MACON, Ga. (ABP) — Cecil Staton, president of Smyth & Helwys Publishing in Macon, Ga., was elected Nov. 2 to fill an open seat in the Georgia state Senate. Staton, a Republican, garnered 61 percent of the votes in the…
Seven states pass constitutional amendments defining marriage
A majority of states in America now have adopted constitutional marriage amendments. Seven states—including Virginia—passed amendments Nov. 7 defining marriage, bringing to 27 the number of states nationwide that have adopted amendments aimed at prohibiting gay marriage. An eighth state,…
Blackaby resigns as seminary president
(BP) — Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary President Richard Blackaby announced his resignation from the seminary presidency in early June to become president of Blackaby Ministries International. In a meeting with his staff and faculty, Blackaby said though he always felt…
CBF funds flood relief in Asia, receives grant for Middle East
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recently gave two grants totaling $10,000 to key areas of flooding in Asia. Meanwhile, the Fellowship received a $66,000 grant from the W.C. English Foundation to fund a medical consultant in the Middle…
Pastors examine change in variety of settings
Three Virginia pastors from rural, small town and urban settings joined well-known pastor/speaker Leith Anderson to share experiences at the Virginia Baptist Pastors Conference last month. Anderson and the Virginia pastors discussed the dynamics of change in each of their…
Wayne Coley, longtime Virginia Baptist leader, dies following illness
RICHMOND—Wayne Coley, a longtime Virginia Baptist leader in children’s ministries, died Jan. 14 in Richmond following a long illness. He was 67. For a total of 23 years, Coley was on the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, where…
Survey: People in house churches more satisfied than conventional counterparts
VENTURA, Calif. (ABP) — House churches — small groups of 20 or so that regularly meet together for worship in a non-conventional setting — are out-performing more traditional congregations when it comes to satisfying attendees, according to a new survey….
Bill Cumbie, BGAV leader, dies at 83
William J. “Bill” Cumbie, 83, a former president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia who as executive director of the Mount Vernon Baptist Association (now NorthStar) played a central role in the growth of its member congregations over 30…
BGAV, VBMB committee chairs named for 2009
Baptist General Association of Virginia president Jeff Bloomer, who also serves as chair of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, has appointed chairs for several committees for 2009. The commitees and their chairs are: • BGAV Budget Committee: Tom McCann, Richmond…