By Rick Burnette Dumping more than two feet of rain over much of the western Florida Panhandle on September 16, Hurricane Sally, a Category 2 storm, left extensive damage across Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. A CBF Disaster Response survey of storm impacts is currently focused on communities along Garcon Point in Santa Rosa … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo It’s not the most commonly known advocacy issue that people are talking about. In fact, you might not even know what payday loans are. But the scary truth is that many average, middle class Americans are just one big financial emergency away from knowing all too well what many already do—that predatory … Continue reading
By Bekah Rhea COVID-19 is spurring us on to take up a wide variety of hobbies. Gardening is one of the most popular, presenting the opportunity to spend time outdoors and away from Netflix. In fact, so many people are starting their “COVID gardens” that seasoned community gardeners like CBF’s Rick Burnette are having some … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette Friday, June 12 Friday afternoon, June 12, was scorching hot in Immokalee, Florida. Practicing social distancing, we were sharing food with a few hundred residents in the parking lot of Misión Peniel – a food pantry ministry supported by Southwest Florida PC(USA) congregations. Off to the side, a few staff from Doctors … Continue reading
By Marianna Alzoukani In a time when much of the younger population is pushing away from the church, HeartWay Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is proving there is still a way for the church to connect with the younger generations and those who often shy away. Pastor Danny Prada describes his recent church start as a diverse and welcoming place of worship for “people from all walks of life, ethnicities and … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette We greeted 2020 with plans and actions. Not only was CBF Disaster Response moving forward with involvement in the Bahamas, efforts were continuing in hurricane devastated areas of Florida and North Carolina. Additionally, we were providing support for the earthquake recovery in Puerto Rico. Although we were preparing for the inevitable 2020 … Continue reading
By Blake Tommey Did you know that the farmworkers who produce two-thirds of the United States’ wintertime tomatoes often have a hard time feeding themselves and their families? In fact, when Rick and Ellen Burnette, directors of Cultivate Abundance, began interviewing migrant farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida, they found that families may at times only have tortillas dipped in … Continue reading
It wasn’t an ordinary day because it isn’t an ordinary church. This Place of Grace has served through the years to share the presence of Jesus Christ throughout the Jacksonville community and truly throughout the world. The church structure is not The Church, and even though HAB has been without the usual facilities that house this worshipping community for the past two years, it has still been the church at it’s finest. Continue reading
