MECHANICSVILLE, Va. (ABP) — Baptists must acknowledge their reputation is suffering in many quarters of American life, but society has regarded Baptists with suspicion since the movement was born in the 17th century. Darryl Aaron (left) and Bill Leonard respond…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Appropriate master planning enhances worship
Do worshipers enter your sanctuary from a busy street, still wrapped in the frenzy of the traffic outside? Do they negotiate a sea of asphalt and enter directly from an unsightly parking lot? Or do they approach the building under…
OPINION: Watch your assumptions about job loss
I received an email prayer request from a friend whose daughter lost her job. Tough times loom for her, but much of his request was that God would use this trauma to illuminate her need to trust Jesus Christ for…
VITAL SIGNS: A new ministerial role
For centuries the church has taken Ephesians 4 to heart and suggested that there are five primary roles for a minister to fulfill. Modern ministers are expected to embody these roles as needed and with a significant level of expertise…
OUT LOUD
“The recent burning of the Qur’an by a church that is not representative of the larger American Christian community is an act that we deplore and causes us to reaffirm our historic Baptist commitment to religious liberty for all people…
HERITAGE: A missionary’s story
Margaret Allen used to pray about becoming a missionary in Africa. Her prayers were answered but her mission field was in Richmond, Va., among people living in the inner city. In 1986 she began service as a community missionary of…
District of Columbia Baptists represent diverse constituency
WASHINGTON — Ricky Creech leads one of the most diverse Baptist bodies in America following his election March 28 as executive director of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. The D.C. convention’s 153 churches include pastors who self-identify both as…
Virginia Baptist Homes hosts golf tournament to benefit fund
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation is hosting its annual Lakewood Manor Golf Tournament at Independence Golf Club April 21. Registration begins at 10 a.m., followed by lunch and a 12 noon shotgun start. All proceeds from the tournament…
VBHS to sponsor hymn festival
RICHMOND, Va. — “Sing Praises Old & New” is the theme for a hymn festival to be held at the annual meeting of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church in Richmond. The…
CBFVA explores what it means to be Baptist in the 21st century
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Baptists must acknowledge their reputation is suffering in many quarters of American life, but society has regarded Baptists with suspicion since the movement was born in the 17th century. That was the assessment of church historian Bill…
EDITORIAL: Big Bible or little Bible?
Using both hands, I gingerly turned the giant pages, yellowed with age, lest I should inadvertently damage the treasure of information before me. Eagerly my eyes scanned the small print for a report and an interpretation of what had happened…
Ministry seeks to share God’s love with the ‘strangers among us’
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The struggles of life are the same for every person. Affordable housing, the ability to support one’s family, transportation, health care, raising children — but for some these struggles are greater due to an environment they do…