Transitions
ON THE MOVE
Fred Hardin Jr., to Fuller Memorial Baptist Church, Martinsville, Va., as pastor.
Paul Batson, to Nobles Chapel Baptist Church, Sims, N.C., as pastor.
Brian Harfst, resigning as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Unionville, Va.
David Anthony, to Westville Baptist Church, Mathews, Va., as pastor.
David Grinnell, to Macedonia Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C., as pastor.
Alan Thompson, to First Baptist Church, Wallace, N.C., as pastor.
Bill Thigpen, resigning as pastor of Middleburg (Va.) Baptist Church, after having served there for the past 19 years.
John Chandler, to Spring Hill Baptist Church, Ruckersville, Va., as interim pastor.
Mike Queen, to First Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C., as interim pastor.
Keith Walsworth, to Thomas Village Baptist Church, Duffield, Va., as interim pastor.
Bobby Cumbey, to Courtland (Va.) Baptist Church, as assistant pastor.
Charles Weedman, to Woodland Heights Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as minister of music.
Paula McCosh, to Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C., as children and youth pastor.
Tim Pierce, to Patterson Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as organist.
Rebecca Hall, to Ridge Road Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C., as minister to children and missions.
Diane Ford, resigning as organist at First Baptist Church, Radford, Va., after 33 years of service in its music ministry.
Dave Scott, resigning as interim minister of education and youth at First Baptist Church, Statesville, N.C., to accept a position in Texas.
Trent Argo, joining the staff of Bluefield (Va.) College as vice president for enrollment management. He had held a similar position at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Okla., and is former director of admissions of Campbellsville (Ky.) University.
Janell Joseph, to First Baptist Church, Martinsburg, W. Va., as director of children’s and family ministries.
DEATH
Retired Baptist minister John Francis Robinson died Dec. 27 at the age of 92. During his 61 years in the ministry, he served as pastor of churches in Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina. Since retiring from Pittsboro (N.C.) Baptist Church in 1985, he had served as interim pastor of 19 churches. He was an active member of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy Timmons Robinson. He is survived by his wife, Annie M. Chason Spears Robinson; a son, John Timmons Robinson; two stepsons, Philip and Gregory Spears; and four grandchildren. A memorial service was held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church on Dec. 30.
Kudos
James Woods Jr. of Hampton, Va., will receive the Abner V. McCall Religious Liberty Award from the Baylor Alumni Association Jan. 27. Woods, a member of Hampton Baptist Church, was founding director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and former executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington.
Tracy Hartman, professor of homiletics and practical theology at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, has released her new book, Letting the Other Speak: Proclaiming the Stories of Biblical Women. It is available for pre-order at www.lexingtonbooks.com. A 30 percent discount is available until Feb. 22 by entering promo code 8EAAR11.
RETIREMENTS
George L. Hearn has retired as choir director at Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, Bassett, Va.
David C. “Mike” Kelly has retired as pastor of Westville Baptist Church, Mathews, Va.
ORDINATIONS
Allen Jackson was ordained to the ministry by Blackberry Baptist Church, Bassett, Va., on Nov. 13.
Ruth R. Muhlbauer was ordained to the ministry by Calvary Hill Baptist Church, Fairfax, Va., on Oct. 16.
5 YEARS
Nathan Taylor, celebrating 5 years as associate pastor of music and mission at Central Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
15 YEARS
Brady Willis, celebrating 15 years as pastor of New Prospect Baptist Church, Hurt, Va.
Tim Young, celebrating 15 years as at Hollins Road Baptist Church, Roanoke, Va. He served as minister of youth for 11 years and is currently minister of education and family life.
20 YEARS
Phillip Brown, celebrating 20 years as associate pastor for music and worship at Huguenot Road Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
50 YEARS
Carol Baltimore was recently recognized by Fine Creek Baptist Church, Powhatan, Va., for 50 years of playing the organ and piano at the church.
Ed Stansfield celebrated 50 years of ministry on Dec. 27. He retired as pastor of Chester (Va.) Baptist Church four years ago and currently serves as interim pastor of Derbyshire Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.
Events
THURS., JAN 26
The Baptist Women in Ministry of North Carolina will host a gathering at Wake Forest (N.C.) University Divinity School at 11 a.m.
SAT., JAN 28
Azalea Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va., will host the New Journey Trio from Suffolk, Va., in concert at 7 p.m. A love offering will be received.
SUN., JAN 29
Bethel Baptist Church, Midlothian, Va., will host The Down East Boys from North Carolina in concert at 5 p.m.
Catawba Valley Baptist Church, Catawba, Va., will host gospel music singers Jeff and Sheri Easter in concert at 6 p.m.
New Bethesda Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va., will host Amy Ladd & Friends in concert at 6 p.m. Special guests will be The Coachmen.
THURS.-SAT., FEB. 2-4 & THURS.-SAT., FEB. 9-11
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Va., Seminary Shoestring Players’ will present a production of the rollicking, foot-stomping, hand-clapping classic musical, Cotton Patch Gospel at 7:30 p.m. at the BTSR Chapel (Virginia Hall). Tickets are $12 and available at the campus bookstore or by calling 804.353.6815. Stephen Brachlow will direct the production with Tom Baynham directing the music.
Conferences & Retreats
SUN.-WED., FEB. 5-8
Ministers from Virginia, Maryland and the D. C. area are invited to a Narrative Leadership Retreat to be held at the Henley Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Amy Butler, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., and Rob Fox, coordinator of CBF of Virginia, the retreat will be led by Steve Graham, director of Ministerial Excellence with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Atlanta, Ga., and Keith Herron, pastor of Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Mo. Tuition is $100 and includes a copy of the book, Know Your Story and Lead With It: the Power of Narrative in Clergy Leadership. Register at www. thefellowship.info/narrative.
FRI-SAT., FEB. 17-18
The Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry will hold a conference for college women considering a call to ministry. The Ready to Listen 2012 Conference will begin at Richmond Hill, 2209 E. Grace Street, Richmond, Friday at 6:30 p.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Visit www. baptistwomeninministry. org for registration information.
MON.-TUES., FEB. 27-28
A tradition since 1946, Virginia Baptist ministers come together to discuss relative topics regarding the church today. The topic of this year’s Virginia Baptist Ministers’ Discussion Group is “Old Faith vs. New Learning,” based on the book W. H. Whitsitt: The Man and the Controversy. Facilitator will be Jim Slatton, author of the book. It will be held at the Roslyn Retreat Center in Richmond. For more information check the group’s website: www.vabaptistdiss.org. Scholarships are available.
WED.-FRI., MARCH 28-30
The Baptist Ministry Assistants of Virginia will hold its 25th anniversary conference and banquet at the Quality Inn & Suites in Virginia Beach, Va. Theme will be “Then & Now” For registration information contact Zilphia Harris at [email protected] or Joan Newsome at [email protected].
February is the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching. Baptist Women in Ministry invite all Baptist churches to make plans for a woman to preach on any Sunday in February. The number of participating churches has steadily increased since 2007, when 54 churches participated, to last year when 185 churches celebrated God’s gifting women. Participating Mid-Atlantic churches will be listed in the Herald for those who send us the name of the guest preacher and the date. Send this information to Barbara Francis at [email protected].
On Mission
The Kingdom Builders Team of Lynchburg (Va.) Baptist Association recently was involved in an Extreme Makeover at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Lynchburg. The team installed insulation and new vinyl siding. Along with new windows and a paved parking lot, Claude Gunn, new pastor at Zion Hill, says the facility has indeed been transformed.
For the past two years Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy has been a collection point for the Cell Phones for Soldiers project. De-activated cell phones are recycled and each garners funds to purchase a one-hour prepaid phone card for a United States service member stationed overseas. So far Fork Union Military Academy families and friends have donated over 300 phones allowing 300 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen to keep in closer contact with their families.
The youth of Courtland (Va.) Baptist Church sponsored its first soup kitchen on Nov. 16. Preparation began on Tuesday night with the cutting of vegetables and cooking the stock for two different soups. The youth did most of the food preparation, feeding and clean-up. Soup was served in its fellowship hall and also available for take-out. The remaining soup was delivered to shut-ins. About 400 persons in the community were touched through the efforts of the Courtland Baptist youth group.
Students at Lott Carey Mission School holding mission boxes.
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The 350 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia mission boxes packed by 28 churches and organizations for the Lott Carey Mission School in Monrovia, Liberia, arrived just before Christmas. Students enthusiastically received the boxes filled with school supplies that will enable them to have the tools necessary for a good education. “The story of the mission box is a story of prayer and partnership between individuals, churches and the students of Lott Carey Mission School,” says Rob Fox, field coordinator for CBFVA. “We simply found a source of God-given passion and opened a doorway.”
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