Transitions for the week of 07.29.16

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly.

STAFF CHANGES

David and Judy Bailey, to Oakland Baptist Church, Gum Spring, Va., as interim pastors.

Shana Bailey, to First Baptist Church, Sherman, Texas, as music minister.

Bob Billups, resigning as senior associate pastor at First Baptist Church, Midland, Texas, to become director of Wilberforce Alliance in Dallas.

Henry Clary, to Bluefield (Va.) College, as campus pastor. Previously he served the International Mission Board for nine years as a missionary in Uruguay.

Blake Dempsey, to Brookwood Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala., as executive pastor. He comes from the pastorate of Rock Creek Baptist Church, Nashville, N.C.

Elias Garcia, to First Baptist Church, Brownwood, Texas, as minister to students.

Johnny Gupton, to Thaxton (Va.) Baptist Church, as associate pastor. He comes from Glenn View Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C., where he served as worship and senior adult pastor.

Jack Johnson, to Hill Memorial Baptist Church, Martinsville, Va., as pastor. Previously he was pastor of Kerwin Baptist Church, Kernersville, N.C., for 17 years.

Ken Kessler, to Louisa (Va.) Baptist Church, as interim pastor.

Eric Nelson, concluding his tenure after 14 years as minister of music at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga., effective Aug. 17.

Megan Pike, to Second Baptist Church, Little Rock, Ark., as executive director of Lake Nixon, a ministry of Second Baptist. She comes from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas, where she served as associate coordinator.

Gary Ritcher, to Harrisonburg (Va.) Baptist Church, as choir director. He recently retired after 20 years as coordinator of music education in the School of Music at James Madison University.

Diane Touch, to First Baptist Church, Huntington, Ind., as pastor.

Jordan Whittington, to First Baptist Church, College Station, Texas, as college minister.

Bryce Williams, to Grace Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as minister to youth and their families.

Steve Zimmerman, to Keystone Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va., as interim pastor.

RETIREMENT

Barry Green, announcing plans to retire as minister of music at Bonsack Baptist Church, Roanoke, Va., effective mid-2017.

ORDINATION

Judith Myers, to be ordained to ministry on Aug. 7 by Ginter Park Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.

DEATHS

Richard James Bruce, 85, died July 11 in Newport News, Va. He had served as pastor of North End and East Ocean View Baptist churches in Norfolk, Va.; Carrow Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, Va.; Grassfield Baptist Church, Chesapeake, Va.; and Great Fork Baptist Church, Suffolk, Va. He is survived by his wife, Betty Lou; three sons, Richard, Ronald and James; and three grandchildren.

William H. Gray Jr., died July 17 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was pastor of churches in Tomball and Willis, Texas. He served as a Southern Baptist missionary to Mexico for 23 years and founding director of the partnership missions program for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is preceded in death by his wife, “Pinky.” He is survived by a son, Brad; a daughter, Anna; a grandson; and a great-grandson.

Richard Lynn Mangum, 69, died July 6 in Georgetown, Texas. He served in many pastoral roles, including chaplain of Texas Baptist Children’s Home, and ministered to pastors and churches as an associational director of missions. Since 2008 he was an area representative for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; sons, Scott and Jeff; and six grandchildren.

James A. Moore Jr, 58, died July 18 in Washington, N.C. For the past 23 years he has served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Washington, N.C. Prior to this he served churches in South Carolina and Mississippi. He served on various denominational boards and committees. He is survived by his wife, Karen; daughters, Stephanie M. Warren and Amie M. O’Kane; six grandchildren; and his mother, Joyce.