RICHMOND, Va. — Five anonymous donors have pledged to match up to $500,000 in contributions to Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond over the next year, to assist the school as it begins a process of moving to a new location…
Tornadoes keep Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministries busy in April
RICHMOND, Va. — Tornadoes kept Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministries on its toes during the first half of April, as severe weather caused damage in two widely-separated parts of the state — along the Chesapeake Bay and in the mountains…
Contributions from BGAV churches drop 7.8 percent in first quarter
RICHMOND, Va. — The Baptist General Association of Virginia ended the first quarter of 2011 with almost 8 percent fewer contributions from affiliated churches than in 2010, a financial officer reported April 12. Congregations gave $2,667,089 to Cooperative Missions between…
Tornado destroys sanctuary of Deltaville, Va., church
DELTAVILLE, Va. — The sanctuary of Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville, Va., was destroyed by a tornado that touched down at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16 — just hours before the building would have been full of worshipers. The tornado,…
Tornado destroys sanctuary of Deltaville, Va., church
DELTAVILLE, Va. — The sanctuary of Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville, Va., was destroyed by a tornado that touched down at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16 — just hours before the building would have been full of worshipers.
OPINION: The elephant in the room
Often when folks get together they will talk about everything and anything and avoid the real issue that needs to be addressed. This is the “elephant in the room” dilemma. Let’s not say what we should say because then we…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Appropriate master planning enhances worship
Do worshipers enter your sanctuary from a busy street, still wrapped in the frenzy of the traffic outside? Do they negotiate a sea of asphalt and enter directly from an unsightly parking lot? Or do they approach the building under…
OPINION: Watch your assumptions about job loss
I received an email prayer request from a friend whose daughter lost her job. Tough times loom for her, but much of his request was that God would use this trauma to illuminate her need to trust Jesus Christ for…
VITAL SIGNS: A new ministerial role
For centuries the church has taken Ephesians 4 to heart and suggested that there are five primary roles for a minister to fulfill. Modern ministers are expected to embody these roles as needed and with a significant level of expertise…
OUT LOUD
“The recent burning of the Qur’an by a church that is not representative of the larger American Christian community is an act that we deplore and causes us to reaffirm our historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty for all people…
HERITAGE: A missionary’s story
Margaret Allen used to pray about becoming a missionary in Africa. Her prayers were answered but her mission field was in Richmond, Va., among people living in the inner city. In 1986 she began service as a community missionary of…
District of Columbia Baptists represent diverse constituency
WASHINGTON — Ricky Creech leads one of the most diverse Baptist bodies in America following his election March 28 as executive director of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. The D.C. convention’s 153 churches include pastors who self-identify both as…