Courtesy Marco Island Historical Society
Goodland Baptist Mission, 1990, by Arthur Leuthe.
Courtesy Marco Island Historical Society
Remember when our Baptist Church looked like this? Photo taken in 1990 by Arthur Leuthe.
FAST FACTS
The First Baptist Church of Marco began in the 1960s as a mission in Goodland and moved in 1976 to Tommie Barfield Elementary. That same year, a fund drive started to build a permanent church on Winterberry Drive, and the fist building opened in 1980. There has been much expansion since then: The church currently operates a school for grades 6-12 which opened in 2008 under Principal T. J. Freeman and an award-winning free pre-kindergarten program which usually has a waiting list.
Membership ranges seasonally from 350 to 650 under the direction of the current Pastor Timothy Neptune. The music director is Ben Sprankle and the family pastor is Aaron Lundquist. The church has sponsored four other area churches as missions in Collier County. Visit their Web site at fbcmarco.com.
Lest we forget, the churches on this island owe a debt to the Deltona Corporation which set aside free land for them, as well as for schools, parks and cemeteries.
WHAT'S NEW
The Historical Society is one of the area’s biggest success stories. What began 15 years ago as a small group of volunteers interested in research and preservation of the region’s lively past has grown into a regional organization of hundreds.
Fundraising began in earnest a few years ago, and will culminate in the opening of a historical museum here in early 2010. The museum is expected to become a major tourist destination in the area and will also be a popular visiting spot for local residents and county school students.
Over the years, we’ve sponsored archaeological excavations, field trips, monthly meetings with excellent speakers and other events such as the local appearance of Antiques Road Show and participation in the last island version of “Dancing with the Starz.”
Come to our next meeting at Mackle Park, 7 p.m., July 7, when Helmut Nickel, a longtime member of MIHS and former curator at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, will present a program entitles Red, White and Blue, detailing the history of our country’s flags. Refreshments will be served and admission is free.
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