Christmas may be five months away but for Gabriel Bostwick, 12, and his family Santa Claus came to town early. On July 21, a crowd of over 200 people lined the street outside the Bostwick’s home to give them some Christmas cheer. For the past two years,

Jim Waters is the “associational mission strategist” for the Santa Rosa Baptist Association. What does he do? Whatever he can do to help the association’s 38 member churches and their pastors.

In 1973, a Baptist Bible College graduate asked a friend and classmate from that Springfield, Mo., school to help him start a church in Milton. “We didn’t have a job, we didn’t have an income, we didn’t have a place to live, and we didn’t have a problem,” Jerry Walker, founding pastor of what now is known as West Florida Baptist Church, told guests celebrating the 50th anniversary of the church at a special service July 8. “We had a commission to save souls, and that was all we needed.”

A recent survey by the American Bible Society concluded that Christians who are actively engaged in studying their faith’s scriptures “flourish in every domain of human experience.”

Carl Gallups’ energy is infectious and seemingly unending; it has helped him build a diverse ministry over almost 50 years as pastor at Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in East Milton. Gallups has written 13 books about the Bible, ghost-written several others, and contributed to numerous compilations and publications.

Jim Stickle celebrated his eighth anniversary pastoring New Life Baptist Church in May. He is the longest-tenured pastor in the church’s almost 43-year history. Only three previous pastors stayed at the church longer than four years.

About 30 years ago, several Milton-area churches began worshiping together monthly. Today, the Fellowship of Churches Santa Rosa County guides a variety of activities designed to inform, empower and serve people.

Jim Waters went on his first mission trip in 1985. He was a sophomore at Milton High School, and he traveled with a group from First Baptist Church to serve the people of New Orleans. This week, he’s leading about two dozen teens from Friendship Baptist Church on a mission to the city; he’s led more than 20 missions to “the Big Easy” over the years.

“A lot of times, they’re the best part of somebody’s worst day.” Tom Lloyd, Santa Rosa County’s Public Safety Director