In the beginning the Baptist churches were collections of like-minded believers who primarily gathered in what they preferred to call “meeting houses” for worship and secondarily for sustaining fellowship with one another. They also extended Christian concern to the needy among them.
Many of the early churches adopted a covenant and these frequently were borrowed from other churches. In 1786 Black Creek Baptist Church in Southampton County adopted a covenant which stated that the members were “to watch over each of our families and children under our care.” These New Testament churches cared for widows, orphans and the poor. Such watchfulness over the flock is about as close as Baptists came to practicing compassion before the advent of the missions movement.
Fred Anderson
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In more recent history there have developed as many acts of compassionate ministry as there are creative and resourceful people. When a need has been presented and a response articulated, Baptists usually have shown compassion.
There have been some churches which have practiced extraordinary ministries. The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies calls these “compassionate churches.” The Center’s Heritage Fellows for 2010-11 visited nine churches across Virginia and West Virginia which exemplify compassionate responses to need.
Few churches, if any, could match The Church at Clarendon, which is located in a high-rent district of Northern Virginia. For its centennial in 2009 the church actually demolished its large and beautiful building in order to erect a new building that will provide affordable housing especially for public servants such as schoolteachers and firemen. Part of the new structure will house the church.
Andrew Gardner, a student at the College William and Mary and a Heritage Fellow, visited Clarendon to discover its story. Rob Ryland, a church leader and member of an old-time Virginia Baptist family, shared the church’s decision to pursue a radically-compassionate act. It was not without its critics and Ryland has assisted the church through several lawsuits.
“The coming of the new church will allow for the ministries of Clarendon to grow as the congregation sees fit,” wrote Gardner in his paper on the church. “Rob Ryland explained that the original building had functioned in many ways. Throughout its history, Clarendon has been the home for Vietnamese, Spanish and Ethiopian congregations. It also has been the location for the main branch of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies. Currently the church has selected and adopted [an apartment complex] as a location of ministry. Children are picked up and brought to church, given breakfast and time away from home. As a result of this ministry, one member of the congregation was led to adopt two children. The return to a new building will only benefit and create more opportunities for the growing church.”
In most Virginia localities there are Baptist churches which are coping with a natural decline, including an aging congregation. Some of these have found ways to revitalize themselves while meeting the needs of others. Tabernacle Baptist Church in downtown Richmond has a small congregation but it also has a large and an energizing ministry. The church designated part of its space as a food pantry and clothing closet. Homeless individuals also are given “church bags” which contain foods that are easy to open and do not require much preparation.
Patrick Trail, a student at Virginia Tech and a Heritage Fellow, visited another church which is practicing radical compassion. Central Baptist Church in downtown Norfolk has operated its “Caring Center” since 1980. The church took an unused floor of its educational building and created an inviting place where family members of patients at Norfolk General Hospital can stay for the night. Members of the church serve as the innkeepers.
Trail also visited Belmont Baptist Church in southeast Roanoke. It, too, had experienced changing demographics in its neighborhood; but it recognized and responded to the needs of the residents. The church operates its Cross-Mart Ministries, “a one-stop shop for people in need.” It operates a food pantry and gives church space for a health management center in cooperation with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Area residents come for free basic health care including blood pressure checks, blood sugar tests and information on health. Foot care also is provided.
The Christian acts of love and compassion performed by these and other Baptist churches in Virginia are far beyond the practices of the early Baptist churches. It is a broadening of the definition of “neighbor” and of “need.”
Andrew Gardner and Patrick Trail crisscrossed Virginia to visit the nine churches in their study. Their papers were gathered into a new publication of the Heritage Center, appropriately entitled Compassionate Churches. It is a good slice of contemporary Baptist response to hurting humanity.
Also included in the publication are the four award-winning essays submitted by Virginia Baptist high school students for the Heritage Center’s Roots & Wings Young Scholars Essay Contest. Youth were encouraged to write about their own church or another church and to tell about acts of compassion.
The winners were Marlee Baucom, Columbia Baptist Church, Falls Church, first place; Ellynn Loftus, Webber Memorial Baptist Church, Richmond, second place; Hannah Markham, Big Island Baptist Church, Bedford County, third place; and Haven Headley, Beale Memorial Baptist Church, Tappahannock, honorable mention.
The essays reveal a variety of ministries, including Columbia’s Spend Yourself ministry to address world hunger; Webber’s clown ministry which visits shut-ins, nursing homes and hospitals; Big Island’s “Wacky Wednesdays” which teaches children about the Bible “through fun themes and important life lessons”; and Beale Memorial’s many projects including the purchase of a tractor to send to Africa. They are the stuff of compassion.
Copies of Compassionate Churches are free for the asking. Telephone the Heritage Center at 804.289.8434 and request a copy.
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies, located on the campus of the University of Richmond. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.