The information that the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has declared the National Day of Prayer as unwise and unnecessary [Herald, May 12] reminds us of the old phrase, “We have met the enemy, and they is us.” We…
VITAL SIGNS: Traps for clergy and their new congregation
In a recent conversation, a minister asked me what I thought were the major traps that most often snared ministers when they moved to a new congregation. Great question! Healthy churches and ministers pay attention to potential trouble spots and…
OUT LOUD
“I am being faithful to Jesus by welcoming the stranger into the community. … We are two different faiths building relationships, talking together, working together for a common purpose.” Dennis Perry The pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria,…
As need for child care declined, a church refocused ministry on seniors
RURAL HALL, N.C. — Making a tough decision to close its day care center after 20 years prompted a small North Carolina church to establish a center for senior adults in Rural Hall, N.C., a mid-state area with a high…
Brunswick County, Va., churches unite to help area teenager
Joseph Giles Jr. presents a check to Makayla Clary. LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. — For the past three years churches in southern Brunswick County, Va., have gathered during Holy Week and collectively received an offering to support a needy cause. This year’s…
ACP remains key metric, but declining participation worries strategists
RICHMOND, Va. — The amount of data that exists in the world today is mind-boggling. Credit card companies monitor every purchase to identify fraudulent ones with a high degree of accuracy. Mobile-phone operators analyze subscribers’ calling patterns to determine if…
Roundup of Baptists in the Mid-Atlantic
STAFF CHANGES • Wayne Tyree, to Mt. Zion Baptist Church, New Canton., Va., as pastor. • Randy Cheeley, to Dinwiddie Baptist Church, Dinwiddie, Va., as pastor. • Philip Reynolds, to First Baptist Church, Hickory, N.C., as pastor. Temple Baptist Church…
HERITAGE: Beyond the borders
There is a world beyond the borders of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sometimes this thought challenges the sensibilities of the most provincial among us, yet Virginia Baptists have been exploring that larger land for a long, long time. Luther Rice,…
Brunswick County churches unite to help teenager
Joseph Giles Jr. presents a check to Makayla Clary. LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. — For the past three years churches in southern Brunswick County, Va., have gathered during Holy Week and collectively received an offering to support a needy cause. This year’s…
EDITORIAL: Where arts and history converge
Vacations are wonderful! This week I have been traveling with my uncle (not Orley) through the Black Forest and Bavarian regions of Germany. Uncle Raymond and his wife, Irene, lived in Schwabisch-Gmund while he was stationed there in the army…
Judge dismisses most of suit challenging Tennessee mosque
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ABP) – A judge has thrown out most of a lawsuit seeking to halt construction of a mosque on the outskirts of Murfreesboro, Tenn. Chancellor Robert Corlew III ruled this week that 17 plaintiffs challenging zoning approval for…
Wellness responsibility of both minister and church
HERNDON, Va. (ABP)—Most congregations know healthier clergy lead to healthier churches, but few consider how clergy wellness and congregational busy-ness are related, said Larry Golemon, an ordained Presbyterian minister and former research manager at the Alban Institute. “Clergy wellness can…