Until recently, volleyball coach and science teacher Cathy Samford taught at a Christian academy in Rockwall, Texas, where she had been employed for three years. One year she was chosen coach of the year. Jim White But when the 29-year-old…
HeraldBeat
Transitions ON THE MOVE Jeff Harris, to Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C., as pastor. Jeff Mathis, to First Baptist Church, Sylva, N.C., as pastor. Robert Moon, resigning as interim pastor of Middleburg (Va.) Baptist Church. Kyle Bauman, to Durham (N.C.)…
Portsmouth, Va., class has been gathering for 52 years
PORTSMOUTH, Va.—Although almost every community has a number of developmentally-challenged citizens, most churches don’t quite know how to provide for them. Cradock Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Va., however, sees ministry to this group as one of its primary missions. Since…
Tournament raises funds for retirement communities
RICHMOND, Va.–A golf tournament sponsored by Lakewood Manor, a Richmond, Va., retirement community, raised more than $25,000 last month for its benevolent endowment fund. Lakewood is one of four retirement centers of the Virginia Baptist Homes. Whit Crowell, a Lakewood…
Leadership network has new name
ROANOKE, Va.—The Christian Leadership Network, a seven-year-old organization which trains leaders for ministry, has a new name—the Christian Leaders Link. “Our mission remains the same—to connect current and future leaders with trainng and ministry,” said director Gary Chapman. Established in…
VITAL SIGNS: So, you want to be a minister?
The landscape of hiring and managing staff is rapidly changing for congregations. What are the implications for the men and women who desire to serve in those congregations? What does this dawning of a new era in congregational life mean…
BTSR reaches matching gift goal
RICHMOND, Va.–Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond has met a $500,000 matching grant which will provide $1 million for the school. By the end of April, BTSR had received $500,000 in contributions, which will be matched by gifts from the Baugh…
Haitians push N.C. congregation out of comfort zone
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (ABP)—Nobody in Mount Olive, N.C., was quite prepared for an influx of Haitian immigrants seeking low-paying jobs in area poultry processing plants, but the community’s First Baptist Church viewed the challenge as an opportunity. Dennis Atwood knew…
In unprecedented move, one person to lead both Virginia’s black, white Baptist conventions
RICHMOND, Va.—In an unprecedented move, the president of Virginia’s oldest predominantly white Baptist convention also has been elected the top officer in the state’s oldest historically black Baptist convention. Mark Croston, pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va.,…