During its meeting last week, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board allocated funds for a variety of church grants and for a number of mission projects around the world.
Three churches received grants for start-up expenses:
• Beacon Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Herndon ($40,000).
• Journey Church, Roanoke Baptist Association ($40,000).
• Potomac Crest Baptist Church, Woodbridge ($31,250).
Powhatan Community Church, Powhatan, received a $20,000 grant for permanent facility expenses.
Three courageous vision partnerships were allocated:
• Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond ($6,000).
• Louisa Baptist Church, Louisa ($6,000).
• Ni River Community Church, Fredericksburg ($6,000).
Bon Air Church also received a $6,000 innovative discipleship matching grant.
In addition, $30,700 was allocated to four churches for pastoral assistance: Chinese Gospel Church in Charlottesville, Cross Point Community Church in Rocky Mount, Holy Light Baptist Church in Richmond and Iglesia Bautista de Springfield in Springfield.
Funding for World Mission Initiatives included:
• $12,000 to help Hungarian Baptist Aid to purchase a portable disaster response feeding unit.
• $3,000 to help the Sudanese Baptist Convention train widows and destitute women in business skills in trading and crafting.
• $6,000 to help the Lebanese Baptist Convention provide Iraqis with Arabic-language books on evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and Christian living for women, youth and couples.
• $3,000 to provide scholarship funds for an Italian Baptist to study at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.
• $10,000 to support a pastors' summit and prayer crusade in Liberia.
• $5,000 to help Persian World Outreach train leaders among Persian-speaking people.
• $2,000 to provide a gathering for Virginia Baptist partners from around the world at the Baptist World Alliance Congress in in July.
Staff report