Reports and recommendations to be considered at the Baptist General Association of Virginia's annual meeting, set for Nov. 8-9 in Richmond, Va., are listed here. Included are the 2012 proposed budget, a report of the Averett/BGAV reconciliation committee, constitutional and…
Former Norfolk, Va., pastor’s wife describes struggle with breast cancer
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — Paula Hemphill’s job was to look at cells through a microscope and help diagnose cancer. She never imagined she would one day be on the other side of the microscope as a patient. She and her…
Shorter University adds new faith statements
ROME, Ga. (ABP) — Shorter University has adopted a new faith statement that affirms biblical inerrancy and is requiring faculty and staff to sign a pledge rejecting homosexuality. A new mandatory “personal lifestyle statement” asks employees to agree to “be…
Zoar Baptist Church recovering from devastating tornado hit six months ago
DELTAVILLE, Va. — Six months ago yellow caution tape and small red signs reading “Condemned” and “Dangerous and unsafe” were affixed to the doors of Zoar Baptist Church in Deltaville, Va. A tornado that passed through the town on the…
TRENDING: Structured prayer
Baptists traditionally affirm the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer. Because we have access to God through Jesus Christ, our high priest, we don’t need any human intermediary between us and heaven. In practical terms, this theological conviction often…
Former students of Baptist school in Nigeria honor missionary Van Lear
RICHMOND, Va. — Twenty “old girls” got together Oct. 2 at Lakewood Manor, a Virginia Baptist retirement community, to honor a beloved teacher and principal, Marie “Polly” Van Lear, on her 87th birthday. “Old girls” is a term used by…
V3, a church multiplication movement, focuses on at Voice, Viral, Volume
RICHMOND, Va. — Over four years ago, with a vision for Kingdom expansion through church planting, a church planting think tank was initiated by John Upton, executive direcctor of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, and Stephen Welch, executive director of…
St. Paul’s reopens, protesters evicted
LONDON (RNS) — London’s historic St. Paul’s Cathedral reopened its doors to visitors Oct. 28 for the first time in a week, as authorities moved to evict hundreds of camped-out protesters. St. Paul's was closed for the first time since…
The District Church in Washington aims to reach Millennials in their context
WASHINGTON — On a recent Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit with Aaron Graham, lead pastor of The District Church in Washington, to catch up on the church since its launch in September 2010. Among its partners is…
VITAL SIGNS: The J word
I cannot stand this word and what it represents. I hear it far too often. It represents an attitude that should be banned from local church life. It is the word just. As in, “I’m just a layperson.” Actually, that…
Fatal accident in Bedford County, Va., involved longtime friends, churchgoers
HUDDLESTON, Va. — They had breakfast together, prayed together and shared a few laughs. Then they spent the rest of Saturday morning, Sept. 10, pruning shrubbery, as they regularly did at their small Bedford County church, Mentow Baptist, where all…
What started as a summer sports camp has become leadership training ground
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Nearly 25 years ago Mike Haywood asked the Virginia Baptist Mission Board to send a sports camp team to Temple Baptist Church in Newport News, Va. The following year when he requested another team he learned…