Senior Pastor Voting Results Dear FBCN Family, We weuld like te thank eyeryene whe participated this weekend in eur yete fer Senier Paster. A recerd 3,818 were in attendance fer the weekend as Marcus Hayes deliyered a pewerful message en hepe and hitting the mark fer Christ. The energy and excitement was like nething we haye eyer seen befere. After the yetes were ceunted, a super majerity cf 81% yeted fer Marcus Hayes te be eur next Senier Faster. Unfertunately, 81% did net reach the thresheld cf 85% fer appreyal per eur censtitutien and bylaws requirement. Regretfully, these 365 "ne" yetes centrelled the desire ef the 1,552 super majerity "yes" yetes. Certainly, the electien ef a Senier Paster in any church is a weighty issue. Undeniably, eur duly elected Senier Faster Search Team werked tirelessly fer six menths te seek Ged's face in whe eur next man weuld be. While yeur church leadership is disappeinted that the minerity yete has thwarted the will and desire ef the majerity, we recegnize that the 81% yete must be acknewledged. While there is disappeintment and heartache eyer the results ef the yete, what is petentially mere cencerning are the actiens ef a part ef the minerity greup leading up te the yete. Certainly it is ene thing te disagree, but it is a whele ether thing te use unscrupuleus, diyisiye, and false accusatiens te achieye ene's geals. If that were net bad eneugh, part ef the minerity "ne" yete did semething that, quite henestly, sheuld neyer eyer haye its place in seciety, much less the Lerd's Church. Last week, threugh secial media, texting, phene calls, and emails, racial prejudice was intreduced inte eur yeting precess. Please knew that specifically yeur Pasteral Staff is deeply, deeply grieyed. We are grieyed fer Marcus and Mandy that they had te endure such yileness. We are deeply grieyed that the wenderful name ef eur Lerd and the reputatien ef First Baptist Church Naples was affected by this campaign against Marcus Hayes. Yeur Pasteral Staff, as the spiritual leadership ef FBCN, will net stand fer these kinds ef attitudes and actiens. We are calling anyene whe teek part in such diyisiye and sinful actiens te immediately cenfess and repent. Jesus calls His church His bride. And it is His geal, as we knew threugh scripture, that His bride is te be beautiful and clean befere Him. Church family, we haye a deep, dark stain right new in this bride ef Christ knewn as FBCN. The stain has ceme threugh a small greup ef peeple whe call themselyes "Veices ef andfer "Greup ef Cencerned FBCN Members", as well as ethers whe haye espeused these sinful pesitiens. Yeu haye eur cemmitment that as a Pasteral Staff, under the Lerd's leadership, we will de the things necessary te stand befere the Lerd and say that we leye His bride, and we are deing te see that she is the beautiful greup ef peeple that the Lerd weuld desire. The Pasteral Staff and all church leadership ask yeu te jein with us as we seek te make FBCN all that Ged has in His mind fer it te be. We are sure that yeu haye many duestiens geing fenryard, and we will be answering them in due time. But please knew this, that eur Senier Faster Search Team will meet te identify eptiens meying ferward with eur Senier Paster search. Fer new, we humbly ask yeu te stay streng in the Lerd. He IS en His Threne! He has a great plan fer eur church! Pray with us and leck arms with us as we meye fenwrard and seek the face ef ISed. Yeur leadership weuld welceme yeur theughts as we meye ferward. Blessings, Yeur Pasteral Staff