Virginia Baptists early established relationships with Indians. John Leland, arguably the most prominent of the 18th-century Virginia Baptist itinerant preachers, wrote that in the 1780s he preached in the “royal pavilion” of an Indian chief, John Tohan. Leland said: “After…
HERITAGE: Maholo
"Aloha” is the most often-spoken word in Hawaii. Said with enthusiasm, it signals love and affection and can be used both as a greeting and a farewell. It was a word frequently on the lips of a Virginia Baptist minister…
HERITAGE: Summer lessons
Hatcher Memorial’s old church house sits along busy Dumbarton Road in the Lakeside community of Richmond. It is dwarfed by the grand Georgian sanctuary which replaced it in 1955. It is a little worn at the heels; but just as…
HERITAGE: At the ‘Free Church’
The people came from Middleburg and the surrounding countryside of Loudon and Fauquier counties. They came on a beastly hot Sunday in June and they filled the old “Free Church” building now occupied by the Middleburg Baptist Church. They sang…
HERITAGE: A worthy name
William Webber recently visited the church which bears his name in Chesterfield County. He probably was a bit uncertain of the reception he might receive; after all, the last time he came to Chesterfield he was arrested and jailed simply…
HERITAGE: Dinner on the grounds
It’s that time of the year. Homecomings traditionally were held at churches in late summer or early fall when the crops had been laid by. Many churches picked a set date — the third Sunday in July or the first…
HERITAGE: Return to Mount Hermon
Sixty years ago George H. Lawrence, who was the first full-time pastor of old Mount Hermon Baptist Church in Chesterfield, adjusted his tie, cleared his throat and began to give a radio address over WXGI in Richmond. He was broadcasting…
HERITAGE: Seek & Find
It’s the tiniest gift shop in Virginia; but it also is likely the only store in Virginia which has no overhead, no payroll and clears 100 percent of its sales as pure profit. And it certainly is the only store…
HERITAGE: Peace-bearer extraordinaire
Jim Massey personifies peace-bearing. In his quiet, calm, soothing manner, he has given peace the first hearing in every situation. He tackled thorny issues while helping many a church find peace in its congregational life and in its relations with…
HERITAGE: Standing his ground
The foot soldiers of the 1770s who had fought and won the American Revolution were bereaved in 1799 when the news reached their towns and villages that their commander, George Washington, had died. Twenty or so years earlier they had…
HERITAGE: Black and white in Buckingham
This columnist was the anniversary speaker for Sharon Baptist Church in Buckingham County for its 150th and again on Palm Sunday, March 28, for its 175th. I think it would be wise for the anniversary planning committee to begin lining…
HERITAGE: Miss Eliza comes to Virginia
The telephone caller was a trust officer in an Atlanta bank. She was administering an estate and was attempting to find the proper home for a physical object, an old portrait which had special meaning to its deceased owner. After…