Following the mandate in James 1:27 for Christ’s followers to care for orphans in need, Community Heights Baptist Church in Southwest Virginia has initiated a ministry it calls 127JUNCTION to mobilize its members to care for the physical, emotional and…
Electronic reading is growing, and church libraries are taking note
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It’s a sign of the times. Technology is changing what and how people read. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans reading electronic books has doubled since 2009. With the…
Virginia Muslims and local community angry over Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial in the state
(RNS) — Officials and local residents of a rural Virginia county say they’re surprised and angered that the body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was buried in a local cemetery. Tsarnaev, 26, died following an April 19 getaway…
Galindo stepping down as dean at BTSR to assume new role at Columbia Theological Seminary
RICHMOND — Israel Galindo, dean and professor of Christian formation and leadership at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, has been named associate dean for lifelong learning at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., effective Aug. 1. Israel Galindo Galindo, who…
Two Baptist associations — one urban, one rural — merge to form 96-church ministry network
NORFOLK — Two Baptist associations — one in Virginia’s highly-urbanized Hampton Roads, the other on the state’s rural Eastern Shore — have merged to form a new network of 96 churches. At separate meetings in mid-April, representatives of the Norfolk…
Full text of open letter from Ginter Park pastor Mandy England Cole to Richmond Baptist Association
On May 5, pastor Mandy England Cole of Ginter Park Baptist Church sent the following open letter to the “staff, executive council and churches of the Richmond Baptist Association.” This week staff and leaders of the Richmond Baptist Association paid…
Ginter Park pastor sends open letter as a quarter of Richmond association churches consider leaving
RICHMOND — Seven weeks after the Richmond Baptist Association narrowly voted to retain the membership of a church which ordained a gay man to the ministry, about a quarter of the association’s congregations have ended ties with it or are…
In new books, John Chandler aims to help leaders listen more closely to God
John Chandler, leader of the Spence Network, recently released three books — Praying the Kings, Praying the Prophets and Praying Wisdom — aiming to engage leaders more deeply in Scripture. He recently discussed his motivations for writing the books. Q:…
Navigating church conflict is focus of conference
The Virginia Network of Interim Ministers will sponsor a conference May 3 on conflict transformation in local congregations. “Navigating the Storms of Church Conflict” will be held in English Hall at Eagle Eyrie from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. just…
Chase City church pilots service project for Virginia’s Concord Baptist Association
CHASE CITY, Va. — Twelve different service projects were conducted in and around Chase City April 13 as 55 volunteers from Concord Baptist Church there piloted an Operation Inasmuch project for the Concord Baptist Association. Chase City congregants launch balloons…
Taking Jesus’ words to heart, church sends volunteers across Radford in acts of service
RADFORD, Va. — The patrons of a Radford laundromat thought the seven women wearing red T-shirts and handing out quarters Saturday, April 20, were pranksters or a crew from a reality television show, but they soon learned that they were…
New Cooperative Baptist Fellowship executive shares vision on five-city tour of Virginia
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship executive coordinator Suzii Paynter kicked-off a five-city tour April 20-25 of CBF churches in Virginia. First Baptist Church in Richmond hosted a gathering Saturday evening, April 20, for local pastors and supporters. Paynter shared with the group…