RICHMOND — The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded 12 grants totaling over $100,000 to 11 Virginia Baptist ministry partners, according to Ronald C. Hall, president and CEO of the Foundation.
Hall announced the following recipients, which were awarded grants by the Foundation during a recent trustee administrative committee meeting:
• African Christian Community Church in Richmond, for the purpose of supporting the Barnabas Project, a ministry that addresses the physical, educational, and spiritual needs of African immigrants and refugees in Central Virginia;
• Anita Bailey, a member of Poroporone Baptist Church in Shacklefords, for the purpose of participating in a mission trip to Honduras with a team from Christopher Newport University;
• Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, for the purpose of launching a pilot project designed to assist congregations facing decline and closure;
• Bluefield College, for the continuing ministry support of the Daniel G. MacMillan Center for Service, Mission and Ministry on campus;
• The Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies, for the purpose of developing print and media materials to teach high school and college-aged students Baptist history, heritage and principles;
• Iglesia Bautista Hispana Emanuel Church in Alexandria, for the purpose of assisting young people to attend the 15th Baptist Youth World Conference in Germany this summer;
• Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, for the purpose of replacing the roof of the Reverend J. F. Fletcher Chapel on campus;
• Shiloh Hope Builders in Culpeper, for the purpose of supporting a Christian mentoring program for impoverished and abused women;
• The Religious Herald, for the dual purposes of consulting media experts to increase circulation as well as providing scholarship assistance to attend a conference at The Center of Philanthropy in Indiana;
• The Virginia Baptist Mission Board's emerging leaders team and Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia, for the purpose of constructing a Habitat for Humanity house in Lynchburg during the Missions Connection Celebration at Eagle Eyrie;
• The VBMB's Impact Virginia program, for the purpose of supporting youth construction camps in Bluefield, Bowling Green, Culpeper and Staunton this summer.
William E. Watson, chairman of the Foundation's board of trustees, said, “The grant program is growing and I am excited with this year's grant beneficiaries. The purpose of this program is to fulfill Christ's Great Commission, while also strengthening Virginia Baptist's Kingdom Advance initiatives. Clearly this is a step in that direction.
“The Foundation is honored to be the chosen agency by so many deceased Virginia Baptists to look after the fruits of their labor. We make these grants with the proceeds of these deposits to help support these valued Virginia Baptist causes.”
Grant applications for 2009 will be available on the Foundation's website (www.vbfinc. org) in November 2008.