The sign outside Pines Baptist Church along 102nd Avenue in Pembroke Pines didn't carry particularly pious messages: ''PLASMA TV.'' ''FOOD.'' ``NFL EXPERIENCE BLOCK PARTY.''
But it did the job.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, 250 church members and neighborhood residents flooded the church grounds, where Christian rock music blared from giant speakers, football fans in full Miami Dolphins regalia mingled with church volunteers, and dozens of people lined up for hot dogs, raffle tickets and autographs from retired Dolphins players Dwight Stevenson and Mark Higgs.
''We're trying to show that the people who go to church aren't all stuffy,'' said Gary Cromer, head of missions at Pines Baptist Church. ``It shows them who we really are. It's not just a bunch of shirts and ties on Sunday mornings.''...