A House of Prayer: Pastor Tom and Rio Vista at 25 Years

Anitra Parmele
1 Jun 2026
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Tom Hendrikse never imagined the word “pastor” on his resume let alone the designation of Senior Pastor of Rio Vista Church, a Presbyterian church planted in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale in 1941. Tom was a counselor of a different kind as a personal injury defense attorney, defending insurance companies like State Farm. “In Boynton, we attended a small Baptist church led by a dynamic pastor, John Hawkins. His first assignment was for me to teach a Sunday school class. I guess it went well, so I ended up running the Sunday school program with probably 500 adults, recruiting, […]

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Tom Hendrikse, Rio Vista Church, Good News Media Group, June 2026

Dialing Your Life Into Christ

Anitra Parmele
24 Oct 2018
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You press “seek” and suddenly your car or earphones are filled with music that encourages you and words that challenge you deeper in your journey with Christ. You’ve discovered South Florida’s local Christian radio station, 107.1 Spirit FM Radio.   Connecting 24/7 Launched just two years ago, 107.1 Spirit FM Radio is an outreach ministry of Calvary Chapel Pompano Beach. Through a series of opportunities that could only come from God, Pastor Ken Kerrigan and the church leadership began a journey to provide hope, encouragement and sound biblical teaching to Broward County. “I believe that radio broadcasting is the most […]

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One Name Remains

Anitra Parmele
10 Oct 2018
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Wilton Manors Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale Community Church, North Star Community Church, Midtown Campus of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and Harvest Preparation Ministries. The names have changed over the past fifteen years, but the desire to be a vibrant beacon for the gospel and the hope it offers has remained the same. This is a story not of a church or facility but of the Church as God has moved through pastors, businesspeople and lay members to reach a community and impact the generations.   Fort Lauderdale Community Church In 2004, five men began meeting for lunch to pray about […]

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Allowing Lent to Capture You

Anitra Parmele
6 Mar 2018
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“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ― Frederick Buechner Even as our social media feeds fill with exclamations of wonder that it is already March, Lent reminds us of a slower cadence. As the cycle of holidays slaps us like waves pounding the shore, Lent extends the chance at preparation. When our spirits cry out for a deeper communion with God in the midst of a frantic schedule, Lent offers scattered prompts throughout our days to draw us near to God. Lent 101 Marked by Ash Wednesday […]

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Ten Things You Might Not Know About charity: water

Anitra Parmele
31 Jan 2018
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The story of the founder Search Scott Harrison and charity: water and dozens of videos of Scott sharing his story pop up. Let’s just say he had me at Liberia. Even if you’ve never set foot in Buchanan, Scott’s story of sex, drugs, rock and roll, the 180 desperation can inspire, A.W. Tozer, supernatural healings, Mercy Ships, and launching charity: water might convince you of one thing. It makes total sense that God would use a burned-out prodigal nightclub promoter to launch a charity that works like a start-up. Water is often far and dangerous Today, millions of people, mostly […]

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Christmas Rehab

Anitra Parmele
6 Dec 2017
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  We’re all familiar with the underlying wisdom behind the instructions to place the oxygen mask over our face even before reaching over to help our child in the case of an in-flight emergency. How can we truly be prepared to assist others if we are on the verge of unconsciousness? If the Christmas season leaves you gasping for air, Melissa Spoelstra’s Total Christmas Makeover might be the perfect gift. Whether you spend the season terrified that you are always one tray of cookies and a secret gift short or you wonder why your holiday doesn’t come close to the […]

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Blessed Are the Misfits, for the Rest of Us

Anitra Parmele
5 Dec 2017
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Warning: If modern church culture makes perfect sense to you and you always fit in seamlessly, don’t read this. Christian radio host Brant Hansen is under no illusions that his latest, Blessed Are the Misfits, is for everyone. He’s just convinced that who it is for are ready for some good news. And we are. Misfits is for all of us who are not particularly extroverted, confident, or even happy. Those of us who wonder if God didn’t mean us when putting together all those promises. Those of us haunted by the question of whether there really is a seat […]

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An Invitation Back to Church

Anitra Parmele
1 Sep 2017
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Do you want to go to church with me this Sunday? It seems simple enough to invite a friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker or even stranger to attend a church service with you, but according to studies by The Barna Group, behind these words (or others just like them) are some startling statistics. 2%- Only 2 percent of church-going people invite someone to church in a given year. 73%- Close to three quarters of unchurched adults in the U. S. were never invited to church. 82%- If invited by a trusted friend or relative, 82 percent of the unchurched (defined […]

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