RICHMOND — Fresh Expressions, a movement which aims to help churches engage postmodern culture through new creative communities of faith, has taken the next step in its development with the launch this month of its first learning communities in the…
Fresh Expressions expands scope with launching of first learning communities in D.C., New Jersey
RICHMOND — Fresh Expressions, a movement which aims to help churches engage postmodern culture through new creative communities of faith, has taken the next step in its development with the launch this month of its first learning communities in the…
OPINION: Awkward yoga — embracing instability
When my wife and I got engaged, we decided that in addition to planning for the wedding, we would also start working out together. She had been a member at a gym near her house, and I had been working…
In faith-infused event, Obama extols a biblical vision of equality for all in second inaugural
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A presidential inauguration is by tradition the grandest ritual of America’s civil religion, but President Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 21 in a ceremony that was explicit in joining theology to the nation’s destiny…
For those without increasingly essential photo IDs, Baptist ministry provides solutions
RICHMOND — Russell Caine wanted a job. He had applied at numerous businesses but could not get an interview without valid identification. Without a driver’s license, Caine needed a photo ID, but he did not have money to purchase one…
In the midst of a cold winter, churches’ firewood ministries warm hearts and homes
Power saws whine and sawdust flies on Wednesday mornings in Appomattox, Va., when the firewood team from Grace Hills Baptist Church is cutting and splitting wood for residents with limited resources to heat their homes. This ministry began six years…
OPINION: Remembering a simple country preacher
Editor’s note: Susan Whitlow of Morehead City, N.C., who grew up at Kilmarnock Baptist Church, delivered a eulogy at the funeral of John Houghton Jan. 16. Houghton served the church for 35 years as its pastor and for years thereafter in…
OPINION: A place for Panamanian pandemonium
This winter break I found myself in Panama with a group of seven individuals from Rock 17, the young adult group from Virginia’s Peninsula Baptist Association. Our travels were spurred by the partnership between Virginia Baptists and the Panamanian Baptist…
On Inauguration Day, Baptists in D.C. engage in service activities, prepare for huge crowds
As public ceremonies for the second inauguration of President Barack Obama begin today, District of Columbia Baptists are engaging the events in different ways. This is the second of a two-part series on D.C Baptists and their involvement with politics…
OPINION: Put your heart into it!
Recently, our staff was talking about things our parents would tell us that we find ourselves repeating to our children or ourselves. We had to admit that we increasingly sound like those voices we vowed never to imitate. Some of…
OPINION: An epistle of truth for all ages — MLK’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’
Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I re-read King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Every so often I need to be reminded of deep truths so eloquently and timelessly expressed. King had traveled to Birmingham to lead a non-violent demonstration…
‘So help me God’ isn’t in official oath, but it’s been used by all presidents since 1881
(RNS) — When President Obama rests his hand on two historic Bibles to take his second-term oath of office today, he’ll add a phrase not mentioned in the Constitution: “So help me God.” But the Almighty’s role on the Capitol…