RICHMOND — By a close margin, the Richmond Baptist Association voted March 19 to retain the membership of a church which ordained a gay man to the ministry last fall. The 176-158 vote endorsed a committee’s recommendation that the association…
BTSR trustees authorize president to sign leasing agreement to relocate seminary by this fall
RICHMOND —Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond will hold classes in a new, still-to-be-determined location this fall, following action by its trustees March 18 to authorize President Ron Crawford to sign a leasing agreement to house the 21-year-old seminary. The trustee…
Upton to represent BWA at papal inauguration, as Italian Baptist leader urges prayer for new pope
RICHMOND — Baptist World Alliance president John Upton will represent the global organization and its 42 million Baptists at the March 19 inauguration of Pope Francis, the BWA has announced. “The BWA celebrates with the Catholic Church the announcement of…
Increasingly disturbed by effects of sex trafficking, two teens fight back — with purses
ROCKY MOUNT, Va. — Many women have an obsession with purses. They love to dress in style and complete their look with a fashionable handbag. Recently two teens in Rocky Mount, Va., carried women’s obsession with purses to a new…
Churches’ prom project reminds teenage girls that real beauty is on the inside
Two young women’s groups in different parts of Virginia recently partnered to prepare teens in Amherst and Nelson counties for a day of outer beauty — their senior prom — while also highlighting the inner beauty of women who love…
Hampton church calls Betty Mills as pastor, making it largest congregation in Va. led by woman
HAMPTON, Va. — Richmond pastor Betty Mills has been called as senior pastor of the 222-year-old Hampton (Va.) Baptist Church, making it likely the largest Baptist congregation in Virginia led by a woman pastor. Betty Mills For 23 years, Mills…
Church offers community a way to dispose of documents — and shred some sins in the process
ROCKVILLE, Va. — It began with a cluttered office and the need to dispose of numerous boxes of financial records, explains Mark Hughes, pastor of Berea Baptist Church in Rockville, Va. Realizing that properly destroying sensitive information would require more…
Richmond association committee recommends retaining ties with church which ordained gay man
RICHMOND — The Richmond Baptist Association will consider a recommendation March 19 to retain ties to one of its churches which ordained an openly gay man to the ministry last year. The proposal from an RBA study committee, to be…
Ministering in the wake of a disaster doesn’t require a long journey, church discovers
HENRICO, Va. — Westhunt Baptist Church in Richmond’s West End recently discovered that disaster relief isn’t limited to natural disasters in other places; it also includes responding to the needs of hurting people less than a mile away. A multi-unit…