Accepted a new call? Been ordained? Church celebrating an anniversary? Mission trip or project that you would like highlighted on the HeraldBeat page? Send info to HeraldBeat editor Barbara Francis at [email protected].
Transitions
ON THE MOVE
Brooks Gale, to Millfield Baptist Church, Wakefield, Va., as pastor.
Eric Kieselbach, to Blackberry Baptist Church, Bassett, Va., as pastor.
Buck Bryant, to Burdette Baptist Church, Franklin, Va., as pastor.
Jackie Carver, resigning as pastor of Palestine Baptist Church, Huddleston, Va.
Randy Cooksey, to Broadus Memorial Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as minister of youth.
Bill Corey, to Dover Baptist Association as associate for ministry to church leaders.
Laura Webster, to Ringgold (Va.) Baptist Church, as minister to youth.
Miriam Dobbins, to Ringgold (Va.) Baptist Church, as minister to children.
Jeff Poythress, to Fairmount Memorial Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as minister of outreach and discipleship.
James Markey, to First Baptist Church, Canton, N.C., as part-time minister of music.
Amy Eberhard, to Central Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as interim children’s director.
Krista Shinew, resigning as music director at Moffett Memorial Baptist Church, Danville, Va.
Travis Mimms, to Chesterfield Baptist Church, Moseley, Va., as youth director.
Fran Wyand, to Lyndale Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as music director.
Nikki Tardiff, resigning as children’s minister at Effort Baptist Church, Palmyra, Va.
Katrina Brooks, to Madison Heights (Va.) Baptist Church, as interim minister of youth.
Anne Hunter Edison, concluding her ministry as minister of music at Park Road Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C.
RETIREMENT
John Saunders, retiring as associate pastor of discipleship at First Baptist Church, Mooresville, N.C.
David Whiteman, retiring as pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Buies Creek, N.C., after more than 25 years there.
DEATHS
Retired Virginia Baptist pastor Earl B. Denoff died Nov. 15 at the age of 88. He served as pastor of churches in Virginia and West Virginia, among them Faith Baptist Church in Goochland, Va. He was predeceased by his wife, Betty Mae Sizemore Denoff. He is survived by a son, Duane Denoff; two daughters, Karen Custalow and Debra Turner; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A homegoing ceremony was held at New Hope Baptist Assembly in Tappahannock, Va.
Alyssa Grace Divers died at her home on Dec. 31 at the age of 10, after a two-year battle with osteosarcoma. She is survived by her parents, Laura Lynn Litchfield Divers and Jeffrey Alan Divers; a sister, Alexa Noelle Divers; and her grandparents, Hugh and Sarah Litchfield and John and Mary Evelyn Divers. A service to celebrate her life was held Jan. 5 at Belmont Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va.
Phillip A. Duckett Sr. died Dec. 16 in Danville. He had served as a minister in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. He had served as director of missions for Goshen and Natural Bridge associations in Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Jeannette Holsonback Duckett; two daughters, Patricia Martin and Penny Stultz; son, Phillip A. Duckett Jr.; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held Dec. 19 at Townes Funeral Home in Danville, Va.
John A. Kiser died Dec. 10 at the age of 83 in Bristol, Tenn. He was a bivocational pastor for most of his ministry, serving as the founding pastor of Riverside Baptist Church, Castlewood, Va., for 32 years. He is was predeceased by his first wife, Peggy Kiser, and one son, Johnny L. Kiser. He is survived by his wife, Teresa Ann Kiser; a daughter, Joy Worley; a step-daughter, Rebecca Hayes; a step-son, Richard Hayes; five grandchildren, three step-grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held Dec. 12 at Castlewood (Va.) Funeral Home.
John Minter Jr., pastor of New Friendship Baptist Church in Burgess, Va., died Dec. 12 after fighting a courageous battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife, Susan Minter; his mother, Lois Minter; a son, Scott Minter; a daughter, Megan Gliebe; and two grandchildren. A memorial service was held Dec. 15 at New Friendship Baptist Church, Burgess, Va.
Long-time pastor and chaplain Harold Edward Nicholson died Jan. 1 at the age of 82. He served several Virginia Baptist churches and for 17 years was track coach and chaplain at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy. After retirement he served as interim pastor for several churches in the Roanoke Valley. He is survived by his wife, Okie Lee Nicholson; two sons, Warren and David Nicholson; one daughter, Cynthia Bono; and six grandchildren. A memorial service was held Jan. 5 at Edgemont Presbyterian Church in Covington, Va.
Marguerite G. Stevens, wife of Sherrill G. Stevens, died on Dec. 9 near Selma, N.C. Her husband served as pastor of Montrose Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., from 1971-87. He also served as president of the BGAV in 1986. She is also survived by three children, Kathie Wilkinson, Timothy Stevens and Sheralyn Cowless; 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Kudos
ORDINATION
Brian Bower will be ordained to the ministry on Jan. 20 by Belmont Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va.
15 YEARS
John Thompson, celebrating 15 years as minister of music at Walnut Hills Baptist Church, Williamsburg, Va.
5 YEARS
Spencer Dillard, celebrating 5 years as pastor of Parham Road Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
Roland McCraw, celebrating 5 years as pastor of Stone Mountain Baptist Church, Laurel Fork, Va.
Events
THURS., JAN. 18
Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.; concert of sacred brass and vocal music presented by the Salvation Army’s Southern Territorial Band & Songsters at 7 p.m. The concert will also feature young musicians from the music outreach programs serving underprivileged children from the Richmond area. The concert is free.
SUN., JAN. 27
River Road Church, Baptist, Richmond, Va.; organ recital by William Wisnom, recipient of the E. Carl Freeman Jr. organ scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University, at 7:30 p.m.
TUES.-THURS., FEB. 5-7
The Resource Center, in partnership with Cokesbury, will sponsor its annual Vacation Bible School Curriculum Fair on Tuesday from 1-8 p.m. and Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. in Virginia Hall, on the campus of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.
Missions
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The cadets of Fork Union Military Academy started a food drive on the first of November, and when the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank truck rolled onto campus to collect the food in mid-December, more than 5,572 pounds of canned and dry goods had been gathered by the students. It took 20 cadets, working in bucket brigade style, nearly an hour to load the food from the storage area into the truck.
News
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February is the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching. This yearly emphasis, sponsored by the Baptist Women in Ministry, invites churches to have a woman preach, both as a celebration of women’s God-given giftedness and as an opportunity to educate congregations about women in ministry. The event has grown since 2007, when 55 churches participated, to 2012 when 217 churches joined the observance. Participating Mid-Atlantic churches will be listed in the Herald for those who send us the name of the guest preacher and the date. Send this information to Barbara Francis at [email protected].