After a decade of worshiping at Western High School in Davie, Greenhouse South Florida is merging with First Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale, a 114-year-old church that is one of the original houses of worship in Fort Lauderdale. Calling it “the most historic moment since our church began,” Jon Lash, lead pastor of Greenhouse South Florida, explained, “We had been praying and trusting God for some sort of a permanent home and unbeknownst to us, they had been praying and trusting God for a pastor and an opportunity to pass the baton to the next generation of leadership.” Introduced through relationships in Church United, leaders from both churches went through an 18-month process of prayer and consideration, before bringing the two congregations together, corporately. They are now in the process of renovating the 100-year-old church building located at 201 SE 13th St.. in Fort Lauderdale before Greenhouse discontinues meeting in Davie and moves to their new permanent home. H. Collins Forman, an attorney and teaching elder whose father was a founder of First Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale, said this will be the fourth or fifth name change of the church as leadership has been passed from generation to generation. Church leaders view the transition not as ownership, but stewardship, continuing a legacy of service while preparing the space for expanded ministry and outreach. “I think it’s God's desire for churches to view things as a common mission field and do what they can to cooperate with each other. The Lord is blessing their work. There is a huge surge of families in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and we’re a family church, so I see this as the Lord smiling on what he intended for us to do,” said Forman. In a nostalgic Facebook post, Alyssa Forman shared, “As First Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale transitions to be Greenhouse Church South Florida, I can say I'm so excited for how God will continue to use the people within the four walls of this building for His kingdom. To do His work.” 38 february 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South florida edition COMMUNITY NEWS Hundreds of community supporters and sports enthusiasts celebrated the Florida Panthers, back-toback 2024 & 2025 Stanley Cup Champions, at History Fort Lauderdale’s 29th annual History Makers fundraiser at War Memorial Auditorium on January 8. Presented by Alligator Ron & Ali Bergeron, Miles & Tara Forman and Murphy Family Charitable Trust and hosted by WSVN 7 Sportscaster Donovan Campbell, the History Makers event raised more than $60,000 for History Fort Lauderdale and its mission of preserving our collective heritage. The yearly event recognizes individuals and companies who have made significant contributions to the growth of the City of Fort Lauderdale. The evening began with a VIP tour by Florida Panthers Vice President, Programming & Development, Keith Fine who shared a history of the team’s emotional journey toward redeveloping War Memorial Auditorium. Guest enjoyed a cocktail reception, silent auction, a meet and greet with Florida Panthers alumni players Serge Payer and Peter J. Worrell plus the opportunity to view memorabilia. Previous History Maker honoree Bob Denison of Denison Yachting shared his passion for the team’s redevelopment efforts and reinforced the importance of keeping cultural institutions like History Fort Lauderdale essential for generations. City of Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Vice Mayor/Commissioner John Herbst, Commissioner Steve Glassman, Commissioner Ben Sorensen, Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman, and History Fort Lauderdale Board Chair Erin Farrington Finlen presented Florida Panthers COO Rob Stevenson with a memorial plaque commemorating the team’s unmatched legacy of award-winning sportsmanship, hometown corporate philanthropy, civic responsibility and historic preservation efforts. According to the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, the Panthers have impacted the local economy by at least $110 million over the last two seasons during the team’s long playoff runs. History Makers Honors Florida Panthers WSVN’s Donovan Campbell, Florida Panthers COO Rob Stevenson, History Fort Lauderdale’s Erin Farrington Finlen and Bob Denison Greenhouse Merges with Historic First Christian Church Historic First Christian Church Fort Lauderdale building Rob Kornahrens, Florida Panthers COO Rob Stevenson, Alligator Ron Bergeron H. Collins Forman, Teaching Elder Pastor Jon Lash
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