In April Westhampton Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., celebrated its centennial in grand style and with a packed sanctuary. People were stretched around its narrow gallery peering down upon the floor below. The choir loft was full. Bill Hardison, the…
VITAL SIGNS: A week to remember
Some weeks fade from memory quickly, others stand out for their significance and impact. This year, the week of Easter and following was a memorable week for us to learn some indispensible things about being a vibrant and healthy church…
Roundup of Baptists in the Mid-Atlantic
Got news? Send information for this page to Barbara Francis at [email protected]. Even better — add us to your newsletter’s e-mail list, send a link to your newsletter page or mail it to 2828 Emerywood Parkway, Richmond, VA 23294. STAFF…
Virginian gets disaster relief service award
Marie Lawrence receives a plaque for distiguished service in disaster relief ministry. LYNCHBURG, Va. — Marie Lawrence of Colonial Heights, Va., received a distinguished service award from the Southern Baptist Convention’s disaster relief ministry during an April 25-26 ceremony at…
OUT LOUD
“Look, Mom, Jesus protected our house, but he forgot to take care of his own house.” Gracie ‘Bug’ Briscoe The 6-year-old from Vaughn, Ga., was referring to her trailer home, which was missed by tornadoes that destroyed the United Methodist…
It takes a tractor: Church’s ministry had small beginning
TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — Ghana is one part of the world where Beale Memorial Baptist Church in Tappahannock, Va., is involved in missions, and it started with a tractor. In the summer of 2006 Brian Toliver, deacon chair at Beale Memorial,…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Spring into the great outdoors
When it comes to capturing the maximum opportunities that a church site has to offer, look to the master planning leadership that your architect can provide in tandem with a landscape architect. In that vein, this month’s article is a…
One church, one message, multiple locations
ABINGDON, Va. — If you are a member of Highlands Fellowship, you may have attended worship in Abingdon, Va., last Sunday. Or you could have been in Bristol, Va., or Marion, Va., or Johnson City, Tenn. Among its four campuses,…
Soccer league opens church door for family who found community there
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (ABP) — When the soccer season sponsored and funded by First Baptist Church in Kannapolis, N.C., wound down, Chris and Jennifer Roman realized they were going to miss the new friends they found while mingling with church families…
Soccer pulls church into community ministry in former textile town
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (ABP) — Charles Cannon built First Baptist Church in Kannapolis, N.C., when Cannon Mills provided both engine and fuel for the aging textile town 27 miles north of Charlotte. He wanted a good church for his workers, so…
VBMB names Brooks as field strategist, Sunday school specialist
Brooks RICHMOND, Va. — Tony Brooks has joined the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board as a field strategist for the board’s southside region and as a Sunday school specialist. The southside region includes the Appomattox, Concord, Dan River,…
Church leaders focus on untapped ‘Power of One’ at annual gathering
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Deacons, pastors and other church leaders trekked up the mountain for the annual Leadership Gathering at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center, May 6-8. Nearly five hundred strong, they celebrated the theme, “Energy: The Power of One” taken…