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…
From the Eastern Shore to the Cumberland Gap
STAFF CHANGES • James W. Holt, to Summit Point Church, Summit Point, WV, as pastor. • Michael Peedin, to Stanardsville Church, Stanardsville, as pastor. • Jeff Kinder, to Rosedale Church, Rosedale, as pastor. • John Hertzler, to First Church, Newport…
State CBF challenges churches for global missions
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Saying Fellowship Baptists need to “keep the promises” made to missionaries and the neglected peoples they serve, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina has issued a $100,000 challenge on behalf of the CBF Offering for…
‘Heaven’s Rain’ filmmaker honored by Attorney General
WASHINGTON (ABP) – A former state senator-turned-filmmaker was honored April 8 by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for pioneering legislation for the rights of crime victims. Brooks Douglass, currently touring the country with his feature film, Heaven’s Rain, which tells…
Death Row inmates’ families find refuge at Hospitality House
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (ABP) — Two young men spent the day listening to music and weaving beaded bracelets, laughing and talking, seemingly nonchalant. That abruptly changed when their grandmother entered the room cursing angrily, shouting, then sobbing uncontrollably. She had witnessed…
Volunteer service bridges the generation gap
DALLAS (ABP) — Intergenerational volunteer programs benefit both youth and elders, studies show. For young people, spending time with older adults can improve their social skills, boost their school performance, introduce an element of stability into their lives and cut…
Common values, mission draw Christians together across lines of age
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Community usually is defined by the word “common.” What do people hold in common that draws them or binds them together? The way believers “do” or embody the church often is defined in communal terms. Whether…
Relationship-building vital to bridging gulf between generations at church
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (ABP) — A gap exists between generations in the church, experts seem to agree –and building strong relationships may be the way to bridge it. “There is difficulty in reaching across generations,” said Chris Gambill, congregational health…
Ministering together the first step toward intergenerational community
IRONTON, Mo. (ABP) — Churches often segregate their members along age lines. Sunday morning usually sees children in one wing in age-graded Bible study, with adults in another area and often split up age segments. But many congregations will cross…