As new Interim Director of Missions at Middle Florida Baptist Association (MFBA), Dr. James Obrecht is the glue that holds all 33 churches in Jefferson, Taylor and Madison in the MFBA together. Encouraging pastors, staff and church leaders for MFBA, providing resources to help the staff accomplish their mission of ministry and filling in for other pastors and preaching are just some of the many job duties that Obrecht has. Originally from Ames, Iowa, Obrecht previously served as a pastor for Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida for 23 years and spent his last year serving as Director of Missions at Taylor Baptist in Perry, Fl. His wife, Sandra, is very passionate about her vision to minister the pastor's wives from each church in MFBA and supports various women's ministries.
Obrecht moved to Madison as a continuation for the work he did at Taylor Baptist. “I came to know Christ through a campus ministry at the University of Alabama,” said Obrecht. While he grew up in a church-oriented environment, Obrecht didn't find Christ truly until he attended college. A stranger who came to Obrecht's dorm room would be the one who would introduce Obrecht to Christ. After giving some words of faith, the stranger invited Obrecht to attend a revival-type meeting on campus. It was there that he had a life-changing experience. “I thought 'if being 'born again' will get me closer to God, then that's what I want,'” said Obrecht. He recalls bowing down to pray, and when he raised his head, the world was “different.” After being 'born again,’ everything felt better, and the Bible suddenly made sense to Obrecht. Ever since that fateful day, Obrecht has been serving his Lord and Savior. He has two main goals for each of the churches in MFBA: strengthen the local churches and get them to work together to make things better. Middle Florida Baptist is located on 349 SW Captain Brown Road in Madison, Fl.
[inpost_fancy thumb_width="200" thumb_height="200" post_id="3572" thumb_margin_left="0" thumb_margin_bottom="0" thumb_border_radius="2" thumb_shadow="0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)" id="" random="0" group="0" border="" show_in_popup="0" album_cover="" album_cover_width="200" album_cover_height="200" popup_width="800" popup_max_height="600" popup_title="Gallery" type="fancy" sc_id="sc1439919942095"]
1. Greene Publishing Inc. photo by Selina Iglesias, August 13, 2015. New Interim Missions Director Dr. James Obrecht is looking forward to serving the churches and community apart of the Middle First Baptist Association.