Tim Madison, who was elected president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia last month, was elected chair of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board Dec. 1. This is his address to the board that day. The familiar words we have…
For some, creches are big business
ARLINGTON, Va. (RNS) — For James Govan, Christmas starts before Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until early in February as he displays some of his 500 nativity scenes around his home in Arlington, Va. “I keep telling people it’s a disease…
Baptists celebrate 50 years in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (BP) — Shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975, Le Quoc Chanh, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), came with his wife and young son to the home…
OUT LOUD
“Singling out minarets in this ban is tantamount to isolating Islam and relegating it to second-class status.” Al Mohler The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., was blogging about the recent vote in Switzerland to ban construction…
HERITAGE: In the swamps of Southampton
Lights — flickering candles inside Mason jars — shone in the darkness in the backcountry of Southampton County. The luminaries let visitors know they had arrived at Hebron Baptist Church and helped guide footsteps to the front doors of the…
Baptist state convention budgets feeling effects of shaky economy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Feeling the effects of a bad economy, several Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated state and regional conventions reduced budgets in annual meetings, held in recent weeks across the nation. The Baptist General Convention of Texas, which includes 4,500…
From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap
CHRISTMAS MUSIC & DRAMA • Alum Spring Church, Culpeper; “The Dawn of Redeeming Grace,” Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. • Ash Avenue Church, South Boston; “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. • Bagby…
EDITORIAL: Think, pray, study, act: Virginia Baptists’ response to ABC privatization
If the new governor gets his way, Virginians will be buying their booze from privately-owned liquor stores rather than from the state-operated ABC stores we have currently. At least those Virginians who buy booze in the first place will be….
RIGHT OR WRONG: Fighting the tyranny of the urgent
Many leadership programs create the tyranny of the urgent, which seems to result in poor decision-making. But the New Testament reveals a correlation between the depth and breadth of spiritual composure and a person’s integrity. Am I off track? And…
Baptists celebrate 50 years in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (BP) — Shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975, Le Quoc Chanh, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), came with his wife and young son to the home…
Bluefield celebrates annual Baptist Heritage Day
BLUEFIELD — Bluefield College celebrated its history with an annual Baptist Heritage Day ceremony on campus in October, featuring a keynote address from an authority on Baptist life — James M. Dunn, former executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee…
Coming in January: Ask the Architect
Beginning with our first issue in January, Richmond architect Jim DePasquale, AIA, will write a column called “Ask the Architect.” Jim DePasquale Virginia Baptist churches vary in many details of their styles and practices, but they almost universally have buildings….