Transitions
ON THE MOVE
Morgan J. Browning, to Hillcrest Baptist Church, Ridgeway, Va., as pastor.
Charity Roberson, to Sharon Baptist Church, Smithfield, N.C., as pastor, effective April 1.
Skip Irby, to Big Island (Va.) Baptist Church, as intentional interim pastor.
Wellford Tiller, completing an intentional interim pastorate at Calvary Baptist Church, Winchester, Va.
Paul Clark, to Ferry Farm Baptist Church, Fredericksburg, Va., as intentional interim pastor.
Ted Fuson, to Lynch Station (Va.) Baptist Church, as intentional interim pastor.
Lewis Wall, to Chestnut Level Baptist Church, Blairs, Va., as interim pastor.
Jacob Harris, to Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Glen Allen, Va., as associate pastor to students.
Trish Miller Manarin, now serving as associate pastor of McLean (Va.) Baptist Church.
Ray Tubbs Jr., to Shiloh Baptist Church, King George, Va., as children’s minister.
RETIREMENT
Ida Mae Hays, will retire as registrar and financial aid director of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, effective June 30. She served as a missionary with the Foreign (now International) Mission Board for 31 years in Brazil. Hays is a former pastor of Weldon (N.C.) Baptist Church. While at BTSR she started a CBF church, Crossroads Baptist Fellowship in Weldon, N.C.
DEATHS
David H. Best, associate pastor at First Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C., died Feb. 3 at the age of 57. He is survived by his wife, Janet B. Best; son, J.D. Best; daughter, Rachel Best; and parents, Herman and Margaret Best. A funeral service was held at First Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C.
Warren Lowery, associate pastor of Lone Oak Baptist Church, Axton, Va., died Dec. 31 at the age of 87. He is preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth. He is survived by three daughters, Wanda Jennings, Lydia Lowery Blevins and Regina L. Gilley; and one son, William Palmer Lowery, pastor of Lone Oak Baptist Church. A funeral service was held Jan. 4 at Basset (Va.) Funeral Home.
Kudos
5 YEARS
Israel Gwyn, celebrating 5 years as pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church, Cana, Va.
15 YEARS
Ron Hall, celebrating 15 years with the Virginia Baptist Foundation, Richmond, Va. He began his career at the Foundation as director of communications and public relations in 1996. The former pastor became president and CEO in May 2005.
20 YEARS
B. McRae Amoss Jr., celebrating 20 years as organist at Farmville (Va.) Baptist Church.
25 YEARS
Dan Birchfield, celebrating 25 years as pastor of East Bristol (Va.) Baptist Church.
RECOGNITIONS
Laura Barclay of Winston-Salem, N.C., is this year’s Wake Forest University Distinguished Service Award (Bill J. Leonard Distinguished Service Award Pro Fide et Humanitate) recipient. In her work as social ministries coordinator at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, Barclay has been a leader for the racial reconciliation ministry team, the wealth and poverty committee, as well as other initiatives for ministries of justice, reconciliation and compassion.
Events
SUN., FEB. 26
Claybrook Baptist Church, Weems, Va.; 100th anniversary at 11 a.m. Covered-dish luncheon will follow the service.
SUN., MARCH 4
First Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. celebrates its 210th anniversary at 11 a.m.
New Bethesda Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va., will host Dee Dee Hoosier, director of the Bland (Va.) Ministry Center at 5 p.m. The Bland Ministry Center, which is supported by a variety of Baptist groups, includes a dental clinic, food pantry, clothes closet and construction projects.
SUN.-WED., MAR. 11-14
Central Hill Baptist Church, Windsor, Va., revival services with Roger Roller, evangelist.
THU.-SUN., MAR. 15-18
Chesterfield Baptist Church, Moseley, Va.; revival with Glenn Maddox.
SUN., MARCH 8
Jones Chapel Baptist Church, Cumberland, Va., will celebrate homecoming. Speaker will be Jerry Gray with music by The Taylors. Revival services will be held March 19-21.
SUN.-WED., MAR. 18-21
Sandy Ridge Baptist Church, Rocky Mount, Va., will hold revival services with Roger Roller as evangelist.
FRI.-SAT., MARCH 30-31
The Virginia Baptist Library Association will hold its spring conference at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center in Lynchburg, Va. The theme is “Build Renew Refresh.” To register contact Eagle Eyrie, www. eagleeyrie.org.
News
The 2012 tour of the A Capella Choir of the School of Music at Baylor University, Waco, Texas, will include three churches in the Mid-Atlantic. The choir will perform at Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., on Fri., March 9 at 7:30 p.m. On Sat., March 10 at 7:30 p.m. the choir will be in concert at River Road Church, Baptist, Richmond, Va. And on Thurs., March 15 at 7:30 p.m. the choir will perform at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
A recently announced grant of $128,000 from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Inc. to Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C., brings the foundation’s total investment in Chowan to over $1.6 million since the partnership began in the 1990s. The latest investment will be used for general scholarships during the 2012-2013 academic year. The needs-based scholarship will go specifically to support the education of Christian women who reside in nine states, including North Carolina and Virginia. The foundation honors one of America’s first female business leaders who oversaw the growth of Coca-Cola’s bottling business, as well as other endeavors.
The Wake Forest University School of Divinity will host the 10th anniversary of the Phyllis Trible Lecture Series on March 6 and 7. The lecture series honors Phyllis Trible, an internationally known biblical scholar and member of the founding faculty of the School of Divinity, and makes feminist concerns more visible through dialogue with some of today’s foremost feminist thinkers. This year’s lecturers include: Ulrike Bechmann, professor for religious studies and head of religious sciences department, Grace University, Austria; Ivone Gebara, Theological Institute of Recife, Brazil; Hisako Kinukawa, Center for Feminist Theology and Ministry, Tokyo; and Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Institute of Women in Religion and Culture, Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana. To register go to www.wfu.edu/divinity.
Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching
Since 2007 Baptist Women in Ministry have encouraged Baptist churches to participate in the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching by having a woman preach during the month of February. Martha Stearns Marshall was an well-known 18th century Separate Baptist woman. Baptist Women in Ministry remember and honor Martha Stearns Marshall by celebrating the giftedness of the women who proclaim the good news from pulpits today. The following women are preaching in Mid-Atlantic churches:
• Courtney Allen, preaching at First Baptist Church, Dalton, Ga.
• Robin Anderson, preaching at University Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md.
• Molly Brummet, preaching at First Baptist Church, Boone, N.C.
• Amy Butler, preaching at Woodbrook Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md.
• Gail Coulter, preaching at Providence Baptist Church, Hendersonville, N.C.
• Jeanell Cox, preaching at First Baptist Church, Elizabeth City, N.C.
• Jeanne Cross, preaching at Ridge Road Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C.
• Jayne Davis, preaching at First Baptist Church, Willmington, N.C.
• Joyce Davis, preaching at Farmville (Va.) Baptist Church.
• Heather Folliard, preaching at HillSong Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Kim Hyekyung Ock, preaching at Kensington (Md.) Baptist Church.
• Judy McReynolds, preaching at Peace Haven Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Veronica Miles, preaching at First Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C.
• Tiffany Pittman, preaching at Biltmore Baptist Church, Glen Allen, Va.
• Wanda Smith, preaching at Blacksburg (Va.) Baptist Church.
• Melanie Storie, preaching at First Baptist Church, Independence, Va.