STAFF CHANGES
• Dennis Smith, to Jeffersonton Church, Jeffersonton, as pastor.
• Donnie Owen, resigning as pastor of Bethesda Church, Boydton.
• Brian Williams, to White Stone Church, White Stone, as interim pastor.
• Bob Smith, to Bagby Memorial Church, Burkeville, as interim pastor.
• Ed Stansfield, to Burkeville Church, Burkeville, as interim pastor.
• John Burgess, to Tabernacle Church, Richmond, as interim associate pastor.
• Tommy Bolling, resigning as youth director at Beaverdam Church, Vinton, to become community center director with the Salvation Army in Danville.
• Matt Mitchell, to Fox Hill Road Church, Hampton, as part-time minister to students.
RETIREMENTS
• Pete DuPlessis will retire as director of missions for the Richmond Baptist Association, effective July 30.
• Kenneth Webb has announced plans to retire as pastor of Oakwood Memorial Church, Richmond, on May 31.
DEATHS
• Retired Virginia Baptist pastor Hugh Thomas Busey died Feb. 8 in Richmond at the age of 101. He served as pastor to churches in Kentucky and West Virginia and as associate pastor to Theodore Adams at First Church, Richmond. He was pastor at First Church, Altavista from 1947-1959 and Manassas Church, Manassas, from 1959-1969. Returning to Richmond, he served again at First Baptist and at Grace and Ginter Park churches in Richmond. He is predeceased by his wife, Margaret K. Busey; and son, Tom Busey. He is survived by two sons, John Nathan and Hugh Ware Busey; a daughter, Sara Anderson; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held Feb. 10 at Gayton Church, Richmond.
• Retired Virginia Baptist minister John William Eddins Jr. died Feb. 6 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. at the age of 84. He was a retired professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a former visiting professor of theology at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. He was a visiting scholar at Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Union Theological Seminary in New York city. He served as interim pastor in 35 churches on 46 occasions. He was predeceased by his wife, Betty Joanne Haverstock Eddins. He is survived by six children, Carolyn L., John W. David A. and Bryan W. Eddins, Elizabeth Eddins Tillett and Laura Eddins Kerber; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service was held Feb. 10 at Milbrook Church, Raleigh, N.C.
CHURCH NEWS
• Maria Lynn, adult missions coordinator for the Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia, was guest speaker Feb. 14 at Dan River Church, Halifax, in observance of WMU Focus Sunday.
• Columbia Church, Falls Church, will be the location of the Window on the World Concert sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance on March 6 from 4-6 p.m. Tickets are free, but reservations are required by calling 703-790-8980.
OTHER
• Central Virginia Baptist Ministries will sponsor a Pastor-Deacon Conference, March 22 from 6-9 p.m. at Mount Vernon Church in Glen Allen. To register, go to www.cvbm.org or call Gayle Taylor, the CVBM’s associate for missions, at 804.598.6350.
Submit news items or photos or Mission Moments for this page by email to [email protected] or by mail to Religious Herald, 2828 Emerywood Pkwy., Richmond, VA 23294. Photos are printed in the order received as space allows.