With little debate or opposition, messengers adopted six resolutions at last week's annual BGAV meeting.
I. Resolution of Appreciation
With praise and thanksgiving to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we have gathered, and to whose glory we consecrate our work together.
We the messengers to the 181st annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, meeting in Roanoke, Virginia, November 10, 2004, do hereby make it known that:
We express our gratitude to the city of Roanoke, to the staff of the Roanoke Civic Center and to the local businesses for their gracious hospitality.
We commend the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association and all other volunteers for all they have done to facilitate this annual meeting.
We give thanks to the program committee for planning and conducting this meeting. We commend all the program participants for their positive contributions. We are grateful to the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board for their faithful and thoughtful preparation for this annual meeting. We cherish their continuous, committed service to Virginia Baptists, our churches, ministers and lay people. We especially appreciate the capable leadership of John V. Upton Jr., our executive director.
We convey our appreciation for the heritage of a free and unfettered Baptist press and to Robert Dilday and staff for their ministry with the Religious Herald. We value the Herald's continued support of the BGAV and its goals. We respect their faithfulness in reporting Baptist news to our churches.
We commend the service and contributions of first vice president Richard Smith; second vice president Virginia Carroll; assistant clerk Wayne Hannah; parliamentarians Richard L. Bidwell, Beth Fogg and John Mann; we further express our appreciation to our clerk, Frederick J. Anderson, for his faithful service.
We esteem Don Davidson for his diligent and compassionate leadership as our president.
Finally, we resolve to continue working together in our Baptist General Association of Virginia to advance the Redeemer's Kingdom.
II. Resolution on Appreciation for Fred Anderson
We join the Virginia Baptist Historical Society in extending gratitude to Fred Anderson as communicated in the following resolution adopted on May 12, 2004:
Whereas, Fred Anderson has for 25 years served as executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, preserving the rich heritage of Virginia Baptists by collecting, cataloging and displaying Baptist artifacts and sundry materials in the Heritage Gallery of the Society, and
Whereas, Fred continues to present the Virginia Baptist story in all areas of the state through his traveling exhibits, through the histories of associations which he has written, through his more than 700 columns in the Religious Herald, and through his portrayals of Baptist leaders such as John Leland and Dr. William E. Hatcher, who he has portrayed over 300 times, and
Whereas, even though Fred is a native of Albany, Georgia, he wisely married Nancy, a Virginia native, and is the father of two sons and the grandfather of four grandchildren, and
Whereas, whatever Fred does, whether it be as a researcher, editor, writer, actor, designer of exhibits at the society or on the road, public speaker, clerk, planner, archivist, fund raiser, or librarian, he does all of these things well;
Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the members of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society anniversary committee, on behalf of the whole society, meeting May 12, 2004, express our appreciation to Frederick J. Anderson for his tireless efforts in preserving Virginia Baptist history, promoting the Baptist distinctives and educating this and future generations.
Be It Further Resolved, that the messengers of the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 10, 2004, in Roanoke, Virginia, extend gratitude to God for the gracious spirit and the outstanding leadership of Frederick J. Anderson.
III. Resolution on Virginia Baptist Fiscal Responsibility
Inasmuch as Virginia Baptists have gone through a major organizational and leadership transition, a recession and through fiscal challenges provided by the formation of a second state convention in Virginia; and
Whereas, in recent years Virginia Baptists have supplemented budget revenues with monies from financial reserves;
Whereas in 2004, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board operated with a reported $318,435 surplus; and
Whereas present and past faithful servants of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board have made significant sacrifices to make this possible;
Be it resolved that the messengers of the 181st Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 10, 2004, affirm the churches for their generous support; and
Be it resolved that the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board be commended for their prayerful and faithful stewardship of these resources; and ministries made possible by these gifts.
IV. Resolution on Prayer for National Leaders
Inasmuch as our nation has recently completed the electoral process, we the messengers to the 181st annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, meeting in Roanoke, Virginia, November 10, 2004, hereby resolve, in the spirit of 1 Timothy 2:2, to pray for all those entrusted with the governance and leadership of our nation and to pray for the healing of the American people at this time.
V. Resolution of Appreciation
for Military Personnel and their Families
Inasmuch as many citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia serve in the armed services of the United States of America, and
Whereas many members of Virginia Baptist churches are currently deployed on active duty,
Therefore, we the messengers to the 181st annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 10, 2004, express deep appreciation to the men and women in the armed services and to their families. With gratitude to God, we particularly commend the work of military chaplains for their dedicated ministry as visible reminders of the Holy.
Let it be resolved that we pay tribute to all who have suffered injury and to all who have made the ultimate sacrifice of life to protect the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which we enjoy.
We further resolve to extend sympathy to all who grieve the injury or loss of their loved ones in this conflict.
Be it finally resolved that we pledge to provide ministry to military members and their families, and we pledge our prayer support for all active duty, Reserve and National Guard members, particularly to those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. We further offer assurance to our military families that we stand with them in their dedicated service to our nation.
VI. Resolution of Appreciation
for Disaster Relief Efforts
Inasmuch as weather-related disasters in 2004 provided much heartache for many, and
States experienced a tropical storm and four hurricanes, and of Hurricanes Charlie, Francis, Jean and Ivan, and devastated by flooding induced by Tropical Storm Gaston, and
Whereas western Virginia also sustained severe damage due to flooding, and
Whereas Virginia Baptists responded to the disasters in Florida, West Virginia, Grenada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, in addition to working among those affected by disasters in our own beloved Commonwealth, and
Whereas over 100,000 meals were served, and crisis chaplains dealt with over 1,000 individuals in extending comfort and counsel,
Therefore, be it resolved that the messengers of this 181st Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 10, 2004, extend affirmation and gratitude to the staff of the glocal missions and evangelism team; and
Be it further resolved that we extend our sincere gratitude to the more than 1,000 volunteers of the Virginia Baptist disaster relief network.