Donald Luzzatto’s editorial [“Governor’s decision risks state intrusion into religion,” Herald, May 13] asserts we are no longer a Christian nation. Most Americans have always believed we live in a Judaic-Christian nation. In a 2008 poll, about 85 percent of…
Southern Baptist Convention contines to lose members, agency reports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — The Southern Baptist Convention reported a 2.2 percent increase in baptisms in 2009, stemming a four-year decline, but membership in the denomination fell and the sagging economy led to a drop in missions giving, according to…
From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap
STAFF CHANGES • David B. Cromer, to Emmaus Church, Poquoson, as pastor. • David Simpson, to Fine Creek Church, Powhatan, as pastor. • Randy Allensworth, resigning as pastor of Salem Church, Fredericksburg, after 17 years of service. MISSION MOMENT: Fourteen…
Former Baptist camp director charged with abuse found dead
HERTFORD, N.C. (ABP) — A former director of a North Carolina Baptist camp awaiting trial on six child-sex charges was found dead of an apparent suicide May 24. Stephen Carter A newspaper in Hertford, N.C., quoted the sheriff of Perquimans…
Passport vice president nominated as CBF moderator-elect
ATLANTA (ABP) — Colleen Burroughs, vice president of the Passport youth camping ministry she started with her husband in 1993, will be nominated as moderator-elect of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Atlanta-based CBF announced May 24. If elected, she would…
Board distances BGCT from gay-affirming Dallas church
DALLAS — The Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board voted May 25 to refuse any financial contributions from a North Dallas church that has ordained as deacons practicing homosexuals, and the board asked the church to stop identifying itself…
Virginia Baptists seeking partnerships with Chilean churches after quake
IPAS, Chile (ABP) — More than two months after a massive earthquake rocked Chile, rains have begun and winter soon will arrive, leaving a group of Baptist pastors bracing for the cold in small tents that have become their impromptu…
Virginia Baptists launch long-term recovery plan for Haitian victims
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists are moving forward with a “holistic and comprehensive” long-term recovery plan to assist Haitians still suffering from a devastating earthquake on Jan. 12. An architect’s rendering of the Baptist Children Complex. Partnering with three other…
CrossRoads Conference Center celebrates 25 years of ministry
LOWESVILLE, Va. — More than 250 Virginia Baptists gathered at CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center on Saturday, May 22, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the camp’s founding. Nestled in the mountains bordering the George Washington National Forest, CrossRoads is…
EDITORIAL: Is it time for a name change?
It’s an old joke. A man stood before the judge seeking to change his name. The judge spoke, “I can certainly understand that a name like Joe Halfwit could cause problems for you. What would you like your new name…
HERITAGE: Seek & Find
It’s the tiniest gift shop in Virginia; but it also is likely the only store in Virginia which has no overhead, no payroll and clears 100 percent of its sales as pure profit. And it certainly is the only store…
Book draws on music of U2 to call for Christian unity
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — A new book written by a Baptist professor applies theological themes found in the music of the Irish rock band U2 to the quest for Christian unity. In Ecumenism Means You Too — pun intended —…