Pastors, public servants and community members gathered May 7 at Jernigan’s Landing in Milton to mark the National Day of Prayer, lifting up prayers for government, military families, schools, businesses and the media under the 2026 national theme “Glorify God Among the Nations.”

On the last Saturday of every month, cars line up three deep in the parking lot of Olivet Baptist Church, where a small congregation hands out roughly 200 bags of groceries to families across Santa Rosa County.

Tim Chandler has spent his life answering callings.
At 16, he started preaching. Not long after, he joined the Marine Corps and never saw the two as a contradiction.
“Being a minister and a man of God made me a better Marine,” Chandler said, “and being a Marine made me a better minister and a man of God.”

When the world feels like it is spinning out of control, Jim Waters turns to a passage he has carried for years.

Pastors in Santa Rosa County say two pieces of legislation moving through the Florida Legislature could affect how churches across Florida manage both security and finances, as congregations increasingly focus on protecting worshippers while navigating changing public policy.

After serving time in jail and prison following an opioid addiction, Dana Clah now works inside county jails helping incarcerated men and women confront trauma, addiction and life decisions through a faith-based recovery program she developed from her own experience.

As Friendship Baptist Church in Milton navigates leadership changes, one constant has been its youth minister, Logan Matthews, who said his primary focus remains guiding young church members while helping them build lasting spiritual foundations.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, marks the annual tradition of Ash Wednesday in the Christian faith.

Ash Wednesday is a time of reflection and renewed focus on Christ, his teachings and each person’s faith journey. The day will also mark the beginning of the Lenten period, a season of prayer and fasting which lasts for 40 days until Easter Sunday.

Come all ye faithful!

Covington Mercantile & Coffee Co. will host a special evening of acoustic worship music Friday, Feb. 27, at its 5675 Highway 90 location in Milton.

Monday marked the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January each year.

King, a civil rights leader and pastor from Atlanta, spent much of his adult life campaigning for an end to Jim Crow laws in the American South and advocating for fair and equal treatment of minorities, particularly African Americans, in the United States.