Blacksburg, Va., is a wounded city. With 26,000 students, Virginia Tech is the dominant presence in the town usually bustling with students crisscrossing the campus and spilling over into the streets of the burg. Not Monday. Although barraged with requests…
Virginia Tech students gather at Baptist ministry center
Blacksburg, Va., is a wounded city. With 26,000 students, Virginia Tech is the dominant presence in the town usually bustling with students crisscrossing the campus and spilling over into the streets of the burg. Not Monday. JIM WHITE Although barraged…
Grieving students, others pack VT’s covocation
The day after a student gunman killed 32 students and professors on the campus of Virginia Tech, thousands more than expected attended a solemn convocation to honor the dead and comfort the grieving. The day was sunny and mild but…
Charlottesville church connects with China
Tom Leland, pastor of University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, leaned back in his swivel chair in his spacious office and smiled broadly. Clearly, talking about the church and it's ministries is a topic in which he is well-versed and one…
EDITORIAL: When someone slaps you in the faith, turn the other cheek
The biblical word translated into English as persecution means to chase after; to harass, trouble, molest or mistreat. It seems to me that Christians and Christianity suffer persecution—face-slapping if you will—from numerous places. I realize that I may be accused…
Critical need
Those who know John Chandler admire his creativity and general situational savvy. He is well-read and communicates effectively and enthusiastically. It came as no particular surprise to anyone that upon Bob Dale's retirement Chandler was tapped to lead the Ray…
EDITORIAL: What will the Hammond era mean for the BGAV?
The trustees of the North American Mission Board took an unprecedented step March 19 when they unanimously elected Geoff Hammond to be NAMB's new president. What makes his election interesting to Virginia Baptists is that he comes to the position…
EDITORIAL: Remember evangelism?
According to figures used by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, four-and-a-half million Virginians have never declared their belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. What are Virginia Baptists going to do about it? Let's get specific. What are…
World’s Baptists gather to say goodbye to Lotz
A capacity crowd of 750 Baptists gathered in the ballroom of a Washington, D.C., area hotel last week to honor the life and ministry of Denton Lotz, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, as he plans to retire. The…
Saddleback’s Rick Muchow shares experiences of worship leading
For 20 years, Rick Muchow, worship leader of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., has shared the platform with Rick Warren. While others might have wilted under the intensity of this experience, Muchow has thrived. In Richmond to lead the…
Dean Frazeur says anyone can ‘walk across the room’
Dean Frazeur, pastor of Goochland Baptist Church in Manakin-Sabot, is urging his congregation to “just walk across the room.” Taking his cues from a book of the same name by Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, Frazeur is…
Aliens landed at Atlee
It may have sounded like a gathering new-age sci-fi trekkies, but “Alien” was the name given a conference for churches desiring to be innovative in their goal of reaching people with the message of Jesus. The conference was envisioned by…