VOL 1, ISSUE 3
FALL 2016
#FloodBucketsOfLove Disaster Response Update on West Virginia Flood #SummerOfMissions Check out how churches have been advancing the Kingdom all summer! 10
Religious Liberty Spotlight Thomas Helwys preaches religious freedom in 1612 23
PokĂŠmon GO Read how your church can leverage the latest gaming craze to reach your community 25
#FloodBucketsOfLove Disaster Response Update on West Virginia Flood
// pg 14
4 // BGAV News & Notes 6 // Because of You
24 // 3 Ways Youth Ministers Can Help Their Students Adjust to College
8 // “The New Way”
25 // 4 Lessons I Learned from Pokémon GO
9 // BGAV 2016 Annual Meeting
26 // Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Amherst County
10 // #SummerOfMissions 14 // Disaster Response Update on West Virginia Flood and #FloodBucketsOfLove 16 // What Is a Kingdom Pioneer? 18 // BGAV 2016–2017 Scholarship Recipients 22 // Church Planting Update
27 // Daily Morning Prayer Strengthens Coworkers 28 // The Grand Old ‘ssociation! 30 // I Am, You Are, We Are... 31 // Latest Ministry Jobs
23 // Religious Liberty Spotlight
BGAV Advancing the Kingdom Together
A publication of the Baptist General Association of Virginia Volume 1, Issue 3 Fall 2016 BGAV Express is published quarterly by the Baptist General Association of Virginia, 2828 Emerywood Parkway, Henrico, VA 23294.
Send subscription requests to: Linda Peay linda.peay@BGAV.org 800.255.2428, ext. 1204 Or visit BGAV.org/Express. Send address changes to: BGAV Express Baptist General Association of Virginia 2828 Emerywood Parkway Henrico, VA 23294 toll-free 800.255.2428
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: John V. Upton, Jr. CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER & BGAV EXPRESS EDITOR: Nathan White SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Meghan Wilson ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Linda Peay ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jennifer Law
BGAV STAFF NEWS Youth Minister in Residence
addition to their growing vision for the ministry, Uebel shares, “We longed for friends to work beside us.”
The Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) welcomes Rev. Danny Quirin as its first Youth Minister in Residence. Quirin is the Minister to Youth at Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke, where he will continue to serve. He will join the BGAV as an ambassador to churches in youth ministry-related matters; respond to inquiries and requests from BGAV churches and staff related to youth ministry; and coordinate the BGAV annual youth ministry training event, Forum, which is held in May.
Ryan Goude is from Williamsburg, where he grew up in his local church. While in college at Virginia Tech and serving at the BCM, Ryan accepted God’s call into full-time ministry. Karin Goude grew up in Northern Virginia, attending a Catholic parish and grade school. When her family briefly relocated to Florida, she fell in love with Jesus through a friend’s church youth group and was re-baptized at age 15. She studied music at Virginia Tech and became involved with the BCM. Karin served on staff in college ministry and the local church while in Blacksburg. The Goudes are excited to be serving the students and community of VCU alongside their good friends and fellow Hokies, the Uebels.
“The BGAV is blessed to have someone of Danny Quirin’s experience, passion, and calling to work as our Youth Minister in Residence, a new expression of service to our churches,” said Susan McBride, Congregational Field Staff Coordinator. “It is our sincerest hope and prayer that youth ministers and churches will call upon Danny for help with their ministries to youth and their families.”
Fresh Expressions US Adds and Expands Staff Roles
Fresh Expressions US is pleased to announce new and expanded staff roles, reflecting positive signs of increased momentum throughout the country.
Quirin has served at Bonsack since 1996 and lives in Roanoke with his wife, Debbie. They have four children and two grandchildren.
Gannon Sims, currently the director of ministry formation, is taking on the additional responsibility of Virginia regional coordinator, serving as the primary advocate for Fresh Expressions among the 1,400 BGAV churches. In this role, Sims will help to identify and organize BGAV churches and ministry leaders who have the gift of extending their ministry beyond the church walls into networks and neighborhoods the church isn’t currently reaching.
VCU Associate Baptist Collegiate Ministers The Baptist Collegiate Ministry of Virginia Commonwealth University (BCM of VCU) welcomes Ryan and Karin Goude as associate collegiate ministers. They join current VCU Collegiate Ministers Nic and April Uebel, where they will enhance the ministry of the BCM at VCU through their energy, love for students, and their hearts for God.
Fresh Expressions US National Director Chris Backert said, “There would be no national Fresh Expressions initiative in the US without the vision, leadership, and generosity of the BGAV. From day one, BGAV leadership has maintained a commitment to Fresh Expressions US as a national, cross-denominational mission strategy. Gannon has been a key member of our team from the beginning.”
Nic Uebel says that the Goudes are an answer to prayer, as the need for additional ministry leadership continues to grow at VCU. “From the beginning of our time at VCU two years ago, we recognized that VCU had many diverse ministry opportunities, and the work was much bigger than our gifts and our time.” In
John Upton, executive director of the BGAV, is excited about Sims’ expanded ministry call. “Gannon will build upon the 4
NEWS + NOTES
Complete list of events at BGAV.org/Events
Event Calendar groundwork laid by Travis Collins in this important role– bringing the focus, energy, and organizational acumen that will help spark renewal and revival in the Commonwealth.”
October 1 1
Sims has served ministry initiatives and on church staffs in Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. For the past five years, he and his wife, Carey, have led the BGAV collegiate ministry at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.
6-8 10-13 10-14
Fresh Expressions US also welcomes Sarah Keasler as coordinator of operations. Keasler is a leader in non-profit management, having developed the operations of a city-wide after-school music program in Miami, FL. Her skills will help Fresh Expressions US further develop the delivery framework for training and events.
14-16 17-18 20-21 21-22 21-23 22
Michael Beck is serving as South Atlantic Coordinator for the US Team and as North Central District Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Michael serves as senior pastor of Wildwood/Oxford United Methodist Church where he directs addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, and a network of fresh expressions that meet in places like tattoo parlors and burrito joints. He lives in Wildwood, FL, with his wife, Jill, and their blended family of eight children.
23 24 25
Eagle Eyrie Hires Assistant Director
28-30
Effective September 18, 2016, Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center welcomes a new assistant director, Nathan Wittkamp. Join us in welcoming Nathan to the BGAV family!
Church Weekday Education Conference, Alexandria, VA “Reaching People Under 30 While Keeping People Over 60”, Troutville, VA Gloria Deo Church Music Conference, Richmond, VA Gathering of Silence Retreat, Lowesville 40-Hour Basic Immigration Law Training, Manassas, VA Ignite: A Retreat for Middle School Students, Lynchburg, VA Empower Class 509: Using Assessments in Coaching, Henrico, VA Empower Class 501: Building Blocks for Powerful Coaching, Henrico, VA AAFVA Preaching Camp, Herndon, VA Special Needs Retreat, Lynchburg, VA Virginia Baptist Women’s Chorale Concert, Midlothian, VA Virginia Baptist Male Chorale Concert, Lynchburg, VA Virginia Baptist Male Chorale Concert, Tappahannock, VA Virginia Baptist Male Chorale Concert, Gloucester Courthouse, VA Kairos Collegiate Fall Gathering, Lynchburg, VA
November 3
SS Training: Growing An Engaged Sunday School, Stuart, VA
14-16
BGAV Annual Meeting, Roanoke, VA
BGAV NOTES Register for the Annual Meeting!
Registration packets were mailed to all BGAV churches in September. These packets contain the information each church needs to register messengers. Join your BGAV family November 14-16 at Bonsack Baptist Church for fellowship, business, and worship. The main speaker is Gabe Lyons and the theme is “The New Way” from John 13:33-35 (NIV). Learn more, view lodging information, and register online at BGAV.org/Meeting.
For more BGAV news, visit BGAV.org/News
THE
NEWWAY John 13:33-35 NIV
5
Because of
You...
...over 280 preschool teachers gathered at Bon Air Baptist Church in August for the annual Church Weekday Education Conference, which offered 16 different breakout topics. This conference provides training, ideas, and networking opportunities for teachers and directors of faith-based weekday preschool programs at a very reasonable cost. In addition, the time spent can be counted as part of required training hours. More information can be found at BGAV.org/CWE.
...eleven Venturers were sent out through Virginia and all over the world in the name of Jesus. Mikayla Clarke, Kyle Julius, Erin Waddell, Meghan Young, and Fiona Waddell served as Impact Mission Camp staffers. Alma Vela and Sarah Phillips served in Lebanon, Drew Dellinger served in Austria, Lindsey Hughes served in Ghana, and Hannah Strouth and Kristin Marker served in southwest Virginia. You may read more about their experiences this summer at BGAV.org/Venturers.
6
...over 800 students and leaders came together at five sites across Virginia and one in Romania to bring hope and share the love of Christ. Campers in Chesterfield, Orange, Wise, and Saluda completed home construction projects. Campers in Danville did something different this year by volunteering at several community nonprofits and helping them with special projects. Read more on page 10 and learn more at BGAV.org/Impact.
...over 170 campers, 47 chaperones, 5 interns, and several faculty came together at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center for the annual Music & Worship Arts Camp. Designed for grades 4-12, the camp consists of worship times and special interest classes, as well as participation in a choral and/or instrumental ensemble. New for this year, campers could choose to take an art class.
...new churches such as Via Vite, a church plant in San Bernardino, CA, are joining the BGAV. As they prayed for their church community’s “next steps,” they asked: What does a wider faith community look like for us? Who has had deep roots in missions and church planting? In finding the BGAV, they wrote that “We are so excited to partner with an association of churches throughout the US (and world) that is seeing the Gospel spread, lives transformed, disciples made, and churches sprouting up all over.”
... homeowners in West Virginia received necessary buckets full of flood cleaning supplies. BGAV churches donated hundreds of flood buckets and thousands of dollars to purchase more through the #FloodBucketsOfLove campaign. Even more was raised to help with other Disaster Response efforts in West Virginia. Learn more about ways you can continue helping flood victims at BGAV.org/Disaster. 7
“THE NEW WAY” by John Upton
In just a few weeks the BGAV family will gather for its 193rd annual meeting. Gabe Lyons, founder of Q Ideas and author of “The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World,” will be our featured speaker. The theme of the annual meeting is “The New Way.” The “new way” really isn’t new at all to the Gospel, but it is a way that we in the church are still discovering. It is our biggest gift to the world and ourselves, yet, one we miss easily and often. So, what is this new way?
JOHN UPTON is the Executive Director of the BGAV.
What does Jesus mean? This new way means we do not give up on each other, for God knows he never gave up on us. So, we live in the practice of forgiving each other and being thankful for the best in each other, looking for the Christ in each other and praying that others will find the Christ in our love for them. Now, that is the new way to be church! That is the new way for the church to be a witness in our neighborhoods. That is the new way to be the family of God in a world, exhausted with religious fighting, looking for authentic hope and love. It is time to be a disciple-based movement in the world again.
Maya Angelou said it best in one of her poems, “Nobody, but nobody can make it here alone.” How many of us would be living different lives if it were not for the number of people who were there for us in the past? They were there to listen, to draw out, to encourage, to correct, to show the way, and to cheer us on. Just think of how many of us came alive to God’s dream because of those people. It makes you ask, “How many more people outside the church might become more alive to God’s dream for their lives if we were to give the same gift to them that we received?” I think that is precisely what Jesus was getting at when he said on that night before he died, “I give you a new commandment, love one another.” We have heard those words to the point that the meaning is blurred, generalized, and reduced to abstraction. It is so hard to hear the word in its power.
So, we live in the practice of forgiving each other and being thankful for the best in each other, looking for the Christ in each other, and praying that others will find the Christ in our love for them. I can tell you this with absolute certainty, the living Christ all my life has spoken to me most clearly through the human voices of those who have encouraged me, challenged me, forgave me, prayed for me, who were there to help me laugh and let me hurt, and to show me how this life is lived in the courage of faith and in the beauty of love. Some of those very people will be at the BGAV annual meeting. Some of those very people in your life will be there, too. Didn’t you know Christ will be shining in the eyes of the people standing very near to you at that meeting? Actually, you will be one of them. To say that Christ is alive means he calls forth more and more life all around us. He calls us into the fullness of life. At the BGAV meeting, look at each other and see the life in the other. This is the new way. This is being obedient to the very commandment Jesus gave us.
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193rd Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia
BGAV ANNUAL MEETING THE
NEWWAY John 13:33-35 NIV
The best gift Jesus gives us is our love for one another. This love is more than wanting the best for each other. It is more than fond feelings for each other. It is more than showing kindness to each other, though God knows the world could use more of that. We are all at risk of living too small, of being buried under the weight of the world and never rising to our bright purpose. The love of Jesus in us is to be life-giving on purpose; that is, it is a commitment to noticing, listening, calling forward the best possibilities in each other, affirming, encouraging, inviting more and better from each other. This is “the new way” to which Jesus calls us. Join us November 14–16 as we explore this new direction in our lives of faith based on John 13:35 (NIV). NEW MONDAY BREAKOUTS! Miss having a second breakout time on Tuesday afternoon? Join us on Monday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. for content breakout sessions. Afterwards, a dinner will be available with worship at 7:00 p.m.
November 14-16, 2016 Bonsack Baptist Church Roanoke, VA main speaker
GABE LYONS Gabe is the founder of Q Ideas, a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society; author of The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World; and co-author of the best-seller, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters.
speaker
CHRIS CADENHEAD Chris serves as pastor of Bonsack Baptist Church, Roanoke, VA. He has a B.A. degree in Psychology from Furman University, an M.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University, an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and a D.Min. in Worship Studies from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary.
speaker
JOHN UPTON John has been the executive director of the BGAV since 2002, previously serving as a pastor in Urbanna, VA, and missionary in Taiwan. He is a graduate of Averett College (now University) in Danville, VA, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. John recently completed a fiveyear term as president of the Baptist World Alliance.
Monday, November 14 12:30 p.m. Pastors’ Conference 2:00 p.m. Registration open, Ministry Fair 4:00 p.m. Breakouts 5:30 p.m. Dinner REGISTRATION 7:00 p.m. Gathering I Pastors/Clerks: Registration packets were mailed in September. Please elect messengers and invite fellow church members to Tuesday, November 15 come with you. Registration open, Ministry Fair 8:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 5:15 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
Business Session I Gathering II Lunch Regional Meetings Breakouts Family Reunion Dinner Gathering III Dessert Fellowship
Wednesday, November 16 Registration open, Ministry Fair 8:45 a.m. Business Session II 10:00 a.m. Gathering IV Note: Schedule is tentative and subject to change.
LODGING/MEALS Special rates are available at several area hotels. View the hotel options at BGAV.org/meeting; please pay attention to instructions and deadlines when reserving rooms. The Bonsack area boasts 30+ restaurants nearby, but dinner will also be offered Monday and Tuesday night as well as lunch on Tuesday for those wishing to remain on-site.
#BGAV16
More information at
BGAV.org/Meeting
BGAV Advancing the Kingdom Together
#SummerOfMissions All across the BGAV, churches experienced a #SummerOfMissions as they took opportunities to share the love of Christ in their communities, across the nation, and around the world. In the following pages we have highlighted a few churches and ministries that were on mission this summer. Impact Mission Camps Impact Mission Camps wrapped up eight weeks of missions this year while serving in Virginia and across the Atlantic. Inspired by Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” over 800 compassionate and hard-working leaders and students served in 54 sites in Chesterfield, Danville, Orange, and Wise. A total of 60 different churches assisted in these mission locations and two international students, Frederik Aasen and Amalie Lund of Norway, served as leaders at each camp. Impact Mission Camps typically involve improving homes in the different municipalities. However, for the first time, the Danville Impact Mission camp location was a social ministry. Tying into the theme, Hungry, campers worked with local nonprofit organizations including Transition Pregnancy Solutions, Cedar Terrace Youth Center, and Riverside Health. Campers were able to focus on the Danville community’s specific needs. Internationally, Impact Mission teams traveled to Romania to conduct VBS for Romanian and Roma children.
Kilmarnock Baptist Church volunteers pose with the children at the Source of Light Center in Haiti.
Haiti Many Virginia Baptists served in Haiti at the Source of Light Center this summer. • Eleven members of Kilmarnock Baptist Church in Kilmarnock, VA, went on the church’s annual trip to reconnect with the children at Source of Light in Port-auPrince. They arrived August 1 and spent a week singing songs, playing games, sharing Bible stories, and teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). They also took the group for extended play time at the beach. This trip was the group’s third visit to Haiti and the church’s seventh trip. The children recognized many of the travelers as they arrived. The group made wonderful memories with the children and cannot wait to serve again next year. Pastor Matthew Tennant blogged about the trip on his website, matthewtennant.org. • Dean Miller, BGAV Mission Development Staff coordinator, led a group of volunteers from his church—Westhunt Baptist Church in Henrico, VA—to serve at the Source of Light Center. Dean’s hope for the team was to engage with the Haitian residents and learn from them as well as be encouraged by their faith. While worshipping with their brothers and sisters, cleaning up the orphanage, and sharing smiles and hugs, the team was humbled and lifted up by the people of Haiti. The team posted several blog posts, which can be found at BGAV.org/WesthuntHaiti.
Impact volunteers show off the muscles they used during their week of mission camp. For posts and pictures of Impact Mission Camps, go to Facebook or Instagram and search #impacthungry.
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Webber Memorial Baptist Church’s VBS Director, Jan Fletcher; Children’s Director, Rev. Sharon Colgin; and Senior Pastor, Dr. William Gunter, take pies to the face in celebration of reaching their church’s goals for #FloodBucketsOfLove.
During the VBS recap that followed on Sunday, more money was contributed by other members of the congregation because they were so moved by the children’s generous donations. A grand total of $1,182 was raised to fill #FloodBucketsOf Love. Thank you, Webber Memorial, for a fun way to educate children about missions and to help flood victims in West Virginia!
Pies and Flood Buckets at Webber Memorial Baptist Church Webber Memorial Baptist Church in Chesterfield County, VA, held its Vacation Bible School in August. In addition to learning more about Jesus through the “Deep Sea Discovery” theme, the 95 students and 96 volunteers set out to raise money for West Virginia flood victims.
Huguenot Road Baptist Church Issues A Colorful Challenge The students and VBS leaders at Huguenot Road Baptist Church, which is also in Chesterfield County, VA, issued a challenge during their VBS week. As Children’s Director Amanda Lott explained there is always a missional component that ties in with the VBS theme. Amanda seeks out missions opportunities that will connect the children to tangible partnerships with the BGAV.
To make the task more fun, one 10-year-old girl participant, Kaleigh Ruble, wanted to up the ante by challenging the boys in the giving. If the girls raised more money than the boys, then Dr. William Gunter, pastor, would get a pie in his face. If the boys raised the most money, then the VBS Director, Jan Fletcher, would get a pie in the face. Together, this group raised over $800 in that one week, which is the most money raised in the 22 years that Jan has directed VBS. One young girl, age 7, went home to empty her piggy bank of $50 to contribute to the cause. When the final tally was taken, the girls officially won. Because it was so much fun, and the boys worked so hard, Jan took a pie to the face too! And to add to the excitement, Rev. Sharon Colgin, the children’s minister, also got a pie in the face.
Amanda issued a challenge on the first day to the 131 children and 78 youth and adult leaders. For every $75 donated, she would color her hair purple for one day. Her primary goal was to raise $750 to be able to buy 10 flood buckets. If they reached that goal, Dr. Bob Lee, senior pastor, promised he would preach from the pulpit with pink hair. 11
Top: Amanda Lott of Huguenot Road Baptist Church talks about the flood buckets and missions to some of the VBS children. Left: Huguenot Road Baptist Church Pastor Bob Lee preaches with pink hair. Donations totaled over $1,400, nearly doubling the $750 challenge, and bought the children 19 days of purple hair for Amanda. What Amanda initially overlooked was that every $150 donated actually bought three buckets, and not just two, due to arrangements made with Home Depot. The children and leaders at Huguenot Road were able to help 29 families with their generous donations. Because the initial $750 goal was met, Amanda and Pastor Bob kept their promises and added color to their locks! Grace Baptist Church’s mission team holds VBS in Thailand.
Showing Grace Locally and Overseas Grace Baptist Church in Woodbridge, VA, had a busy summer of missions. The church has been intentionally reaching out to the Prince William County community and beyond to spread the love of Jesus Christ. The church teamed up with six other local churches and hosted community Vacation Bible Schools in backyards around the county. Grace had a total of six host home sites, with the largest home hosting 30 children—many of whom were from Muslim families in the neighborhood. As a result of the ministry reaching children from the community, over 300 children attended the church’s on-campus VBS.
teens and young people, held a basketball camp, and hosted a VBS in the village where the Barnetts live. Mission Trip to Bland Ministry Center Thirteen people from the James River Baptist Association ( JRBA) served at the Bland Ministry Center in Bland, VA, in various capacities: mowing grass; unloading, sorting, and shelving food and clothing; and assisting with the weekly food and clothing distribution. About 80 families received food and clothes. Another team of six completed four accessibility ramps and installed a stove in the volunteer house. Two team members served in the dental clinic at the center as receptionist and dental assistant for 78 patients. All team members appreciated the opportunity to share God’s love through word and deed.
For more than 20 years, the church has been committed to help people who are homeless. For four days in July, they prepared and served meals for the residents of Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center. Church members are also committed to sharing the gospel internationally. The church sent a team of six to serve alongside Mike and Kim Barnett, a long-term missionary couple from Grace Baptist Church in Thailand. The team taught English to
In addition, the JRBA collected specific items such as plastic shopping bags, peanut butter, Campbell’s soup labels, dental floss, copy paper, men’s jeans, and other things for the ministry 12
“Make the
most
of every
chance
you get.”
EPHESIANS 5:15-17
OFFERING GOAL
Find out more:
$1,167,500
AlmaHunt.org
#AlmaHunt16
JRBA Stop Hunger Now Meal-Packing Event In May, the JRBA hosted its eighth Stop Hunger Now meal packing event at Maysville Baptist Church. Over 170 volunteers of all ages from 16 area churches packed, weighed, and sealed 33,073 meals to help feed hungry children in a school and orphanage in Haiti. Together, the JRBA churches and individuals raised $9,091.14. This amount was supplemented with $500 from the BGAV.
center. Some member churches and the JRBA donated funds to help the team with expenses as well as the center’s Blue Envelope Project for construction supplies.
Other Missional Summer Events: • The youth of First Baptist Church, Waynesboro, VA, prepared and served dinner for the Waynesboro Generals, a summer baseball team in the Valley Baseball League. • The Amplify Student Ministry of Ringgold Baptist Church outside Danville attended Fuge in Lynchburg and served in many area ministries. • A number of churches and associations traveled to Nickelsville, VA, to assist the Southwest Virginia Partnership. While there, they completed a number of construction projects in the area as they ministered to those living in the community.
The Bland Ministry Center in southwest Virginia
For more #SummerOfMissions stories, visit BGAV.org/Summer16 13
Disaster Response Update on West Virginia Flood and #FloodBucketsOfLove For five weeks after devastating floods ravaged West Virginia, volunteers from across the BGAV ventured to Fairlea, WV, to assist with flood relief efforts. First Baptist Church of Fairlea, the multi-state response site, was home to more than 122 BGAV volunteers. Two BGAV shower units, including one from the Blackwater Baptist Association, and the laundry unit provided showers and laundry services for more than 400 volunteers from Virginia, West Virginia, and as far away as Texas and Missouri. Back home in Virginia, churches across the Commonwealth collected more than 200 flood buckets plus donations to package another 100 buckets. “The generosity of our churches and our people has been outstanding,” says Aaron Lee, Disaster Response coordinator. “To see the checks, buckets, and volunteers come flowing in, and knowing how much each will mean to an affected homeowner, is a great reminder of the strength of the BGAV.”
“To see the checks, buckets, and volunteers come flowing in, and knowing how much each will mean to an affected homeowner, is a great reminder of the strength of the BGAV.” Rebuilding efforts are beginning as cleanup projects come to a close. “We are currently exploring a long-term rebuild partnership,” Lee says. “We will continue sending volunteers to West Virginia as long as the need exists.”
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The Story Behind the Story
This was not Hollywood’s first callout with BGAV Disaster Response, nor is it his most recent. Last summer, he joined the response to Abbs Valley, VA, helping residents clean up after heavy rainfall flooded the community. In October, he joined Joe Prince, Cliff Dehart, and a team in South Carolina following the record-setting rainstorm.
On the night of February 24, Tom Brooks was in Essex County after the tornado touched down. He is a firefighter in a nearby county, and their mutual aid agreement sent help from his fire station to a community that was reeling from tornado damage. By the next afternoon, “Hollywood,” as he is affectionately known by many, had traded his turnout gear for his gold hat, the well-known color of BGAV Disaster Response and its national partners.
More recently, Hollywood, Joe, and Cliff responded to the June flooding in West Virginia, helping homeowner Phyllis Merritt with the cleanup of her home.
Hollywood spent the next week with the team in Essex County, joining BGAV volunteers from across the state who had joined together to meet human needs and help homeowners clean up and begin to rebuild. Each evening, Hollywood returned home for the night before going back to Essex in the morning.
“Volunteers like Hollywood, Joe, and Cliff are the lifeblood of what we do,” says Aaron Lee. “No matter what we do, we have great volunteers who are passionate about being the best we can be as BGAV Disaster Response.”
But on that Monday, before the sun rose, the radio roused Hollywood from his sleep. The call came in for Hollywood’s fire station to respond to a fire at the Urbanna marina, so off he went. Top: DR volunteer Tom “Hollywood” Brooks talks with Phyllis Merritt during her home’s cleaning. (Photo courtesy of NAMB) Left: Volunteers display their Tyvek suits covered in mud after a day of flood-recovery work in West Virginia. For more information, visit BGAV.org/Disaster
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m o d g ? n i r K ionee P
a s I t Wha
Webster’s Dictionary defines a pioneer as a person who helps create or develop new ideas or methods. A Kingdom Pioneer is someone who has a heart for the “not-yet” and lives out the values of the BGAV by being relationally-rich, gospel-centric, reasonable and gracious, and investing in the shared mission of advancing the Kingdom together.
KINGDOM PIONEeRs #I
BGAV AM
SINCE 1823
A K I NGDOM PION Ee R
Robin Ellingwood
Lead Planter, PRAXIS (Toronto, ON) In 2014, Robin, his wife, April, and their four kids moved from a small city in eastern Canada to plant a network of missional communities in the neighborhoods of Toronto. Home to over 2.7 million people, Toronto is the fifth largest metropolis in North America and the second most multicultural city in the world. Less than three percent of the population attends an evangelical church. Since moving there, they have been getting to know their neighbors, gathering people, and joining in the good work that God is up to in their city. Now, nearly two years later, they have a group of 20 adults and seven children. The group gathers to sing songs of worship, interact with the scriptures, and pray together.
Robin Ellingwood (second from left) with his wife, April, and their four children “None of this would have been possible without the support of the BGAV and V3,” Robin said. “Through their kindness and generosity, we have received training, coaching, and funding. On behalf of our young church plant, I would like to thank the BGAV for sowing into our kingdom venture. Because of your investment, our faith community is gaining a fresh imagination for what it means to be the church in the place we live.”
During a recent Christmas party, a young woman from their community borrowed a wetsuit and was baptized in the cold waters of Lake Ontario, identifying with Jesus in his death and resurrection. Two weeks later, the young man who designed their church logo surrendered his life to Jesus.
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#IAmAKingdomPioneer - Are You?
Kingdom PioneerS
ARE YOU A KINGDOM PIONEER? DO YOU KNOW A KINGDOM PIONEER? We want to hear from you, or someone you know, who is helping to create or develop new ways to serve, lead, and reach your community for the Kingdom. Here are a few questions to consider: • Who are the Kingdom Pioneers in your community? • What are they pioneering/doing to bring heaven to earth in your community? • How are they pioneering? (Community Partnerships, etc.)
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Has the BGAV been a part of helping you pioneer in your community? Tell us how! Share photos, quotes, and thank you’s by emailing Nathan White at nathan.white@BGAV.org or calling 800.255.2428.
For more information, visit BGAV.org/KingdomPioneers
Above: Members of the church enjoy fellowship together. Top left: A local woman dons a wetsuit to be baptized during the church Christmas party. Left: Robin and one of his sons play music for the church.
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Congrats to Our 2016–2017 BGAV Scholarship Recipients! Caleb Adams
Matthew Boys
Nicholas Clay
Ross Adams
Elizabeth Bradbury
Rachel Cook
Parker Archuleta
Kala Bridgers
Tanner Cooke
Collin Arthur
Elisabeth Brogden
Justin Cox
Luke Barnum
Meredith Brown
Jack Cox III
Jacob Beach
Jonathan Buffkin
Brenna Crowgey
Joelle Beals
Kaylah Burt
Jenna Crowgey
Katherine Bellino
Vanessa Capayachi
Skyler Cumbia
Christina Bohnet
Frances Carlton
Brydon DeWitt
Jonathan Carter
Abbey Dillard
Community Heights Church - Lebanon New Lebanon Baptist Association Southwest Virginia Community College Major: Engineering Middle Cross Missionary Baptist Church Blue Ridge Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: Environmental Horticulture
Freedom Life Church Peninsula Baptist Association George Mason University Major: Computer Science Nottoway Baptist Church Southside Baptist Association University of Virginia Major: Undeclared
Round Hill Baptist Church Fredericksburg Area Network Bridgewater College Major: Undeclared Fort Trial Baptist Church Henry County Baptist Association Patrick Henry Community College Major: General Studies Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network Huntington University Major: Agriculture Gateway Community Church NorthStar Church Network Clemson University Major: Bioelectrical Engineering Gateway Community Church NorthStar Church Network Calvin College Major: Japanese and Geography
Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network Virginia Tech Major: Engineering Bethel Baptist Church Central Virginia Baptist Association Virginia Commonwealth University Major: Religious Studies
Colonial Avenue Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association James Madison University Major: Mathematics Ash Avenue Baptist Church Dan River Baptist Association Averett University Major: Elementary Education
New Bethesda Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Church Ministry and Business Walnut Hills Baptist Church Peninsula Baptist Association College of William and Mary Major: Computer Science St. Mark Baptist Church Goshen Baptist Association Shenandoah University Major: Criminal Justice Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network George Mason University Major: Biology Culpeper Baptist Church Shiloh Baptist Association Averett University Major: Education Graceland Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Virginia Commonwealth University Major: Nursing
New Highland Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Regent University Major: Christian Ministry Northstar Church BGAV Only Virginia Tech Major: Accounting and Business Information Technology Midway Baptist Church Staunton River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Exercise Science-Pre-Professional Kentwood Heights Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College/Bon Secours School of Nursing Major: Registered Nursing Kentwood Heights Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Major: Business Administration Cambria Baptist Church Highlands Baptist Association New River Community College Major: Music Therapy Cambria Baptist Church Highlands Baptist Association New River Community College Major: Nursing Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network Radford University Major: Music Second Baptist Church - Richmond BGAV Only Liberty University Major: Religion and Theology Journey Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association James Madison University Major: Communications
S M E F
Nathan Doran
Carly Jones
Jackson Miller
Emmalyn Dunnavant
Timothy Karr II
Katelyn Montrief
Mikayla Dunnavant
Lauren Kennedy
Callie Morgan
Mary Earley
Jared Kitts
Joshua Mullins
Shelby Ethington
Abigail Kramer
Samuel Muse
Haley Gibson
Lauren Lalk
Justin Nicely
Eliza Green
Grace Lawrence
William Nieporte, Jr.
Jefferson Harris
Youngju Lee
Kristen Osborne
Jonathon Harris
Catherine Lott
Daniel Owen
Dana Hawker
Alexandria Lumpkin
Seth Peacock
Madison Haynes
Cassidy Mayhew
Morgan Peroulas
Emily Holmes
Rebecca McGilvery
Justine Purdy
Shannon Hons
Adam Miller
Austin Rackett
Hannah Jessee
Gregory Miller
Rocio Ramirez
Passion Community Church Middle District Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Religion Cool Spring Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Christopher Newport University Major: English King’s Grant Baptist Church The Bridge Network of Churches Virginia Wesleyan College Major: Biology Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network Virginia Tech Major: Chemical Engineering Mathews Baptist Church Mid-Tidewater Baptist Association Randolph-Macon College Major: English and Communications Bethlehem Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Christopher Newport University Major: Environmental Science Blacksburg Baptist Church Highlands Baptist Association Radford University Major: Dance and Psychology Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network George Mason University Major: Marketing Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network Virginia Tech Major: Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise
Moffett Memorial Baptist Church Pittsylvania Baptist Association James Madison University Major: English with Secondary Education Fort Trial Baptist Church Henry County Baptist Association Bridgewater College Major: Secondary Education - Math First Baptist Church - Alexandria NorthStar Church Network George Mason University Major: Kinesiology Cool Spring Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Education
Rings Chapel Baptist Church New Lebanon Baptist Association University of Virginia at Wise Major: Business Administration
Mulberry Grove Baptist Church James River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Psychology Scottsville Baptist Church Central Virginia Baptist Association Longwood University Major: Criminal Justice Bedford Baptist Church Strawberry Baptist Association Bridgewater College Major: Communication Black Creek Baptist Church Blackwater Baptist Association Blinn College Major: Undeclared Mathews Baptist Church Mid-Tidewater Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: Universal Studies Bethlehem Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Nursing Derbyshire Baptist The River City Faith Network James Madison University Major: Occupational Therapy Korean Baptist Church - Blacksburg Highlands Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: Chemical Engineering Huguenot Road Baptist Church The River City Faith Network College of William and Mary Major: Undeclared
New Highland Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association James Madison University Major: Special Education Midway Baptist Church Staunton River Baptist Association Radford University Major: Elementary Education Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network Randolph-Macon College Major: Engineering Physics Westhunt Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association James Madison University Major: Music Education
Westhunt Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Savannah College of Art and Design Major: Film & Television
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West Lynchburg Baptist Church Lynchburg Baptist Association College of William and Mary Major: International Relations and Spanish Ferry Farm Baptist Church Fredericksburg Area Network Coastal Carolina University Major: Intelligence and National Security
Beulah Baptist Church Rappahannock Baptist Association University of Mary Washington Major: History North Fork Baptist Church Highlands Baptist Association Radford University Major: Education New Bethesda Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Christopher Newport University Major: Business/Accounting/Finance Villa Heights Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Sports Management Patterson Avenue Baptist The River City Faith Network Virginia Commonwealth University Major: Computer Science and Mathematics Wise Baptist Church Wise Baptist Association Appalachian State University Major: Music Therapy
Winns Creek Baptist Church Dan River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Adventure Leadership & Outdoor/Youth Ministry Broadus Memorial Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Virginia Commonwealth University Major: Mechanical Engineering Villa Heights Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association Longwood University Major: Business Administration Virginia Hills Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network University of Mary Washington Major: Business Second Baptist Church BGAV Only College of William and Mary Major: Undeclared
Primera Iglesia Bautista De Groveton NorthStar Church Network Christopher Newport University Major: Psychology
Taylor Reed
Morgan Stacy
Fiona Waddell
Sean Rhodes
Andrew Taylor
Virginia Waddell
Kaitlyn Rickett
Kelsey Thomas
Amy Wayland
Charlotte Rowe
William Thomas
Brittney Wilkinson
Hannah Rowe
Carter Thompson
Austin Williams
Kaytee Rucker
Emily Thompson
Charlotte Wilmouth
Peyton Seay
Emma Tilley
Jacob Winn
Allison Sellers
Virginia Tilley
Victor Wiss
Richard Shoemaker
Sarah Traylor
Hunter Woodford
Bruce Slagle
Yasenia Turcios
Taylor Woodruff
Alyssa Smith
Fermina Urrutia
Matthew Worley
Tanner Smith
Nicholas Verham
Eliane Zalewski
Hardy Central Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Pensacola Christian College Major: Nursing
Mathews Baptist Church Mid-Tidewater Baptist Association James Madison University Major: Industrial Design
Temple Baptist Church Natural Bridge Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Elementary Education - English Bon Air Baptist Church BGAV Only University of Virginia Major: Media Studies Mathews Baptist Church Mid-Tidewater Baptist Association Riverside School of Health Careers Major: Radiologic Technology Randolph Memorial Baptist Church Lynchburg Baptist Association Bluefield College Major: Forensic Science Salem Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: Undeclared Chancellor Baptist Church Fredericksburg Area Network University of Mary Washington Major: Sociology and Elementary Education Villa Heights Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association Virginia Western Community College Major: Criminal Justice Dan River Baptist Church Dan River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Biomedical Mathews Baptist Church Mid-Tidewater Baptist Association Rappahannock Community College Major: Nursing Kentwood Heights Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Biomedical Science
Bethany Baptist Church New Lebanon Baptist Association Berea College Major: Field and Organismal Biology
Bybee’s Road Baptist Church Central Virginia Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Business Management, Info. Systems Intelligence First Baptist Church - South Boston Dan River Baptist Association College of William and Mary Major: Undeclared Bethany Baptist Church Fredericksburg Area Network Germanna Community College Major: Engineering New Bethesda Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: International Studies Kenbridge Baptist Church Southside Baptist Association Jefferson College of Health Sciences Major: Nursing Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network College of William and Mary Major: Religious Studies and Art Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network College of William and Mary Major: Music First Baptist Church - Staunton Augusta Baptist Association Gardner-Webb University Major: Biblical Studies Hillcrest Baptist Church New River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Biopsychology Groveton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network Liberty University Major: Elementary Education - Spanish New Highland Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association University of Virginia Major: Engineering
Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College Major: Early Childhood School - Age Child Care Richmond’s First Baptist Church The River City Faith Network James Madison University Major: Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies
Culpeper Baptist Church Shiloh Baptist Association Averett University Major: Elementary Education Sandy Creek Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Regent University Major: Christian Ministry Mulberry Grove Baptist Church James River Baptist Association Virginia Commonwealth University Major: Business Bon Air Baptist Church BGAV Only Campbell University Major: Clinical Research
First Baptist Church - Ridgeway Henry County Baptist Association Patrick Henry Community College Major: General Studies Fairview Baptist Church Fredericksburg Area Network Christopher Newport University Major: Computer Engineering Mentow Baptist Church Strawberry Baptist Association Virginia Tech Major: Agriculture and Life Sciences Biltmore Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Coastal Carolina University Major: Marine Science Midway Baptist Church Staunton River Baptist Association Liberty University Major: Sports Management Warrenton Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network Liberty University Major: Computer Science
S M E F
2016–2017 Ministerial Scholarship Recipients
S M E Scott Anderson
Robbie Jones
Douglas Ponder
Nathanael Blessington
Amanda Lewis
Kelly Rawllins
Woong Je Chun
Valerie Lott
Quaneisha Reynolds
Zachary Collier
Samuel Maxwell
Eric Schneiderhan
Jaime Fitzgerald
Richard McKay
Felicia Taylor
Matthew Groves
Robyn Miner
Christian Tinsley
Lester Harrell
Anna Moxley
Cadance Tyler
Brandon Hawley
Vincent Oliveri
Gabriela Urrutia
Sara Hubble
Justin Pierson
Garrett Wolf
Lindsey Huggins
John Pollock
Michael Wondree
Crossroads Church The Bridge Network of Churches Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Calling: Collegiate Ministry Deep Run Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Korean Church on The Rock BGAV Only New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Community Heights Church New Lebanon Baptist Association Liberty University Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Randolph Memorial Baptist Church Lynchburg Baptist Association Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Young’s Chapel Baptist Church New River Baptist Association Vanderbilt Divinity School Calling: Undecided Meadows of Dan Baptist Church Blue Ridge Baptist Association Liberty University Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Harrisonburg Baptist Church Augusta Baptist Association Eastern Mennonite University Calling: Collegiate Ministry Bon Air Baptist Church BGAV Only Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Youth Ministry Woodland Heights Baptist Church The River City Faith Network McAfee School of Theology Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care
Glade Hill Baptist Church Franklin County Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Youth Ministry Williamsburg Baptist Church Peninsula Baptist Association Mercer University, McAfee School of Theology Calling: Collegiate Ministry Huguenot Road Baptist Church The River City Faith Network Mercer University, McAfee School of Theology Calling: Undecided Columbia Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network John Leland Center for Theological Studies Calling: Undecided First Baptist Church - Alexandria NorthStar Church Network Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Calling: Missions Columbia Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network John Leland Center for Theological Studies Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care First Baptist Church - Bluefield East River Baptist Association Campbell University Divinity School Calling: Music Northstar Church BGAV Only Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care Bonsack Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Undecided Freedom Life Church Peninsula Baptist Association Regent University Calling: Preaching/Pastoral Care
Remnant Church BGAV Only Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Calling: Christian Education Chesterfield Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Undecided North Roanoke Baptist Church Roanoke Valley Baptist Association New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Calling: Missions Columbia Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network John Leland Center for Theological Studies Calling: Youth Ministry
Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Dover Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Christian Education Welcome Grove Baptist Church Rappahannock Baptist Association Liberty University Calling: Youth Ministry Randolph Memorial Baptist Church Lynchburg Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Youth Ministry Primera Iglesia Bautista de Groveton NorthStar Church Network Liberty University Calling: Missions Ox Hill Baptist Church NorthStar Church Network John Leland Center for Theological Studies Calling: Youth Ministry May Memorial Baptist Church Middle District Baptist Association Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Calling: Youth Ministry
Martha Jessee
Highlands Fellowship Lebanon Baptist Association Emory and Henry College Calling: Youth Ministry
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For more information, visit BGAV.org/Scholarships
CHURCH PLANTING UPDATES Below are two reports from BGAV church plants. Please be in prayer for each church as they work to share the gospel in their communities. The Table, Fishers, IN We are really encouraged by what’s been happening lately at The Table. After 11 months on the ground hosting parties, meeting people, and sharing our vision, we’ve gathered a core team of people that we are actively discipling toward multiplication of our initial Missional Community. We’ve seen people’s lives deeply transformed as they’ve engaged in the simple rhythms of community and discipleship together. We are praying toward multiplying to two Missional Communities this fall sometime and are hopeful that we’ll have three or four in the spring 2017. Above Division Jail Mission, Powhatan, VA Above Division Jail Mission strives to play a significant role in the restoration of the criminal offender. Our main charge is to provide the inmate with a consistent and personal glimpse of God’s mercy and healing, unconditional love. This can be the first and most critical step in a lifelong journey involving drug recovery and criminal rehabilitation, along with other resources provided by the community. We hold a regular weekly worship service and discipleship meeting for about 25 inmates at the Richmond City Jail.
Welcome, New Churches! First Corinthians Baptist Church—Williamsburg, VA The Brooks Church—Rancho Santa Margarita, CA South Ridge Church—Hartwood, VA LifePoint Giles—Pearisburg, VA Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor—Berryville, VA Lisu Grace Church—Richmond, VA The Well Church of Nelson—Lovingston, VA Metropolitan Baptist Church—Suffolk, VA
DID YOU KNOW? The BGAV is fueling a church planting movement in Virginia and beyond. Out of hundreds of eligible and trained church planters, we have the opportunity to fund a large percentage of these church plants with your financial support. Want to help spread the gospel? We are seeking to raise $750,000.00 in order to (a) increase the total number of BGAV churches to 1,500 by 2020 and (b) plant a BGAV church in every state by 2025. Visit BGAV.org/Donate or give to the Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions (AlmaHunt.org) to help with BGAV churchplanting efforts.
A
re you seeking a community
that embraces a love for learning and a desire for God, where hearts and minds are open to the whole of God’s truth and formed in the evangelical witness of the gospel, where you will learn from some of the most gifted Christian scholars in the world and find friendship with the next generation of church leaders?
Have you considered Duke Divinity School? First Application deadline:
November 1, 2016
Contact: Dr. Curtis Freeman, Director Baptist House of Studies 919-660-3599 cfreeman@div.duke.edu
Religious Liberty Spotlight
Thomas Helwys before the judgement seat of God to answer for themselves, when it shall be no excuse for them to say we were commanded or compelled to be of this religion by the king or by them that had authority from him? “And let our lord the king... yet further consider that if the king should by his power bring his people to the truth, and they walk in the truth and die in the profession of it in obedience to the king’s power, either for fear or love, shall they be saved? The king knows they shall not. But they that obey the truth in love, whom the love of God constrains, their obedience only shall be acceptable to God... Whereby the king does see that Christ will have no man’s life touched for his cause. If the Samaritans will not receive him, he passes them by. If the Gadarenes pray him to depart, he leaves them.” (pp. 37-38)
Religious Freedom: What is it, and why should persons have it? The below article is the first of a monthly series found at BGAV.org where the BGAV Religious Liberty Committee explores how historic Baptists and other champions of religious freedom have answered these questions.
“We still pray our lord the king that we may be free from suspect, for having any thoughts of provoking evil against them of the Romish religion, in regard of their profession, if they are true and faithful subjects to the king. For we do freely profess that our lord the king has no more power over their consciences than over ours, and that is none at all. For our lord the king is but an earthly king, and he has no authority as a king but in earthly causes.
Thomas Helwys’ A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity should be pre-eminent on any list of Baptist classics. Helwys, the first English Baptist leader upon British soil, published the book in 1612 and sent an autographed copy to King James I. In it, Helwys argues for soul liberty, the voluntary principle in religion, believers’ baptism, the necessity of a personal faith for salvation, congregational polity, and religious liberty for all persons regardless of their religion or lack thereof.
“And if the king’s people be obedient and true subjects, obeying all human laws made by the king, our lord the king can require no more. For men’s religion to God is between God and themselves. The king shall not answer for it. Neither may the king be judge between God and man. Let them be heretics, Turks, Jews, or whatsoever, it appertains not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure. This is made evident to our lord the king by the scriptures” (p. 53).
These ideas were not born of pragmatic necessity or convenience for a persecuted minority sect, but rather represented a cohesive set of principles that Helwys’ own conscience and interpretation of scripture had led him to embrace. Here are two of his passages on soul liberty and religious freedom: Helwys implored the king, “...to consider righteous judgment herein, whether there be so unjust a thing and of so great cruel tyranny under the sun as to force men’s consciences in their religion to God, seeing that if they err, they must pay the price of their transgressions with the loss of their souls. Oh, let the king judge, is it not most equal [fair] that men should choose their religion themselves, seeing they only must stand themselves
Excerpts are from A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Inquity, by Thomas Helwys, edited & introduced by Richard Groves, Mercer University Press, Macon, GA, 1998, and are used with the publisher’s permission.
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For more information, visit BGAV.org/ReligiousLiberty
3 WAYS
YOUTH MINISTERS CAN HELP THEIR STUDENTS ADJUST TO COLLEGE by Darrell Cook With the new academic year in full swing, here are a few thoughts for youth ministers to help their graduated students make a smooth transition into college: 1. Intentionally pass the baton well. Find a partner near the campus to invite into the spiritual investment and encouragement for your students. Virginia Baptists have strong Baptist Collegiate Ministries and some great options of local BGAV churches where people are ready to build on the strong foundation that you have been part of developing. 2. Plan a visit to the campus. During the first fall that a student is on campus, visit and take him or her to lunch. Some freshmen have an easy time admitting they are lonely as they adjust, while a large number of them are lonely and have a harder time admitting it. Whatever the case, a friendly face from home, visiting and reminding them what is important, can be a key moment of encouragement in the first fall. 3. Encourage them to join a church in their college town. Some students feel like they are being disloyal to their local church if they join a church in their college town. As a mentor and friend, you can help them establish a pattern in life – whatever the new surroundings, a priority is to explore the local Body of Christ and find out where to dive in. If they operate with that mentality now, they are more likely to do so again when they graduate.
To learn more about the BGAV’s network of collegiate and young adult ministries, visit KairosInitiative.org. Darrell Cook is the Baptist Collegiate Minister at Virginia Tech.
Three Choirs for students in Grades 4-12 and College Freshmen
VIRGINIA
BAPTIST
all-state choirs
PLAN TO AUDITION NOW! 24
BGAV.org/All-State
4 LESSONS
I LEARNED FROM POKÉMON GO by Tony Brooks
We need to remind our students that they are human beings, not human doings. We focus way too much on what we do. Sabbath reminds us of who we are to replenish our purpose. God has claimed us through Christ to be in relationship ( John 15), not try to outperform others. Bible study is a constant reminder of our purpose.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (I Corinthians 9:22-23 NIV) Pokémon GO has become the latest craze. Instead of fighting it, allow it to lead people to your church and the Gospel. I downloaded it because my son loved Pokémon as a child, and I heard churches could use it as a way of reaching new people. I even discovered that the BGAV sign at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center in Richmond is a PokéStop!
4. What to do when your bag is full? I discovered at PokéStops that I was picking up more than Poké Balls. I was picking up potions, raspberries, and more. I was surprised when I tried to get Poké Balls (I had none), and got the message, “Your bag is full.” To get Poké Balls, I needed to get rid of some other items.
Here are four lessons I have learned from Pokémon GO: 1. It is a tool to reach new people for Bible study. Many of our churches are PokéStops. I encourage your church to advertise for all children, youth, and young adult events that they are a PokéStop. You may have Pokémon enthusiasts willing to come to an event. Build relationships with them at this event. Get registration information, invite them to other social events, and follow up to invite them to Bible study.
Why is that important in spiritual maturity? We are bombarded daily by media and information. We have busy lives with work, family, and community events. We need to remind our folks of the need each day to spend time in Bible study and prayer. Jesus used Scripture to combat evil powers, and so should we. We need to let go and prioritize time with God.
2. Are you as passionate about truths from God’s Word as Pokémon fans are for Pokémon GO? This should be a wake-up call. Are you providing a lesson in such a way that people want to study the scripture and its application for life after the lesson is over? We have the most powerful word to share. How well are you bringing them into the presence of Christ? The lesson isn’t about what we teach or how we teach. It is about the “why” as we lead people to a deeper relationship with Christ. 3. PokéStops remind us to seek Sabbath. In Pokémon GO, you run out of Poké Balls pretty quickly as you try to capture Pokémon. The best way to replenish is to go to a PokéStop. (Again, many churches are these.)
Kentwood Heights Baptist Church in Quinton, VA, has two PokéStops on its campus.
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NeighborsHELPINGNeighbors IN AMHERST COUNTY
BY TONY BROOKS
Garry and Peggy Friend reside in Amherst County in central Virginia, where nearly 14 percent of its 32,000 residents live in poverty. While Peggy volunteered with Lynchburg Daily Bread, a Christian organization that serves daily hot meals to those in need, she discovered that there was no similar organization in their home county. Together, Garry and Peggy began asking the “what ifs� of starting a ministry like that in Amherst. After pondering the possibilities, Garry and Peggy concluded that it was time to put their faith into action. They began contacting organizations and businesses in the community. They sought to organize a ministry that would provide nutrition to the hungry people of Amherst County while educating the community on the needs of those in hunger. They also wanted to encourage individuals in need to become self-sufficient, to improve their quality of life, and to help them out of poverty. In May, the couple launched Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Amherst at Ascension Episcopal Church. The ministry serves a hot lunch every Thursday from 10:50 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. Since they started the food service, the largest group has totaled 35 people. Soon after that launch, Garry and Peggy felt led to begin a food ministry in the southern end of the county, too. They tried one location, but the arrangements fell through. Then Madison Heights Baptist Church volunteered to host this ministry.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors volunteers pose while preparing a meal.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors began at Madison Heights Baptist Church in early July with five people who needed a hot meal. In the following week, the number of attendees increased to 26. At this location, hungry people in need can receive a hot lunch every Wednesday from 10:50 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. Neighbors Helping Neighbors also has several churches and individuals who are assisting. They are preparing a warehouse to provide food for families to shop for free groceries. Other plans call for expanding the lunch ministry to two days a week at each location, but they need more volunteers to make this happen. With their energy and excitement in serving others, they are well on their way to this expansion.
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For more #KingdomStories, visit BGAV.org/Blog
by Linda Peay
Daily Morning Prayer Strengthens Coworkers For quite a while, Steve Gabriel and two other men at his job in the shipyards in Hampton Roads have occasionally gathered together at work for prayer. Steve, a member of Horizon Community Church in Chesapeake, also serves as team leader on the ministry leadership team at his church. Earlier this year, his pastor, Rev. Steve Nethery, preached a sermon series on serving as witnesses for Christ at work. Steve felt led to look for such opportunities among his military coworkers. One day, a young veteran was talking nearby, using lots of foul language. Another coworker advised his fellow employee not to speak too loudly around Steve, because he has a reputation as being the “preacher man” and he would not appreciate such foul language. The very next day, that same young veteran approached Steve, saying he had heard that Steve goes to church. He told him that he had been struggling with some internal conflicts and was wondering if they could talk. Steve felt led by God to help him. Steve invited the man to join him and two other men who meet to pray for one another. The man quickly responded, “What time?” Because he and his prayer partners were not meeting regularly, Steve later reflected, “I could have kicked myself. I was not prepared for that question.” However, with conviction, he responded to his coworker, “It starts today. At this time, for now on.”
Steve has witnessed spiritual growth among the group members. His group has evolved from just himself leading the prayers to others praying out loud, including that one young veteran. Steve’s supervisor is not a follower of Jesus, but he allows the prayer time because he sees it as a “team-building” exercise.
Because of that one conversation, a prayer group meets together at Steve’s workplace each morning at 6:30 a.m. The group averages eight members, yet sometimes as many as 15 gather together. Steve said, “We have such a beautiful mix of people who come together.”
Steve can see the change in that one young veteran too, and he is amazed at how God put this one man in his life so that others might also be led. For more #KingdomStories, visit BGAV.org/Blog
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The Grand Old ‘ssociation! by Fred Anderson
Messengers, visitors, and other friends of the Baptist General Association of Virginia will be gathering in Roanoke on November 14-16 for the Annual Meeting. The theme is “The New Way,” yet the General Association is an old – albeit forever adaptable and changing – organization. It is within spitting distance of its 200th anniversary! Once, when a typist was trying to discern my handwriting (something which has been corrupted through three decades of taking the minutes at the BGAV meetings), the typist put “Grand” instead of “General” in the name of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. But the typo was correct! It is the Baptist GRAND Association. The so-called typo just reminds this historian of what Alfred Bagby, the veteran pastor of Mattaponi Baptist Church in King and Queen County, used to call the General Association. He quipped that it was “the greatest deliberative body in the world.” When the BGAV was formed in 1823, there were (and some still remain) district associations which pre-dated the state association. The word “General” was placed in the name to identify it as the overarching statewide Association to which there would be messengers sent from the numerous scattered churches within the various district associations. The word “Association” was deliberate. It was a time-honored name used by Baptists back in Mother England, and it denoted a freedom of association. In the 1820s there was a natural concern among Baptists that each entity—church, district association, statewide organizations—be autonomous. Baptists respected freedom in all its dimensions. The “of Virginia” spoke of geography, although after Virginia was re-mapped following the Civil War, there were some West Virginia churches in the panhandle that remained members of the BGAV. Later, there were a few churches just over the southern border into North Carolina that chose to be identified with the BGAV. Today the “of Virginia” speaks more of affinity than geography. It all began in 1821 when the predecessor to the BGAV met in Charlottesville. The loose state-wide organization was known as the General Meeting of Correspondence. Only three – that’s right, three – delegates attended. Two of the three – Edward Baptist and James Fife – left the meeting and rode by horseback alongside each other. Somewhere while crossing the Rivanna River on their way towards their homes in Powhatan and 28
Edward Baptist, who penned the first BGAV constitution in 1822 Goochland, the two were struck with a brainful idea. Why not start a new organization for Virginia Baptists and let it be centered upon state missions, filling vacant pulpits, and “advancing the Redeemer’s Kingdom?” The latter phrase was Edward Baptist’s idea; and when he wrote the constitution for the new organization he incorporated those words. Part of the reason why it is the Grand Association is because those words have remained in its constitution across the long years. These organizers corresponded with fellow Baptists and an organizational meeting was held in 1822 at First Baptist Church, Richmond. The main piece of business was the adoption of the constitution which Edward Baptist had penned. The first Annual Meeting was held the next year, in June 1823. Fifteen delegates from seven district associations attended. Attendance was small but it had increased from the three at the 1821 meeting! It had only one way to continue and that was to go up in numbers!
A panel from the Virginia Baptist History Mural at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society depicting the first annual meeting of the BGAV, held at Second Baptist Church, Richmond, in 1823. Pictured in the scene is a notable visitor, Luther Rice, the pioneer missionary who influenced Virginia Baptists to support missionaries. horseback and, later by train, to attend the meetings. It was not uncommon for the railroads to offer discounted or even free passage for BGAV delegates. The Association grew as did the issues which it confronted. Motions and countermotions would be placed on the floor of the meetings. Some of the most skilled orators of the day would debate issues. Likewise, the platform would be occupied by outstanding preachers who would present the annual sermon. It has been joked that more business has been conducted in the hallways and the exhibit halls than in the sessions. Certainly a large portion of that business was the backslapping and trading of stories especially among members of the clergy. It also was a time when some “pastor snatching committees” worked the halls in search of their next pastor. Remember Albert Bagby, the old-time pastor from Mattaponi Church, who called the General Association “the greatest deliberative body in the world”? He was 96 when he attended the BGAV’s centennial meeting held at Second Baptist Church, Richmond, in 1923. One day Bagby and another King and Queen stalwart, Robert Pollard, were standing on the steps of Second Church (which yet stands next to the Jefferson Hotel on Franklin Street) and along came two other fellows who had Mattaponi connections, Dudley Diggs and Tom Hundley.
There was an important visitor present for the first Annual Meeting, Luther Rice of Massachusetts, who was practically an adopted Virginian because of his frequent missions tours in the state. The very presence of Luther Rice gave the new organization the stamp of missions support.
One of them said: “Brother Alfred, here is the Mattaponi male quartet; let’s sing something.” The four old fellows from the country began to sing a hymn in quavering voices. A crowd of messengers surrounded them. “Strong men looked at us, listened and brushed the tears from their eyes.” And that’s why it truly is the Grand Old Association.
Year by year “the Grand” Association grew in numbers and usefulness. For much of its early period the meetings were held in June and hence earned the nickname of “the June meetings.” For a brief while they were moved to February, an unlikely month because of the weather, but after a big snow during an Annual Meeting in Lynchburg, the timing was moved to November where it has remained. In the old days, the meetings stretched across a week. With the absence of sufficient hotels in host cities, the delegates stayed in private homes. It was considered a high honor to entertain delegates, and local residents vied with one another to see who would get to keep the most well- known among the clergy. Before the advent of the automobile, most of the delegates (later the word “messengers” was preferred) traveled by
For more historical articles, visit BGAV.org/Blog 29
by ED JORDAN
I AM, YOU ARE, WE ARE…
I am, you are, we are … all a part of God’s church! But how can we better understand our identity as believers and as Baptists in a changing world? In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul uses three awesome metaphors, or word pictures, to teach us about our individual identity, the identity of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and our corporate identity as His church.
Paul says in the first metaphor that we are no longer strangers or aliens, but fellow citizens. His second metaphor describes us as fellow members of God’s family, and in the third he states that we are living building blocks of God’s temple. These images are profound, with many layers of meaning, but for now let’s look at the basic description of who I am, who you are, and who we are in relation to His church. First, I am no longer a stranger or alien, but I am a fellow citizen with the saints. Even in New Testament times people were familiar with the concept that foreigners were classified either as strangers or as aliens. Strangers were outsiders, who had no real rights, while aliens had legal rights to live and work in the area, but weren’t citizens. In the same way, I used to be an outsider, a stranger, an alien— like a foreigner in a kingdom I was not a part of. But upon receiving Christ I have been brought into the Kingdom of God with all its rights, privileges, and responsibilities. Stranger no more! Alien no more! Now I belong in, and with, God’s people! I used to be outside the family, outside the household. But as a Christian I am a stranger no more, disconnected no more. I belong to Christ, and therefore to God, and also to His church. But am I alone in this new kingdom? No, for you are also here with me! In his second metaphor, Paul says you and I are fellow members of God’s household, believers who are members of His family. You are my brother or sister in Christ. As people committed to Christ we make up the church, which is the group of people who live with God, in the same household. No longer individual strangers, no longer isolated aliens, no longer outsiders, we instead are family members and insiders. So I am here in God’s family, and you are here too, but is that it? No, for you and I are fellow citizens with the saints. The word “you” in these images is plural, as in you all. Paul is saying you all are together fellow citizens, you all together comprise a part of the kingdom. You all belong together. Or as a good Virginian might say it, “Y’all belong!”
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So Paul’s third metaphor comes to a logical conclusion. It isn’t just “I am” and “You are,” but it’s “We are.” We are what? According to Paul, we are living building blocks of the temple of God. In the New Testament, Christians are always connected to Jesus and to other believers in worship and in service. As Christians, we belong to the body of Christ, which is a living, functioning, and interconnected Spirit-filled organism comprised of many members moving together under Christ’s guidance to represent Him in the world. Together, we are! All three of these metaphors carry the same image of a symbiotic relationship with Jesus through the Spirit, and with one another as joint members in the Kingdom of God. It is like the word symphony, meaning many sounds working together. The term “fellow citizens” (v. 19) is sym-citizens, who each have responsibilities and need to work together in harmony to further the kingdom. We are joined together as a sort of symfamily, since we are connected in His household. We are also sym-bricks, interconnected and cooperating as living building blocks who God shapes, and places in just the right spot to fit His building plan. Disconnected bricks lying around here and there, not participating with what God is actively building, are not being sym-bricks, but I-bricks. This image of the living temple is interesting because the scripture uses the adjective “holy” with the word temple (v. 21). This reveals the intimacy and role which God wants each of us to play in His work. The image is of being a living stone that is being built into the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the Temple, where the wondrous awe and beauty of God was at home. We, who used to not even be able to enter the temple, can now live near Holy God. But one brick alone does not a temple make. God wants us all there together, near the heart of God. He wants me there, you there, and us there. These three metaphors are also a picture of our Baptist nature. As Baptists we realize that we can do more to the glory of God as we all participate and cooperate together in the work of our church, our association, the BGAV, and with Baptists around the world. Baptists—at their best—embody the state of “symness” described in this Ephesians passage. In Ephesians 2:21 Paul states: “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” So who are those who are joined together and rising to become God’s holy temple? By the grace of God: I am, you are, and together, we are!
LATEST MINISTRY JOBS • Children’s Ministry Coordinator @ West Side Baptist Church, Harrisonburg, VA • Minister to Youth @ Hillcrest Baptist Church, Hanover, VA • Minister of Discipleship and Administration @ Elizabeth Baptist Church, Shelby, NC • Director of Media & Communications @ Gayton Baptist Church, Henrico, VA • Senior Pastor @ Greenville Baptist Church, Greenville, VA • Associate Pastor to Youth and Families @ Black Creek Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA • Pastor @ Glenn Memorial Baptist Church, Prospect, VA • Part-Time Minister of Music @ Woodland Heights Baptist Church, Richmond, VA • Youth Leader @ Bethel Baptist Church, Midlothian, VA
• Student Ministry Coordinator @ Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond, VA • Senior Pastor @ North Riverside Baptist Church, Newport News, VA
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Join Us in the Valley
for the
BGAV ANNUAL MEETING Monday, November 14 12:30 p.m. Pastors’ Conference 2:00 p.m. Registration open, Ministry Fair 4:00 p.m. Breakouts 5:30 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Gathering I
November 14-16, 2016 Bonsack Baptist Church Roanoke, VA
Tuesday, November 15 Registration open, Ministry Fair 8:45 a.m. Business Session I 10:00 a.m. Gathering II 12:00 p.m. Lunch 2:00 p.m. Regional Meetings 3:45 p.m. Breakouts 5:15 p.m. Family Reunion Dinner 7:00 p.m. Gathering III 8:30 p.m. Dessert Fellowship Wednesday, November 16 Registration open, Ministry Fair 8:45 a.m. Business Session II 10:00 a.m. Gathering IV Note: Schedule is tentative and subject to change.
More information at
BGAV.org/meeting
main speaker
GABE LYONS
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BGAV Advancing the Kingdom Together