When the doorbell rings at many churches, a person in need may be standing in the doorway seeking some food, clothes, counseling or encouragement. If that individual is an undocumented immigrant, his presence presents legal and ethical issues many congregations…
Relationships key to helping immigrants, Baptist workers say
FREDERICKSBURG (ABP)—Every afternoon, Felicitas does something she thought might never happen. She meets the school bus near her Virginia apartment complex to pick up her son, Carlos, as he returns from another day of elementary school. Carlos has spina bifida,…
No easy answers
Sometimes, answers to the tough questions just don't come, campus ministers at Virginia Tech insist. When they do, they don't come easily. And they often come up short. As ministers and counselors descended on Virginia Tech to offer comfort and…
Anti-immigrant rhetoric nothing new, historians say
If American Protestants today have trouble knowing how to accept and assimilate a new wave of immigrants, they at least can take comfort in knowing their forebears wrestled with similar issues. “Americans have always struggled with immigrants. Non-conformist immigrants like…
Tech students gather at Baptist campus center
BLACKSBURG (ABP)—As the sun began to set and the wind continued to howl over a wounded campus and city, Virginia Tech students gathered for prayer, comfort and counseling at the school's Baptist student center. Blacksburg, the small city that houses…
Almost any immigration reform better than nothing, advocates say
WASHINGTON (ABP)—As Congress begins to take up immigration-reform proposals, some Christian immigration activists say there is no perfect legislation in the pipeline. But time is of the essence in getting something passed, nonetheless, they insist. A reform bill with broad…
April marks first anniversary for Virginia Baptists’ Advance Notice electronic newsletter
RICHMOND — When it was launched on April 4, 2006, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's Advance Notice e-newsletter was the first monthly electronic source of information for Virginia Baptists of the 1,400-plus member churches of the Baptist General Association of…
Baptist college professor accused of embezzling
COLUMBIA, S.C. – An economics professor at a South Carolina Baptist university was charged with fraud April 5, after federal authorities discovered $134 million missing from investment funds he managed. The academic has since claimed amnesia and reportedly checked into…
Charlottesville church connects with China
Tom Leland, pastor of University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, leaned back in his swivel chair in his spacious office and smiled broadly. Clearly, talking about the church and it's ministries is a topic in which he is well-versed and one…
New about Virginia Baptists and their ministries for April 19, 2007
Staff changes • Bernard Camden, to Fellowship Church, Chester, as pastor. • Jeff Hudgins, to Heritage Church, Farmville, as pastor. • Tim Mathia, resigning as pastor of Mentow Church, Huddleston. • Bill Welch, to Woodville Church, Woodville, as interim pastor….
Virginia Tidbits
$1 MILLION FOR BTSR. Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond has received a $1 million anonymous gift in honor of four Richmond Baptist leaders—Harwood and Louise Cochrane and Elmer and Betsy West. Both the Cochranes and the Wests have been instrumental…
Reformatting will end ‘Mission Moments,’ but not church photos
For the past three years, the Religious Herald has run photographs of church mission trips in a back-page feature called “Mission Moments.” With the recent reformatting of the newspaper, the Herald is discontinuing that feature and utilizing the back page…