SCOTTSVILLE, Va. — Scottsville Baptist Church, a Virginia congregation closely associated with iconic Baptist missionary Lottie Moon, called its first woman pastor — Katie McKown — last fall, continuing a long tradition of female leadership in the church. The church,…
In what she calls a ‘holy moment,’ minister’s father is first person she baptizes
VINTON, Va. — As Brittany Riddle stood in the baptismal waters at Broadway Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 30, she told the congregation that the last time she was in that baptistery was at 12 years of age…
To fill positions on BGAV’s committees and affiliated governing boards, committee asks for help
RICHMOND, Va. — Suggestions to fill positions on the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s standing committees and on governing boards of some affiliated organizations are being sought by the BGAV’s committee on boards and committees. The committee is seeking names…
Building bridges among leaders will mark Laura McDaniel’s new role with Spence Network
RICHMOND, Va. — Though she’ll miss her nearly 10 years on the staff of Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia, Laura McDaniel says she’s eager to begin a new role “building bridges” among leaders in the Spence Network. “We will be…
The gospel roots of the ‘Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’
(RNS) — Before Elvis and Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash. Before Aretha and Whitney and Beyonce. Before the blues met gospel and conceived rock ‘n’ roll, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The first gospel superstar, Tharpe was a guitar hero…
HeraldBeat: Tracking Baptists across the Mid-Atlantic
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 Darden Battle, to Black…
ANALYSIS: White smoke, black pope? The odds against an ‘Obama moment’
(RNS) — Will the conclave electing a new pope next month have an “Obama moment” and pick someone from Africa or Latin America or Asia for the first time in modern history? The public seems enamored of the idea of…
OUT LOUD
“Pope Benedict, tweeting as @Pontifex, has 1.5 million followers, which is pretty good, but he has tweeted exactly 35 times — and the messages read like boilerplate composed by a dutiful intern.” Bill Keller The New York Times columnist was…
The gospel roots of the ‘Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’
(RNS) — Before Elvis and Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash. Before Aretha and Whitney and Beyonce. Before the blues met gospel and conceived rock ‘n’ roll, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The first gospel superstar, Tharpe was a guitar hero…
U.S. House funds disaster aid for churches
WASHINGTON (ABP) — The U.S. House of Represen-tatives overwhelmingly ap-proved a bill Feb. 13 to allow houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy to receive disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, despite warnings by advocacy groups that the…
White smoke, black pope? The public likes the idea
(RNS) — Will the conclave electing a new pope next month have an “Obama moment” and pick someone from Africa or Latin America or Asia for the first time in modern history? The public seems enamored of the idea of…
Laura McDaniel leaves WMUV executive position to take on new role with Spence Network
RICHMOND — Laura McDaniel is resigning as executive director of Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia to assume a newly-created position with the Spence Network, a leadership development organization with ties to Virginia Baptists. In her new role as network catalyst,…