Faithful readers of this column know that my alter ego is William E. Hatcher, a noted 19th-century Baptist minister. They have followed my Hatcher portrayals and know his connections with everything Baptist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries….
Remembering our Marjorie
Marjorie Lee Bailey was uniquely equipped with God-given gifts for one of the most challenging places of ministry. In 1966 she began service as director of religious activities and chaplain at the Virginia women's prison in Goochland. In 1977, in…
Unto the hills
Southwest Virginia is big and bold and bodacious. Until the taming influence of Interstate 81, that ribbon of asphalt which makes straight the rough passages, Southwest Virginia was protected from the outside world by its own rough terrain. Even so,…
Being himself
When he retires in October, Larry Holland will have completed over 41 years as pastor of Franklin Heights Baptist Church in Rocky Mount. He could joke that it would be impossible to tell his age simply based upon his four…
Trumpet sounds
Donald Jordan Dunlap retired from his last pastorate, Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, in 1999; and four years later, in 2003, Don and Kay Dunlap left Tidewater to return to his native Christiansburg. Don and his brother, the late…
Hostess with the mostest
Eva Vest Easley of Bluefield was the hostess with the mostest. In her stately stone house, which guests aptly called “The Easley Mansion,” she and her husband, Tyler, entertained a parade of Baptist ministers, missionaries, denominational leaders, agency and institution…
Helping the generations
There scarcely has been a time in Rob Sandford's life when he was not associated with Baptist student ministry. “Born and raised in a Baptist church,” he became involved in campus ministry at the age of 18 when he entered…
On our doorsteps
At the Baptist World Alliance gathering held in Prague, Czech Republic, the world-wide body of Baptists considered a reply to an open letter sent last fall from Islamic religious leaders to the Christian community. The letter calls on Christians and…
On our doorsteps
At the Baptist World Alliance gathering held in Prague, Czech Republic, the world-wide body of Baptists considered a reply to an open letter sent last fall from Islamic religious leaders to the Christian community. The letter calls on Christians and…