in the Florida Territory.
They didn’t plant that church because it was convenient.
They didn’t plant it because they had excess resources.
They planted it because people were coming to this region, and someone had to meet them with the gospel.
Their courage set the tone for what ministry would look like in Northeast Florida for generations: families linking arms to start new gospel work.
A Region Growing… Again
Today, God is writing a similar story. People are streaming into Northeast Florida at one of the fastest rates in the state. New neighborhoods rise where longleaf pines once stood. Schools expand. Roads widen. The mission field grows every month.
Behind every moving truck is a soul looking for hope. And just like those early pioneers, we carry the call to plant and strengthen churches for the people arriving here.
Yet one reality has changed dramatically.
The New Barrier: Cost
In 1821, families shared land, labor, livestock, and lumber. Today, the cost of property and buildings has become one of the steepest barriers to church planting and replanting. Many new congregations struggle even to find a place to gather, much less secure long-term space.
No single church—no matter how faithful—can carry that alone.
Why the Future Family Fund Exists
The Future Family Fund was created to carry forward the legacy of those founding families. It is our collective commitment to seeing:
New church plants established in rapidly growing communities
Struggling congregations replanted with fresh leadership and vision
Local churches revitalized and renewed
Emerging leaders trained and equipped
Pastors supported, encouraged, and strengthened
This is the work our Family of Churches feels called to pursue together.
And it takes more than financial gifts. Just like 1821, it requires partnership—sharing buildings when space is available, sharing leaders when opportunities arise, sharing property when doors open, and sharing responsibility as one regional family.
Imagine the Next Chapter
Imagine churches in Northeast Florida moving like one extended family.
Established congregations helping new churches secure land before developers do.
Churches with extra space making room for new work to grow.
Pastors pouring into emerging leaders called to plant or replant.
Local congregations cooperating to reach communities none of us can reach alone.
This is not wishful thinking.
This is the kind of cooperation our region has already lived before.
And it is the kind of cooperation we want to model again.
An Invitation to Join the Story
Giving Tuesday (December 2nd, 2025) is not just another date on the calendar. It is a chance to embody the same pioneer spirit that shaped gospel work here two centuries ago. Those early families had little, yet they built something that outlived them.
We stand in their legacy.
Now we get to decide what we will leave for those who come after us.
Join us in investing in a future where our Family of Churches stands shoulder to shoulder, planting and strengthening congregations across a rapidly growing region with the hope of Christ.
If you prefer to give by check, make it payable to Northeast Florida Baptist Association with “Future Family Fund” in the memo, and mail it to P.O. Box 516, Yulee, FL 32041