Joseph Giles Jr. presents a check to Makayla Clary. LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. — For the past three years churches in southern Brunswick County, Va., have gathered during Holy Week and collectively received an offering to support a needy cause. This year’s…
OUT LOUD
“I am being faithful to Jesus by welcoming the stranger into the community. … We are two different faiths building relationships, talking together, working together for a common purpose.” Dennis Perry The pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria,…
As need for child care declined, a church refocused ministry on seniors
RURAL HALL, N.C. — Making a tough decision to close its day care center after 20 years prompted a small North Carolina church to establish a center for senior adults in Rural Hall, N.C., a mid-state area with a high…
ACP remains key metric, but declining participation worries strategists
RICHMOND, Va. — The amount of data that exists in the world today is mind-boggling. Credit card companies monitor every purchase to identify fraudulent ones with a high degree of accuracy. Mobile-phone operators analyze subscribers’ calling patterns to determine if…
Roundup of Baptists in the Mid-Atlantic
STAFF CHANGES • Wayne Tyree, to Mt. Zion Baptist Church, New Canton., Va., as pastor. • Randy Cheeley, to Dinwiddie Baptist Church, Dinwiddie, Va., as pastor. • Philip Reynolds, to First Baptist Church, Hickory, N.C., as pastor. Temple Baptist Church…
HERITAGE: Beyond the borders
There is a world beyond the borders of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sometimes this thought challenges the sensibilities of the most provincial among us, yet Virginia Baptists have been exploring that larger land for a long, long time. Luther Rice,…
Self-care important for clergy but often neglected
SAN FRANCISCO (ABP) — “You cannot go to church,” Christian philosopher Elton Trueblood once said. “You are the church wherever you go.” That is especially true if you are the pastor. While many people with high-demand occupations view Sunday worship…
RIGHT or WRONG? The best and brightest
It has been said that church vocations no longer attract the “best and brightest” young Christians. Do believe that is true? If so, what should we do about it? Twelve years ago, as an editor of a Baptist state paper,…
10 practices for ministerial health
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lists 10 best practices for ministerial health and wellness: • Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. • Love your neighbor as you love yourself — be an example of self-care…