Message by Dr John Brackin, Director Of Missions of Palm Lake Baptist Association

  In 1883, John Roebling was inspired to build a bridge connecting New York with Long Island.
  Bridge building experts throughout the world declared the project an impossible feat.
  They told Roebling to forget the idea.
  It just could not be done.
  It was not practical. It had never been done before.  

  Roebling would not ignore his vision to build the bridge.
  He thought about it constantly.
  He knew deep in his heart that it could be done.
  He just had to gather around him those who could see beyond present expectations.
  His son was also an engineer.
  After much discussion, he managed to convince him that the bridge could be built.  

  Working together the father and son developed concepts of how the task could be accomplished.
  With great excitement and inspiration they tackled the wild challenge.
  They hired a crew and began to build their dream bridge.
  The project started well. 
  However, a few months into the work a tragic accident took the life of John Roebling.
  His son was left paralyzed and unable to talk. 

  "We told them so." 
  "Crazy men and their crazy dreams." 
  "It’s foolish to chase wild visions." 

  The negative comments were vicious.
  The experts felt that the project should be scrapped.
  After all, the Roeblings were the only ones who believed the bridge could be built.
  In spite of his handicap Washington Roebling still had a burning desire  to complete his father’s dream.
  The accident had crippled his body.  However, his mind was still as sharp as ever.  

  As he lay in his hospital bed all he could do was move one finger. 
  An idea suddenly hit him.
  He decided to make the best use of this ability.
  He slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
  He touched his wife's arm with that finger.
  He indicated that he wanted her to call the engineers.
  Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.
  It seemed foolish but the project was under way again. 
 

  For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions on his wife's arm.
  The bridge was finally completed.
  Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute
  to one man's determination not to be defeated by circumstances.
  It is also a tribute to the engineers, their team work, and their faith in a man
  who was considered crazy by other engineering experts.
  It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of a wife who for 13 long years
patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do. 

  This is an example of a never-say-quit attitude.
  Washington Roebling overcame a terrible physical handicap and achieved a seemingly impossible goal.
  Often times, the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence. 

  The desire of the Palm Lake Baptist Association is to see Palm Beach County come to Christ.
  This seems like an impossible task. 
  There are those who say, “Crazy Baptists and their crazy ideas. 
  Don’t they know it’s foolish to chase wild visions and dreams?” 

  The multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural make-up of our county is overwhelming to many people. 
  There are those who believe that these divisions are insurmountable and can never be satisfactorily crossed. 
  They are convinced that we are eternally separated by race, language, and culture.    

  They don’t understand that Jesus brings reconciliation and builds bridges across all divides. 
  Our call is to build bridges across seemingly impossible chasms.
  The association exists to assist churches as they reach our county for Christ.
  We are offering new ways to build bridges to the lost in our county. 

  With modern technology, our association of churches has access to internet
  video conferences, DVDs, satellite seminars, and a variety of electronically transmitted training. 
  Travel is no longer the task that it was just a few short years ago. 
  New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary training on a graduate level is three hours away
  in Orlando or an hour away in Miami.

  You heard Dr. Jean Moise’ report on our association’s relationship with Golden Gate Baptist
  Theological Seminary.  
  We are offering basic theological training in French and Creole to people
  who have never had that opportunity before.  

  It is not uncommon for church members to charter a bus and ride across the state to an event
  in Tampa, Orlando, or Jacksonville.
  Air line travel is no longer the domain of the privileged few.
  Our churches now go on mission trips to Haiti, Cuba, Guatemala, India, and Africa. 
  Our pastors, staff, and lay members are well educated, mobile, globe trotting witnesses
  for Christ Jesus. 

  It’s not the church of our grandparents. 
  In fact, it is not the church of our parents.
  With new methods of training and new opportunities for outreach our churches can be
  dynamic places of worship, training, and mission outreach.

  As a result, the local association has grown into a more one on one resource. 
  Group meetings for fellowship and training are still a vital part of the association staff’s ministry.
  However, more and more of our task is to meet individually with pastors, staff, and church leaders. 
  We coach, mentor, encourage, and support our churches in a more direct way than ever before.   

  Just as churches are moving in new directions, the local association office is likewise adapting
  to the new needs of our member churches. 
  It is an exciting time in the life of Baptist in Palm Beach County.
  Ministry is not a parking space. 
  Ministry is discovering and traveling a winding road.
  We seldom know what is around the next bend.

  We are in the bridge building business.
  The good thing about being part of Palm Lake Baptist Association is that we have company on the journey. 
  We have discovered that we are stronger together than alone.