Brother Mike Serves First Baptist Church

Beginning in July, Mike Shelby became the minister of the Cedar Key First Baptist Church. Brother Mike came to Cedar Key with his family after serving as a minister in Lebanon, Tennessee for eleven years. Prior to that he served in Santa Fe Florida.

Brother Mike Shelby, the new minister at the Cedar Key First Baptist Church.

Mike and wife Donna have two children, Micah, 16 and Rebekah, 15. The children attend Cedar Key School while Patches, the family terrier, stays home.

Brother Mike attended Baptist College of Florida where he met Donna. A graduated of the Theology School, he was ordained in 1986. The call to the ministry came while he was on a evangelical mission in South Korea.

Mike finds Romans the most interesting book of the Bible, and not surprisingly, the Apostle Paul is his favorite. When asked why he is a Baptist he said it is because of the denomination's emphasis on the Word of God, the literal interpretation of the Bible.

As a social entity, the Baptists' focus on evangelism is important to Brother Mike because, as he put it," Then all other things fall into line." His goal in Cedar Key is to make an impact on the island, including updating the church website and newsletter.

Beyond using the website for outreach, Brother Mike plans to contribute occasional articles to Cedar Key News. He views the Internet as capable of good or evil, therefore he will put it to good use.