William E. Hatcher, the 19th and early 20th-century minister, used to escape the pressures of his city pastorate at Grace Street Baptist Church of Richmond by enjoying a day in the country with his friend, Bob Winfree of Midlothian. When…
Remembering Jamestown
Everyone should visit Jamestown once in their life. My once occurred years ago when our children were young. We walked the dusty trails. We climbed aboard one of the tiny ships. We marveled. And then we boarded the Jamestown-Scotland ferry,…
The legacy of Miss Lu
Lucretia O. Litchfield of Petersburg died a wealthy woman on June 14. She was rich beyond measure in the values that make life sparkle, in the relationships that make life worthwhile, and in the years which made her life long…
First freedom and prime principles
Religious liberty is the first freedom for Americans. Thomas Jefferson authored the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which since 1786 has provided a benchmark for the western world. James Madison, influenced by Virginia Baptists, reasoned that religious liberty would become…
A definition of high energy
A dictionary gives the following definition of energy: “Capacity or habit of vigorous activity; also, ability to produce action or effect.” The compiler of words must have known Hugh Thomas Busey. In everyday laymen speak, he has been aptly called…
With a song in his heart
Sixteen Candles was a popular song for the teen and college set in 1959 and was among the repertoire of a singing group at the University of Richmond known as The Jeters. (Readers of this column and UR alums recognize…
Dates of Infamy
They are dates that “will live in infamy.” September 11, 2001. April 16, 2007. December 7, 1941. President Roosevelt summarized that last date: “America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan….
Pioneering in music ministry
Sixty years ago a young married couple, recent graduates of the prestigious Westminster Choir College and still in their 20s, arrived on the Virginia Baptist scene and almost immediately made contributions which had lasting results. Jim and Hattie Copeland came…
Friends to civil liberty
In the summer of 1789, the General Committee—an early and loose organization of Virginia Baptists—met in Richmond. In a spirit of national pride, they endorsed a letter of congratulations to the Republic's first president, a fellow Virginian, George Washington. Although…