NEWS 40 JULY 2023 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition As the deep-pocketed abortion industry and its allies push to enshrine abortion on demand into the Florida Constitution through a multimillion-dollar ballot initiative campaign, Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Florida has announced its support for the competing Human Life ProtectionAmendment citizens' petition effort. CFC Florida Founder and Executive Director Anthony Verdugo said, "The ballot initiative campaign launched last month by Planned Parenthood, theACLU and other organizations seeks to reverse all the gains made by the pro-life movement in Florida over the last several years. Not only would their pro-abortion amendment repeal the recently signed Heartbeat Protection Act to ban most abortions after six weeks, but also last year's 15-week abortion ban. It also would nullify Florida's parental consent requirement and 24-hour waiting period to obtain an abortion. The deceptively worded pro-abortion ballot initiative would allow any abortion up to 'viability,' which has been interpreted as 24 weeks, but the proposal also adds a "health" exception for abortions at any stage of a pregnancy. By including a "health" exception, which has been broadly interpreted by the courts to justify abortion for virtually any reason including depression and anxiety, and by leaving that definition up to the abortionist, the ballot language opens the door to legalized abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy. We agree with the organizers of theHuman LifeProtectionAmendment ballot initiative that the best defense is a good offense. That is why we wholeheartedly support placing the Human Life Protection Amendment on Florida's November 2024 ballot to recognize the God-given right to life of every preborn child, andwe strongly urge all Floridians to sign the petition and support it at the ballot box." Visit humanlifefl.com for more information. First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale has appointed Pastor David Hughes as its 18th Lead Pastor. On June 11, the First Baptist congregation unanimously approved Hughes to assume the leadership position at the historic 115-year-old Baptist Church, located in downtown Fort Lauderdale. This appointment also marks a unique collaboration arrangement with Church By theGlades (CBG), formerly known as Coral Baptist, where Hughes has been faithfully serving as Lead Pastor for the past 24 years, where both traditional and contemporary services were held for 20 years. Hughes, who has dedicated his entire ministry career to the local area, grew up in Broward County and led CBG into a thriving congregation with more than 6,000 in weekly attendance. This is largely credited to Hughes’ passion for preaching the Gospel creatively and cultivating spiritual growth. Hughes is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity. The collaboration between First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale and CBG will foster shared resources while allowing each church tomaintain its autonomy. This approach will enable the congregations tomaximize their impact on the community while maintaining their individual identities and missions. The appointment of Hughes and the collaboration with CBG have been embraced with great enthusiasm, not only by the congregation but also by the esteemed lineage of former Lead Pastors at First Baptist Church. Dr. Bill Hinson, Dr. O.S. Hawkins, Dr. Larry Thompson, and Pastor James Welch, among others, joyously celebrated this significant development, affirming the shared vision and commitment to serving the South Florida community. With the proximity of the two churches, Pastor Hughes will have the privilege of preaching at both First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale and CBG, ensuring a seamless connection between the congregations.Additionally, he will maintain offices on both campuses to foster accessibility and collaboration. www.firstbaptistftl.com h m F m a i a C t a c e d o L B CFC Supports Human Life Protection Amendment First Baptist Fort Lauderdale Appoints Hughes as Pastor Pictured from left to right: Zane Hughes, Lisa Hughes, Pastor David Hughes and Victoria Hughes
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