RICHMOND—At this holiday gift-giving time, Stacey Wilson, Lakewood Manor's program coordinator, becomes a wrapping machine. She is not wrapping the presents for her friends and families but for the Lakewood residents. Lakewood Manor resident Peggy Warren (right) gets help with…
EDITORIAL: Selecting your tree
The semi-trailer flatbed ahead of me was loaded with small, cut spruce trees. It didn't take much creativity to anticipate their destination as a Christmas tree lot in some distant city. Although reluctant to admit it to my friends at…
Bluefield donor enhances chapel
BLUEFIELD—Bluefield College's 42-year-old Harman Chapel is moving into the 21st century, thanks to a donor's desire to bring state-of-the-art multimedia presentation devices to the facility. Thanks to a sizable contribution from BC alumna and trustee Susan McDougle Tussey and her…
Red Letter Days: Christmas gifts with a conscience
NEW YORK (ABP) — What's the perfect revenge for the flannel-lined hot-water bottle Aunt Sharon gave you last Christmas? Or the Michael Bolton CD from your brother-in-law? A toilet. Or an ox. A bag of seeds would work, for that…
Happy New Year? For some Christians, it has already begun
COLUMBIA, Mo. (ABP) — When does the new year begin? For Christians observing the church calendar, it began with the start of Advent on Dec. 2. The traditional Christian season of Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas, is to…
With Corzine’s signature, N.J. officially bans death penalty
TRENTON, N.J. (ABP) — Stating his firm opposition to what he called “state-endorsed killing,” New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has signed into law a legislative ban on capital punishment — the nation's first in decades. Shortly before he signed…
Faith leaders reject ‘hateful speech’ while Hispanics leave GOP
NEW YORK (ABP) — Republican presidential candidates appeal to fears over immigration in the primary campaigns at the risk of alienating an important constituency – conservative Hispanics – religious leaders in several early primary states said Dec. 17. In a…
Opinion: Does Christmas matter to the world?
(ABP) — On a recent trip to my hometown, I was surprised to hear some beautiful Russian Orthodox music performed by the “Singing Christmas Tree” in my childhood Southern Baptist church in North Carolina. Perhaps I should clarify this. I…
Mo. Baptist leaders restrict funding for church starts, angering some
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — A decision by Missouri Baptist Convention leaders to cut off funding for certain new church starts has set off a firestorm of protest and further widened a rift among conservative Baptists in the state. The…
Huckabee: Being president easier than getting Baptists to agree
NEW YORK (ABP) — Negotiating the dicey waters of presidential diplomacy would be easier than resolving differences between various Baptist groups, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said in a recent campaign appearance. This is the same Mike Huckabee who last…
Western Recorder editor Henderson resigns to accept post at Ouachita
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — Trennis Henderson, editor of Kentucky's Baptist-affiliated Western Recorder newspaper, has accepted a position as vice president for communications at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. His resignation will take effect March 1. The Western Recorder board…
Missouri Baptist executive board approves moving headquarters
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP) — Missouri Baptist Convention leaders voted Dec. 10 to move the group's headquarters building to a small town west of the state capital — but the effort may run into trouble due to complications over a…