RICHMOND, Va. — Baptist men from across the state will meet for prayer, worship and round table discussions at the one-day Virginia Baptist Men’s Gathering, set for Saturday, Sept. 25. The free event, sponsored by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board,…
Former Virginia chaplain leads fight to save woman on death row
JARRATT, Va. — Unless the U.S. Supreme Court or Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell step in to stop it, Teresa Lewis will die on Sept. 23, in the death chamber at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va. Some will say the…
Virginia church disbands but result is $1 million for ministry
ARLINGTON, Va. — A Virginia Baptist congregation has closed its doors after 80 years, but the result will be about $1 million available over time to Christian ministries in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs. Trinity Baptist Church in Arlington held its…
CBFVA sponsors Service in September projects
RICHMOND, Va. — Nine locations across Virginia will host this year’s Service in September mission projects, coordinated in the state by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia. Service in September is a national mission project sponsored by Current, the organization…
From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap
STAFF CHANGES • Tom Sepulveda, concluding his ministry as associate pastor/youth/children at Tomahawk Church, Midlothian. SERVING OTHERS: The Children in Action at Chatham Baptist Church in Chatham are involved in mission projects to serve others year-round. They filled baby bottles…
Religious groups push action on prison rape
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Six months before her scheduled release, Marilyn Shirley was raped in 2000 by a guard at the Texas prison where she was serving time for drug charges. “I am still haunted by the words he whispered in…
FAITH DIGEST
Jordan too polluted for baptisms? Concerns about pollution and water quality have prompted an environmental advocacy group to call for banning baptisms in the lower Jordan River, where the Bible says Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Israeli authorities…
Duvall talks faith on film, except his own
THE PLAINS, Va. (RNS) — Amid the rolling hills of Northern Virginia, actor Robert Duvall lives in a rural hamlet not unlike the on-screen settings where he has immersed himself in Southern culture. It is, his wife says, “the last…
Outside financial monitoring less common in Bible Belt companies
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Companies in the Bible Belt are less likely to be sued for accounting fraud or to practice aggressive financial reporting, a study indicates. Research by Mays Business School at Texas A&M University found companies headquartered in counties…
Change in the air as Baptist higher education is in transition
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As students return to classes at historically Baptist colleges and universities this fall, the institution of Baptist higher education is in a state of flux. Challenges that include finances, changing demographics and fragmentation of Baptist denominations are…
Hispanic pastor facing deportation for old arrest
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP) — Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina solicited urgent prayer Aug. 27 for a Hispanic pastor facing possible deportation for a 15-year-old crime he committed before accepting Christ. According to media reports, Hector Villanueva,…
Baptist higher education traces long tradition
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Baptist higher education stands on the shoulders of a long tradition in Christianity linking knowledge to faith. The Apostle Paul, many of the early church fathers and important theologians like Augustine were respected for knowledge, both…