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…
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…
Historic London cathedral reopens and moves to evict protesters
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…
HERITAGE: The preacher’s assistant
They were the best and most faithful assistant to every preacher in Virginia Baptist life. They likely were his only assistant. Without them, preachers could not have done their work. Indeed most of the churches could not have existed without…
WINN RECOMMENDS
The Fire that Consumes, Edward Fudge (Cascade). Before there was Rob Bell, there was Edward Fudge. Of course, before Bell, there were numerous voices (stretching back to the Patristic Fathers) questioning how we are to understand Scripture’s teaching on Hell….
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…
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…
‘Sabbath’ offered for ministers looking for reprieve from hectic schedule
RICHMOND, Va. — Ministers looking for a break from hectic schedules may find it at Pastor’s Sabbath, set for Nov. 14-16. The retreat, to be held at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center near Lynchburg, Va., is sponsored by the Virginia…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In counseling, depend on Scripture, not speculation
I’ve been a little behind in my reading and just read the Leadership Link article “When God ‘allows’ children to die” in the Oct. 10 Religious Herald. I think your personal openness about dealing with that very issue was very…
Bluefield pays tribute to Appalachian culture with country music exhibit
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Southwest Virginians have an ear for music, and the “Crooked Road Royalty” photo and film exhibit at Bluefield College showcases and pays tribute to the long history of picking and singing in the Appalachian Mountains. The exhibit…
ASK THE ARCHITECT: Worship space guidelines
As the most significant life area of a church, worship space demands a thoughtful understanding not only with regard to the size of the space, but also with regard to its design — particularly as a response to “the way…