Recommendation V
Resolution of Appreciation for Rodney J. Hale
Rodney J. Hale has announced his retirement from the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board as Kingdom Advance Field Strategist and Site Specialist on June 30, 2008, after more than three decades of exemplary service.
Whereas, Rod, a native of Roanoke and a graduate of Bluefield College, the University of Richmond, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has served the Virginia Baptist family as Minister of Music and Youth at Cosby Memorial Church in Richmond from 1960-1962, then after stints in ministry in Kentucky and Alabama, as Pastor of College Hill Church in Lynchburg from 1972-1977, and, more recently, as an active lay leader and deacon at Huguenot Road Church in Richmond during his term of service at the Mission Board; and
Whereas, Rod's rich and varied tenure at the Mission Board began in 1977 and included assignments as Director of Sunday School Growth and Development and Discipleship Promotion, as a highly valued specialist in the unique ministry of church architectural design, and as Director of Pastoral Ministries prior to his most recent ministry in the Southside Region as Field Strategist; and
Whereas, Rod's extensive ministry networks in Virginia are evident in a selection of the leadership recognitions he has received as two-term President of the Bluefield College Alumni Association as well as his multiple terms on the college's Board of Governors, as officer in the University of Richmond's Church-Related Alumni Association, as Virginia Distinguished Christian Educator Award in 1996, and in his listings in Outstanding Young Men in America and Who's Who in Religion; and Whereas, Rod has contributed to Christian ministries broadly through his writings in Sunday School periodicals and for other church program organizations as well as by consulting with hundreds of congregations in Virginia and beyond;
Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the elected members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board meeting in Richmond on April 8-9, 2008, express our heartfelt appreciation to Rodney J. Hale for his significant service to Virginia Baptists and promise our prayerful support of his continued ministry in our midst; and
Be It Further Resolved, that we ask the messengers of the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 11-12, 2008, in Roanoke to extend our gratitude to God for the life and ministry of Rodney J. Hale.
Recommendation VI
Resolution of Appreciation for John W. Tadlock
John W. Tadlock has declared his intention to retire from the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board as Congregational Wellness Specialist on July 31, 2008, after nearly a third of a century of stellar ministry.
Whereas, Tad, a proud son of rural Mississippi and a graduate of Mississippi College with honors and holder of graduate degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Jacksonville State University, and, after pastorates in Mississippi and campus ministry tenures in Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina, joined the Mission Board staff as Group Leader of the Collegiate Ministries Group in 1985; and
Whereas, Tad's leadership, of campus ministries for the Virginia Baptist family exceeds any former director's term of service, of his important work, since 2003, in helping churches and ministers across the Commonwealth contribute to God's kingdom in harmony, hope, and wholeness, and, concurrently, of his role as staff liaison for the Religious Liberty Committee, has multiplied the impact of the Mission Board; and
Whereas Tad has shown himself a lifelong learner with certifications in Mediation Skills, in Intentional Interim Ministry, and in Critical Incident Stress Management and has applied those special insights in the enrichment of the staff and in church consultations as well as in interim pastorates across Virginia; and
Whereas, Tad has been recognized beyond Virginia in roles as varied as Fellow in the National Association of Church Business Administrators, as President of Association of Southern Baptist Campus Ministers, as Chaplain of the Jacksonville State University football team, and as author of a variety of articles as well as the timely book, When It's Rush Hour All Day Long;
Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the elected members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board meeting in Richmond on April 8-9, 2008, convey our deep appreciation to John W. Tadlock for his quality ministry among Virginia Baptists and pledge our encouragement and prayers for his ongoing service in our faith family; and
Be It Further Resolved, that we ask the messengers of the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 11-12, 2008, in Roanoke to offer our thanks to God for the life and work of John W. Tadlock.