Virginia Baptists log hours in Louisiana. Since October 2007, more than 1,300 Virginia Baptist volunteers have helped with rebuilding efforts in and around Port Sulphur, La., which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Assuming an average eight hours of work over five days each, the volunteers have logged more than 52,000 hours of service, acording to Bruce LePoint, volunteer coordinator for the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery. CPR is a non-profit network of organizations — including the Virginia Baptist Mission Board — working to assist victims of the hurricane. “One word comes to mind — impressive!” said LePoint, referring to the work of Virginia Baptists. “These volunteers have had a significant impact on the lower Plaquemines Parish community. I do not think it to be a stretch to say that, without the help from Virginia Baptists, the 22 families who have moved into CPR-built houses would still be in FEMA-provided or other temporary housing.”
Bluefield hires new head basketball coach. Richard Morgan, a coach with more than a decade of experience at the NCAA level, has been hired as head coach of Bluefield College’s men’s basketball team. For the past three years, Morgan has been assistant coach at Appalachian State University, where he helped lead the Mountaineers to a school record 25 wins in 2007, a National Invitational Tournament appearance and back-to-back Southern Conference Championships. A native of Salem, Morgan was a three-year starter at guard for the University of Virginia and after graduation played professionally with the Rockford (Ill.) Lightning and the Columbus (Ohio) Horizon.
UR names chaplain. Craig T. Kocher, associate dean of the chapel and director of religious life at Duke University, has been appointed chaplain of the University of Richmond, effective Aug. 17. Kocher is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Duke Divinity School and is a doctoral candidate at Columbia Theological Seminary. Before his appointment at Duke, Kocher was associate pastor of the 3,200-member Davidson (N.C.) United Methodist Church and campus minister to Davidson College.
Religion enters campaign. The faith of Erik Curren, a Democratic nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates, has been cited as a potential problem by Democratic leaders in the district, located in the Shenandoah Valley around Staunton. Curren is a practicing Buddhist who also attends a Methodist church. Augusta County supervisor Tracy Pyles said Curren had erred in not revealing his Buddhism and it “could be a killer issue. It could be a tough one.” In a statement July 22, Curren said religion “is an issue between a person and his or her own heart. … But all too often religion is used by misguided leaders to pull our communities apart …. This is a misuse of religious faith in my opinion and I feel compelled to speak out against religious prejudice and bigotry.”