RICHMOND — The Virginia Baptist Mission Board elected new officers and allocated funds to a variety of statewide and international ministries during its organizational meeting Nov. 27-28 at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center.
Joe Lewis, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Petersburg, was elected the board's chair. Other officers are Jeff Bloomer, a Culpeper education administrator, first vice chair; and Pat Bloxom of Mappsville, a retired public health nurse and former president of Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia, second vice chair.
All three were elected earlier last month as president and first and second vice president, respectively, of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The Mission Board's bylaws require that it elect the BGAV's officers as its own.
Also elected was Fred Anderson, executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, as recording secretary.
Board members approved $62,000 in grants for six churches to carry out a variety of ministries. The churches are Chinese Christian Church of Harrisonburg, Reality Church in Norfolk, Revolution of Fredericksburg, Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond and Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond.
Also allocated was $27,600 in salary assistance to three pastors.
The board allocated $61,500 from World Mission Initiatives funding for eight international ministries:
• $12,500 for roof construction assistance in Kroonstad, South Africa.
• $7,000 for exterior finishing on a church building in Belgium
• $1,000 for a Christmas outreach project in Moldova.
• $8,000 for a malaria prevention project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• $6,000 for a youth-at-risk center in Kenya.
• $20,000 for the Nazareth Center for Christian Studies in Israel.
• $1,000 for the India Baptist Theological Seminary library in Kottayam, India.
• $6,000 for children and youth ministries in Austria.
Board members also learned that two of the board's teams — emerging leaders and courageous churches — are partnering to establish new churches and revitalize existing congregations in Virginia. The project will include:
• Missional churches in university areas and high-density young adult cooridors.
• A partnership among the BGAV and its affiliated entities, emerging congregations and the Ecclesia Network.
• Teaching churches that will serve as equipping centers and incubators for emerging ministry in university and high-density young adult areas.
Board leaders said they hope to see three new church starts emerge in 2008 in Richmond, suburban Chesterfield County and Charlottesville. Other locations for churches over the next few years are Northern Virginia, Williamsburg, Tidewater, Roanoke, Fredericksburg and the Northside/Ginter Park area of Richmond.
Board chair Joe Lewis told members that in his role as BGAV president, he has named Tom McCann as chair of the BGAV's budget committee. McCann is pastor of Winfree Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond.