RICHMOND — Connect:2008, the 185th annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, will be held in Roanoke Nov. 11-12 at the Roanoke Civic Center and the Hotel Roanoke & Convention Center. The theme for Connect:2008 is “Who's My…
China visit opens dialog on religious freedom
ATLANTA — Dialogue and increased understanding were the results of the first leg of a 10-day, two-city tour by a delegation of Chinese religious leaders and their American counterparts that began in Atlanta Sept. 5. The delegation included the leaders…
EDITORIAL: Aunt Ida visits Bluebell Baptist
Dear Jimmy, I can tell I'm slowin' down ‘cause my mind is laggin' behind the calendar by several months. It seems like it ought to be about May with the summer comin' on instead of the middle of September with…
FIRST HAND: Up close and personal in China
Even before the Beijing Olympics captured the world's attention in early August, some Virginia Baptists were experiencing China “up close and personal.” In early July, Lorrie Brooks of Westhampton Baptist Church in Richmond and Amy Abshire a recent graduate of…
SECOND OPINION: Forgiving without forgetting
As we stood on the roof of his new six-story apartment building in Greenwich Village, my oldest son pointed south and asked, “Could we have seen the World Trade Center from here?” “Yes,” I replied. At 110 stories, the twin…
ERLC urges U.S. action on Orissa violence
WASHINGTON (BP) — The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has called on President Bush and congressional leaders to intervene to bring an end to anti-Christian violence in the Indian state of Orissa. The request for action by the…
Hostess with the mostest
Eva Vest Easley of Bluefield was the hostess with the mostest. In her stately stone house, which guests aptly called “The Easley Mansion,” she and her husband, Tyler, entertained a parade of Baptist ministers, missionaries, denominational leaders, agency and institution…
Scientology to face court trial in France
PARIS (RNS) — The Church of Scientology and seven of its members will be tried for fraud and other allegations in a groundbreaking case that could lead to a ban on the church's operations in France, legal sources cited by…
EDITORIAL: The fires of persecution
I received the following email late last night. Dear Brothers, I have cancelled my program because of Orissa Crises! Please pray for Orissa Believers because they are now under bad situations and many are killed by VHP (Viswa…
12-year-old Virginia Baptist girl starts web site for ‘girls like her’
MECHANICSVILLE — Not many business owners can boast about being featured in a cable television show on CNBC with Donny Deutsch. But 12-year-old Taylor Ramirez can. At least she could if she were inclined to boast. On Aug. 21,…
Baptist youth from Virginia, Hungary travel together to Leipzig conference
What began as a cost-saving effort — a shared 15-hour, two-day bus trip — for two groups trying to get to Leipzig, Germany, for the Baptist World Alliance youth conference resulted in a unique time of fellowship for youth from…
12-year-old Virginia Baptist girl starts web site for ‘girls like her’
MECHANICSVILLE — Not many business owners can boast about being featured in a cable television show on CNBC with Donny Deutsch. But 12-year-old Taylor Ramirez can. At least she could if she were inclined to boast. On Aug. 21, Taylor…