ORLANDO, Fla. – In a sermon at the 55th anniversary celebration of the Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America, Florida Baptists’ executive director, Stephen Rummage, described Jesus’ strategy.
“First I’m going to preach, and then I’m going to teach,” Rummage told the 250 or more attendees of the June 8 celebration, which took place at the Orange County Convention Center as part of the activities surrounding the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting.
In his first 20-minute message, Rummage preached from Luke 15: “Here’s what Jesus wants to drive home: how precious and how important that one sheep is to the shepherd.
“Jesus absolutely loves the lost,” Rummage continued. “The lost doesn’t need a map or a beating. They just need somebody to pick them up and carry them back to where they need to be.
“And that’s what Jesus does. He rescues the lost sheep. We place ourselves on the shoulders of Jesus, and he takes us back where we need to be.”
The four-hour gathering opened with a welcome by Lito Lucas, president of the Filipino Fellowship and pastor of Philippine International Fellowship Church in Lakeland, Fla.
“As a fellowship, our purpose is to encourage one another and build each other up,” Lucas said. “If we are distracted by some of the things in the world today, we will miss the point of why God called us to this specific locality of where we are right now. God called you to be here. Be faithful. As your president, I am praying for each pastor here as I pray for my church members every day. I hope and pray that all of us, when we face Jesus in the future, He will say to us, ‘good and faithful servant.’”
Worship was led by the Philippine International Christian Fellowship worship team, which had also led worship on Sunday at the Asian Collective Kickoff.
Dan Santiago, executive director of the Filipino fellowship and pastor of Covenant Christian Church in Jacksonville, Fla., reported on the fellowship’s actions over the last year and future plans. Treasurer Verner Rafael brought a financial report. He is the pastor of the Filipino American Christian Church in Miami.
“There are a total of 68 churches listed on the fellowship’s website – fsbfna.com – and six of those are new this year,” Santiago reported. Ministries available through the Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America: providing prayer and financial support to the church planter, pastoral support, equipping leaders, ordination, annual fellowship and global church planting.
Total contributions from June 9, 2025, through June 5, 2026, were $35,723.95, with total expenses of $27,423.15, Rafael reported. This included 30 percent of total contributions for church planting in the Philippines, Thailand and Japan, plus four church plants in the United States: Frankfort, Ill.; Pueblo, Colo.; Mesquite, Texas; and metro Atlanta; 37 percent for fellowship and equipping; and 10 percent for administrative expenses and pastoral care.
Several SBC entities extended greetings to the fellowship’s attendees: the SBC Executive Committee, International Mission Board, North American Mission Board and GuideStone Financial Resources as well as the Baptist University of Florida.
“Aren’t you thankful that Jesus Christ came to seek you, to find you, and to save you? And He calls us today to join Him in His mission to seek and save the lost,” Rummage preached in his first message. “In the United States of America, there are 286 million people who are lost, who do not know Jesus as Savior, and who face hell for all eternity. God loves the lost and seeks and saves them.”
Rummage vividly described a lost lamb with a black splotch on its face. “Jesus absolutely loves the lost. The lost don’t need a map or a beating. They just need someone to pick them up and carry them back to where they need to be. And that’s what Jesus does. He rescues the lost sheep. We place ourselves on the shoulders of Jesus, and He takes us back where we need to be.”
For his second sermon, his “teaching” message, Rummage spoke from 2 Timothy 4 on his seven principles of expositional evangelistic preaching:
- Communicate the main idea of the text.
- Communicate the supporting ideas of the text.
- Explain Bible truths so your listener can understand.
- Illustrate Bible truths so your listener can see them.
- Apply Bible truths so your listener can trust and obey.
- Saturate every sermon with the Gospel.
- Call for a Gospel-based response in your message, clearly and expectantly.
“We were pleased with the turnout, with more than 250 pastors and church leaders in attendance,” Santiago told Baptist Press. “Our celebration focused on the continuation of preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and on planting churches, following the start five decades ago of what today is the Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America.
“And aside from the regional association’s church-planting effort, we, as a national fellowship, we’re able to consistently support church planters in the U.S. and in Asia,” Santiago continued. “By God’s grace, we hope to do more for God’s kingdom as churches become aware and committed to cooperating with this effort.”
Chauna R. Sidwell provided reporting for this article.
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