Dick Haynes home to be with the Lord

Dick Haynes an FBC Alumni and past Vice President of the Alumni Association has gone home with the Lord Monday, Oct 27, 2008.

There will be a celebration of life in Memory of Dick Haynes on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 It would have been his 65th birthday) at Friendship Baptist Church, 4001 74th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33709, 727-343-3321, beginning at 6 PM with dinner to follow. Everyone is welcome to come. If you live in the San Antonio, Texas area, there will be an announcement in the San Antonio Express this Thursday.

In lieu of flowers, if you wish, please make a donation to the Focus Evangelistic Ministries, Inc. P. O. Box 498, Danielsville, GA 30633. This is the company that hosted/organized the Bible camps that Dick attended

Reflections on a wonderful reunion

I wanted to take a few minutes and reflect on the recent reunion of the Florida Bible College Alumni Association.

There was much prayer and work put into the organization of the reunion and there are many people that need to be thanked. You know who you are and my personal thanks is extended to you.

After much preparation, prayer and anticipation the reunion began that Friday afternoon. As alumni began to arrive I could feel the excitement in the air. I saw many long separated friends run to each other embrace and weep. As people mingled they would gaze at the name tags as they passed each person to see if it was someone they knew. I saw one person as they were taking pictures and sweeping though those that were seated to take pictures, realized that the person in the camera was a friend they had not seen for almost 30 years. He nearly dropped the camera as he ran to embrace his friend. There were many moments such as this throughout the weekend. It was a wonderful weekend of reuniting with “old” friends. In that sense the reunion was greatly successful.

Yet if that was all that one gained from the reunion then much was missed. What was very evident was the renewal of the fellowship of many brothers and sisters in Christ. There was a moving of the Spirit that was unmistakable. What I saw was a working of God in the hearts of those that were there. There was a refreshing of many souls and the changing of lives. I cannot number the times that someone came to me and said “This is exactly what I needed”.

Much of what happened that weekend was unplanned and was of our Lord and not of us. I must say that what we prayed the reunion would be was far exceeded and the Lord worked greatly in how things worked and in what was done.

There were many that had their heart and soul renewed there were many that were able to begin a healing process, and many that were brought back to their desire to serve the Lord.

I thank the Lord for all that he accomplished through this reunion. My wife and I were sick this Sunday so we watched the Worship service of the reunion and we found ourselves touched as deeply by it as when we were there.

Although it is good to remember and think on this wonderful weekend and the way that the Lord worked in so many hearts, I feel that we must not forget to take what happened to us there and apply it to our lives, to take the connections that we re-established and use them to glorify our Lord.The Lord provided us a wonderful reunion, what will we do now?

Hank Lindstrom home to be with the Lord

Hank, 68, of Tampa, passed away Monday, October 13, 2008. He was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Henry. Survivors include his wife, Jeanette; daughter, Melissa; grand-daughter, Isabel; sister, Margaret (Ron); brother, Richard (Mary); and several nieces and nephews. He graduated from the University of Florida with a five-year Electrical Engineering Degree. He entered his biblical studies at the Florida Bible College in Miami. For 35 years, he directed the youth ministry at the Tampa Christian Youth Ranch, which hundreds of teenagers attended. In 1966, Dr. Lindstrom became pastor of Calvary Community Church and has celebrated 42 years of ministry. He had a television program on Time Warner Access Channel in Hillsborough County for more than 20 years in the Tampa Bay area and was heard on Christian Radio for the past 20 years, most recently WTBN radio. He frequently traveled to Israel, Middle East and Europe, baptizing many in the Jordan River. Dr. Lindstrom was an instructor of Moody Bible Institute extension in Chicago, Ill., for 11 years. He was also chaplain to many major league baseball teams and chapel speaker to several NFL football teams. Services will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, October 17, 2008, at Calvary Community Church. Interment will follow at Trinity Memorial Gardens in New Port Richey, Fla. The family will receive friends noon-4 p.m. Thursday, October 16, 2008, at the Carrollwood Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Dr. Hank Lindstrom Memorial Fund, in care of Calvary Community Church, 4811 George Road, Tampa, Fla., 33634. Words of comfort may be expressed at http://www.blountcurry.com/(Carroll Wood Chapel).