River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond’s West End is known far and wide for excellence in all areas: gorgeous classical architecture, a pulpit ministry recognized for consistently thought-provoking messages, well-oiled church governance in the best of Baptist tradition, a superior…
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…