***News Release***
Gridiron to Gospel; Former Football Star and Current Prominent Pastor Planting Church in Orlando—First Service Sept. 9
Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church of Edmond Plants Liberty Church Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla.—Many families attending some of today’s watered-down American churches feel their pastors have left them in the dark when it comes to the nation’s most pressing issues—how to pray about them, how their family is affected and what Christ expects us to do about our culture.
A new church plant in the Orlando area is seeking to be an answer for those families.
Liberty Church Orlando will host its first service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 9. Liberty Church is a plant of Fairview Baptist Church of Edmond, Oklahoma, pastored by the Rev. Paul K. Blair, a well-known former NFL offensive lineman who played with the Chicago Bears in the 1980s.
The new Liberty Church plant will meet at an existing church building located at 455 Maitland Avenue in Altamonte Springs.
Blair started Fairview Baptist 17 years ago and is also the founder and president of Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ, president of Reclaiming America for Christ and founder and president of Protect Life and Marriage OK. In 2008, Blair was one of the original 33 pastors that worked with Alliance Defending Freedom (then-Alliance Defense Fund) on Pulpit Freedom Sunday, which challenged the constitutionality of the 1954 Johnson Amendment. The number of pastors participating has increased every year since, with over 1,600 participating in 2012. Following the 2012 Pulpit Freedom Sunday, the IRS admitted that churches are tax exempt anyway and do not require approval or a letter of exemption from the IRS.
Also in 2008, Blair was named Pastor of the Year for the State of Oklahoma by the Bott Radio Network and as National Pastor of the Year by Vision America in 2011. He has been featured on the Glenn Beck television show, American Family Radio, the Mike Gallagher radio show, Focus on the Family radio, “The Rest of the Story” with Dick Bott and “Washington Watch” with Tony Perkins, among many others. Blair and Fairview Baptist Church’s radio ministry, “Exploring the Word,” airs weekdays on Bott Radio across Oklahoma. Blair can be heard daily from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET on WTLN Orlando (950 AM, 94.9 FM).
In addition to his ministry responsibilities at Fairview Baptist, Blair preaches around the country and speaks on subjects including apologetics, biblical worldview, Islam, biblical principles of American civil government and America’s Christian heritage. In 2015, he shared the platform with David Jeremiah, Ollie North and Mike Huckabee in the Real Evangelism Conferences sponsored by Bailey Smith Ministries.
Blair serves on the boards of Bott Radio in Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Apologetics Alliance. He is a former board member of Vision America Action and is a member of the Council on National Policy. He has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 29 years, and they have two adult sons.
Following the inaugural Liberty Church service, a hot dog social will be hosted by Art Ally, founder and leader of the Timothy Plan family of biblically responsible investments, at 624 Eden Park Road in Altamonte Springs. Guests may RSVP online or by calling (407) 774-7800.
For more information on Liberty Church, visit libertychurchofcentralflorida.org or paulkblair.com.
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