Just after ringing in 2009, a group of 37 students and leaders from the Baptist collegiate ministry at James Madison University and the College of William and Mary left freezing cold Virginia for the beautiful shores of Jamaica to spend…
News about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for January 29, 2009
MISSIONS MOMENTA mission team from Fairview Baptist Church in Fredericksburg participated in the Noah Project in New Orleans in late October. The team worked on several homes–painting, putting down flooring, restoring a bathroom, hanging doors, installing kitchen cabinets and other…
Hobby Lobby executive describes company’s legacy of faith
SHAWNEE, Okla. (BP)—Steve Green's father, David, started his retail career in high school through the DECA business education program. Never the model student, but with an affinity for math, David Green embraced the opportunity provided by the work program, starting…
New Virginia church focuses on ministry to community
In the heart of Virginia, at the crossroads of two major highways, Crossroads Community Church has found a place to serve. The new church start is reaching out to the Zion Crossroads community, located just outside of Charlottesville, as the…
Childs makes ‘tiny stitches’ in lives of children, youth in Croatia
ATLANTA (ABP) — Elaine Childs, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in Cakovec, Croatia, likes to think of her work in Roma villages as analogous to lace making, a well-known Croatian trade since the 15th century. “Most of…
Church with woman pastor expects further rebuke from Georgia Baptists
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — A church denied voting rights in the Georgia Baptist Convention because it is led by a woman pastor could face further sanctions, Pastor Julie Pennington-Russell reports in the church newsletter. In a recent meeting with representatives…
Former youth minister pleads guilty to sending explicit emails to teen
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (ABP) — A former American Baptist youth minister has pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit emails and photos to a 15-year-old girl he was counseling. At his arraignment Nov. 5, David Esarey, 30, denied sending photos to the…
Website seeks to rally support for women’s ordination
CONROE, Texas (ABP) — A former Baptist General Convention of Texas employee and her husband of 47 years have started a website urging Baptist women to speak up for their rights to be ordained as deacons and senior pastors. A…
Baptist foundation loses money in Madoff scandal
OKLAHOMA CITY (ABP) — At least one Baptist group lost money as part of Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme. The Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma said it lost $1.4 million, less than 1 percent of its assets, when third-party…
Prominent Dallas pastor accepts BGCT post
DALLAS (ABP) — Jim Denison has resigned as senior teaching pastor at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas to become founding president of the Center for Informed Faith and theologian-in-residence with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The new Center…
Birmingham site of first of four regional New Baptist Covenant meetings
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Planners of a Jan. 31 gathering of diverse Baptist groups hope a national mood set by the election of America's first African-American president will spill over into renewed relationships between black and white Baptists. "We are…
Christian social entrepreneurs measure success by a different yardstick
HONG KONG (ABP) — A growing number of Christian businesspeople — who see entrepreneurial ventures as missional opportunities — believe doing good and doing well don’t have to be mutually exclusive. These Christian social entrepreneurs are committed to using their…