An eight-member committee of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board has been named to study a proposal by the Virginia Baptist Foundation to fund a new Mission Board development office.
The Foundation offered a $500,000 grant to the Mission Board last month to help Virginia Baptists “promote Christian stewardship through planned gifts among their members and to endow missions ministries.”
Over the a five-year period, the funds will provide $250,000 for the employment of a director of development for the Mission Board, $100,000 for marketing and promotional needs and up to $150,000 in matching funds as seed money for a Mission Board missions endowment fund which will be managed by the Foundation.
At its October meeting the Mission Board passed a resolution that the grant “be welcomed and accepted in spirit” and agreed to establish a committee study the proposal.
The committee, which will report its findings at the board's November meeting, was named by John Upton, executive director of the Mission Board, and Richard Smith, the board's president.
Members include five former Mission Board presidents, including Smith, Walter Harrow of Deltaville, Jerry Holcomb of Virginia Beach, Darrell Foster of Virginia Beach, Ray Spence of Richmond and Hunter Riggins of Poquoson; as well as, Bob Bass, a member of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, and Jim Baucom, pastor of Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church.
Special to the Herald