Faith Archive

A former leader of the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee died May 20. Most Rev. John H. Ricard, SSJ, who served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese, was 86. Ricard served as bishop over Catholic churches in the Florida Panhandle from 1997 to 2011.

Community Life Church is looking to expand its parking lot to accommodate its growing congregation.

Pickleball’s overall popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. According to SFIA Topline Participation Report for 2025, at least 19.8 million Americans played the sport in 2024.

With the gaining popularity, churches are using it to reach people, both in their own congregations and throughout their communities. One church in Navarre, Gathering House, hosts pickleball nights on the last Friday of each month.

East Bay Church celebrated their graduates earlier this month with a special prayer service and ceremony.

Holley Assembly of God played host to a few dozen children Saturday, May 16. The occasion was Royal Ranger Field Day, an annual event for the Assemblies of God boys’ ministry program.

The field day at Holley Assembly brought together boys from across the West Florida District to participate in games and activities such as horseshoes, barrel racing with hobby horses, bead toss, bounce house and face painting.

Just because its summer, doesn’t mean you should take a vacation from Jesus.

That’s the message Steve Mendez of Momentum Church is sending ahead of what promises to be an eventful summer for the church.

Jan. 1, 2026, was anything but fun for Monica McBrien, who works for Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Office. While many were ringing in the new year with fireworks, she suffered a seizure.

After coming to, she couldn’t recognize her family’s faces. She knew something was wrong. Shortly after, an MRI unveiled a diagnosis no one wants to hear: “you have brain cancer.”

Believers from at least four different Navarre congregations gathered at Navarre Park May 7 to lift their prayers to God in celebration of National Day of Prayer. The goal is not to only pray on this day, but to use this as a catalyst to encourage us to pray more for our community and our leaders, said Pastor Greg Love of First Baptist Church of Navarre who organized the event.

Northwest Florida, including Navarre, has a heavy military population, including about 34,000 military retirees, according to Santa Rosa County’s economic development office. Navarre also serves as a bedroom community for several surrounding installations, and many of its residents face unique challenges related to their service.

Trey Olman, who is training to be an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Navarre, said those challenges require a space where veterans can be vulnerable and feel supported by people who understand what they have gone through firsthand.

New Life Deliverance Temple Church in Navarre recently held its annual Marriage and Singles Conference from April 20 through 22. It was the 19th time the conference has been held by the church.

This year’s conference was held at the Margaritaville Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the theme was ‘a love like this.’