Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated weekly.
STAFF CHANGES
Justin Dunn, now serving as pastor of University Baptist Church, Shawnee, Okla.
Davis Fife, to Elmwood Avenue Baptist Church, Elmwood, N.Y., as pastor.
Charlie Rice, to First Baptist Church, Gresham, Oregon, as senior pastor.
Rachel Sciretti, to Chapelwood United Methodist Church, Houston, Texas, as associate pastor of outreach and discipleship. Previously she was associate pastor of children and youth discipleship at Hampton (Va.) Baptist Church.
Robert “Bob” Searl, to Spring Creek Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Okla., as senior pastor, effective Nov. 11. He comes from the pastorate of North Stuart Baptist Church, Stuart, Fla.
Jenni Shelton to First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as associate of digital storytelling and social media.
Slayden Yarbrough, to First Baptist Church, Oregon City, Ore., as interim pastor.
RETIREMENTS
Alan Blume, retiring as editor and president of the Biblical Recorder, the newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, effective May 2019.
Dan and Sharon Buttry, retiring as global consultants for peace and justice, American Baptist Churches International Ministries.
Bert Rait, retiring after 20 years as pastor of Lighthouse Community Church, Hampton, Va., effective Dec. 30.
ORDINATIONS
Anna Sylvester Cramer, ordained to ministry on Sept. 16 by University Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, La.
Aretha Flucker, ordained to ministry on Sept. 30 by The Luke Church, Humble, Texas, where she serves as minister of formation and assimilation.
Anna Lautenschlager, ordained to ministry on Sept. 30 by Baptist Church of the Covenant, Birmingham, Ala.
DEATH
Richard Glenn Bolt, 71, died Oct. 5 in Anderson, S.C. He served as minister of education at South Main Street Baptist Church, Greenwood, S.C.; Overbrook Baptist Church, Greenville, S.C.; First Baptist Church, Simpsonville, S.C., and retired from First Baptist Church, Anderson, S.C. He is survived by his wife, Gwen; two sons, Ben and Ken; and two grandsons.
KUDOS
Glenn Hinson, named 2018 Wayne E. Oates Award recipient. He is being honored for outstanding scholarship, teaching, mentoring and leadership in promoting spirituality and drawing on the Christian Classics. He was a colleague of Wayne Oates at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for 30 years, and he has taught at Richmond Theological Seminary, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, Candler School of Theology, Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and Lexington Theological Seminary.
ANNIVERSARIES
Brian Clingenpeel, 10 years as pastor of Springwood Baptist Church, Buchanan, Va.
Darryl DeBorde, 45 years as pastor of Braden Park Baptist Church, Tulsa, Okla.
Wanda Sauley Fennell, 30 years as minister of music at Grace Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
Tommy Shapard, 10 years as minister of music and worship at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.
Mark Snipes, 5 years as missions coordinator for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia.
CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES
First Baptist Church, Rochester, N.Y.; 200 years; Oct. 7.
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In case you missed them:
Transitions for the week of 10-5-18
Transitions for the week of 9-28-18
Transitions for the week of 9-21-18
Transitions for the week of 9-7-18