BGAV Express - Spring 2018

VOL 3, ISSUE 2

SPRING 2018

A PARTNERSHIP THAT CONTINUES  Virginia Baptists & Panamanian Baptists 

More Than Nets

Life Church

See how we are approaching our goal and how you can help!

Reaching Richmond-area Arabic residents for Jesus

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Dinner Church Collective Fresh expressions of worship serving hard-toreach communities 20

BENEATH THE SURFACE

by John Upton

JOHN UPTON is the Executive Director of the BGAV.

us? And underneath all that are the personal wounds of life we carry as well, just like this woman we are imagining.

The woman approaches the well. Before she can even get there, someone is calling out to her, “Give me a drink!” That’s odd. Men don’t speak to women unless they are family, and even then only indoors. He is a Jew; they can’t drink from the same jar!

As strange as that is, I’ll bet she gave him a drink anyway. It is just what she does. Do you see why I am one of her fans?

I would like to introduce you to a woman I am rather fond of. She is from another time and another place. I must ask you to imagine her. She is Middle Eastern. She is middle-aged, I think. She wears a head covering. She speaks in an unfamiliar language with the unfamiliar accent of the people of Samaria.

You can see in her eyes that she is sharply intelligent. You can see that she has known hard times over the years. She has been through five marriages, and the man she lives with now is not her husband. This may lead you to believe she has serious character issues, but remember: women couldn’t divorce back in those times. Men were the ones who abandoned and divorced. Maybe some of her husbands died. Don’t assume, as many do, that her problem is sex. Consider instead that her life has been brutal, and all she is doing is surviving.

At the moment, she is doing one of the countless things she has to do to stay alive. She is carrying a large pottery vessel to an old well outside the town for water. The vessel is heavy, particularly on the trip back home, because it is full of water. This is hill country, and it is very hot. She does this several times a day just to keep living, just to keep going.

Isn’t that our lives? Life can require a lot of work just to keep going.

We must get food, make meals, clean up the house, do the laundry, go to work, do our jobs, bring work home, do homework, write papers, study for tests, pay bills, see doctors, reply to emails and texts, check Facebook, keep up with all volunteer commitments (including church for most of us), take care of our bodies, get some exercise, and get enough sleep. It takes all that just to keep going. This is our version of surviving, and hasn’t it felt at times this is pretty much all there is? Doesn’t it feel like all this defines

She doesn’t know it yet, but this man sees through her gender, her ethnicity, her culture, and much, much more. This man sees through the surface to the beating heart of what it means to be human. He sees our need for much, much more than survival.

Jesus says to her, “If you had known me, you would have asked me to serve you. I would give you living water.” That was an odd idea.

I’m sure she thought, “Men don’t serve women and he would serve me—not just any kind of water, but living water?” That’s what he said: living water. That means water that is moving— headed some place like a spring bubbling up, clear and clean, to become a stream that plays on the rocks—and then widens and broadens to sustain life all around it and within it. “Living water is what I give you,” he said. What a thing to imagine!

So what obstructs it for you and me? For many of us it is the push and pull and all the dragging that we must do and be. There are heavy buckets always burdening and something always demanding to be picked up and carried, so we live by the tyranny of all that we face and must endure.

What could be sadder than spending all our days getting “it” done and surviving with no thought of our deeper need: our true spirit, for life, for freshness, for purpose, belonging, for joy.

People give up all manner of things for Lent; what if we decide to give up being joyless?

There he sits on the edge of the well, waiting for us. “What I would give you is like a spring of water within you gushing up to eternal life.” As he says it, the joy is already brimming in his eyes.

We might as well set our buckets down and take a step toward him with open arms, responding, “Yes.”

Judy Collins with indigenous patients and a medical student in Panama

A PARTNERSHIP THAT CONTINUES  Virginia Baptists & Panamanian Baptists  // pg 8

4 // BGAV News & Notes 6 // Newly Elected BWA Leader Has BGAV Connection 8 // A Partnership That Continues

16 // Life Church: Reaching Arabic Speakers in Richmond with the Gospel of Christ 18 // Church Planting Update 20 // Dinner Churches: Reaching Isolated People for Christ

11 // Because of You 12 // More Than Nets Update 15 // Central Baptist Church Rebuilds After Destruction by Tornado

22 // Virginia and Texas Baptists Partner in Chaplaincy Ministry 23 // Latest Ministry Jobs

BGAV Advancing the Kingdom Together

ISSN 2573-5101 (print) ISSN 2573-511X (online)

A publication of the Baptist General Association of Virginia Volume 3, Issue 2 Spring 2018 BGAV Express is published quarterly by the Baptist General Association of Virginia, 2828 Emerywood Parkway, Henrico, VA 23294.

Send subscription requests and address changes to: Nathan White nathan.white@bgav.org 800.255.2428, ext. 1206 BGAV Express Baptist General Association of Virginia 2828 Emerywood Parkway Henrico, VA 23294 toll-free 800.255.2428 Or visit BGAV.org/Express.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: John V. Upton, Jr. CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER & BGAV EXPRESS EDITOR: Nathan White ART DIRECTOR: Meghan Wilson ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jennifer Law

The BGAV Needs You!

Though the name “Committee on Boards and Committees” is boring, their function is anything but! This committee is charged with finding and nominating people to fill the BGAV’s committees and the boards of several partner agencies and institutions. Want to make a difference in BGAV life? Serving on a committee is a great way to have your voice heard.

We are seeking nominations of both laypersons and clergy, who are: • Christ followers, • Ethnically, racially, and generationally diverse, • Passionate about Advancing the Kingdom Together and • Able to handle the responsibilities assigned.

BGAV Reports Year-End 2017 Receipts

BGAV churches gave just over $17 million towards missions last year, an increase of 7% ($1.1 million) over giving in 2016.

The breakdown follows: • Cooperative Missions: $9,635,870 • Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions: $785,886 • Lottie Moon Offering: $2,108,004 • Annie Armstrong Offering: $1,146,745 • CBF Global Missions Offering: $212,773 • World Hunger Offering: $188,661 • Other Designations: $2,949,040 Thank you, Virginia Baptists, for faithfully working together to advance the Redeemer’s Kingdom!

Nominate someone today at BGAV.org/Nominations.

For more BGAV news, visit BGAV.org/News

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ ” - Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

June 4-5, 2018 Second Baptist Church, Richmond, VA

BGAV.org/Forum

Come follow the Ancient Paths of Jeremiah 6:16 as we equip youth leaders to empower parents as they increase their spiritual influence at home.

Forum is a two-day conference to help equip, enrich, and engage youth workers.

Keynote Speaker DAVID THOMAS Director of Family Counseling Daystar Counseling Ministries, Inc. - Nashville, TN Daystar Counseling offers both individual and group counseling for children, adolescents, families, and young adults.

Cost: $85 per person, which includes lunch both days

Register online at BGAV.org/Forum!

Ancient Paths

NEWS + NOTES

Complete list of events at BGAV.org/Events

Event Calendar April 10 12 13–14

Preparing for Retirement Seminar, Chesapeake, VA Preparing for Retirement Seminar, Annandale, VA Virginia Church Library Association Spring Conference, Lynchburg, VA 16–17 Empower Class 504 - Coaching and the Brain as a Learning Catalyst, Henrico, VA 17 Preparing for Retirement Seminar, Staunton, VA 21 The Promising Future of Small Churches, Crozet, VA 24 Preparing for Retirement Seminar, Wytheville, VA 24–27 Pastoral Care Training Event, Williamsburg, VA

May 3 8

10 14–15 15 17 18–19 24

Church Financial Administration Seminar, Henrico, VA Church Financial Administration Seminar, Annandale, VA Church Financial Administration Seminar, Charlottesville, VA Virginia Baptist Senior Adult “Sing & Share” Festival of Praise, Newport News, VA Church Financial Administration Seminar, Newport News, VA Church Financial Administration Seminar, Danville, VA AAFVA Preaching Camp XV, Richmond, VA Church Financial Administration Seminar, Roanoke, VA

June 4–5

Empower Class 510 - A Coach Approach to Leading and Managing, Annandale, VA 4–5 Forum, Richmond, VA 17–23 Impact Chesterfield, VA 24–29 Camp Piankatank: Boys Week, Hartfield, VA 24–30 Impact Bluefield, VA 29–7/1 Camp Piankatank: Father/Son Weekend, Hartfield, VA

July 1–6 6–8

Camp Piankatank: Girls Week, Hartfield, VA Camp Piankatank: Co-ed Mini Adventure, Hartfield, VA 8–14 Impact Eastern Shore, VA 15–20 Camp Piankatank: Co-ed Week, Hartfield, VA 15–21 Impact Danville, VA 15–21 Impact Toronto, Ontario, Canada 16–20 Music and Worship Arts Camp, Lynchburg, VA 20–22 Camp Piankatank: Mother/Daughter Weekend, Hartfield, VA 22–27 Camp Piankatank: Co-ed Youth Week, Hartfield, VA 22–28 Impact Danville, VA 29–8/3 Camp Piankatank: Co-ed Week, Hartfield, VA

NOW BOARDING “Welcome!” to Our New Churches in 2017 • • • • • • • • • • •

Averett Baptist Church, Buffalo Junction, VA Grace Capital City, Washington, DC Abundant Power Church, Herndon, VA Virginia New Life Church, Centreville, VA Washington Living Stone Church, Springfield, VA Restore Church, Silver Spring, MD Mount Paran Baptist Church, Havertown, PA Christ City Church, Washington, DC New Beech Grove Baptist Church, Newport News, VA Restoration Community Church, Fredericksburg, VA Peace Branch Ministries, Lexington, VA

• • • • • •

Highway to Heaven Biker Church, Gloucester, VA The Bethel Korean Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA Portico Church - Arlington: Clarendon Campus, Arlington, VA Renewed Church, Kingsport, TN The Story Covenant Church, Minneapolis, MN The Seeds Community, Minneapolis, MN

WELCOME TO THE BGAV!

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Newly Elected BWA Leader Has BGAV Connection BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown

Elijah Brown, a Texas native, assumed the position of General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) on January 1, 2018. As general secretary, he leads the organization much like a CEO of a company. Brown is responsible for its daily operations, and serves as its chief representative to global organizations and institutions (church-related and secular) and to governments.

Attending the Centennial Baptist World Congress more than 12 years ago was a transformational experience in my spiritual journey. As those holding the flags of the nations moved into the Birmingham Convention Center in England, calling us to strengthen our witness to all peoples of the world, my wife, Amy, and I sat in the upper floor in tears and humbled silence.

The entire congress was a powerful introduction to worldwide Baptist life: a vision of collaborative partnership seeking to advance a holistic gospel in the midst of different conventions and unions, challenging circumstances and changing global dynamics.

Brown is a member of Columbia Baptist Church, a BGAV congregation in Falls Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Northern Virginia with their three children, Hudson, Sahara, and Keziah.

That introduction arrived at a vulnerable and transformative moment in my life. Though I had been primarily raised in a Baptist context and completed an undergraduate degree at a Baptist university in Texas, in the United States, as a young doctoral candidate living in post-Christian Edinburgh, Scotland, I was searching for a faith community. Attending my first BWA Congress was a re-centering moment that affirmed a personal ministry calling to justice and missional witness and breathed fresh spirit into my spiritual life and theological convictions. For the last 12 years, the BWA has been part of my spiritual grounding. Within the hectic schedules that seem to predominate BWA gatherings, there have been countless worship moments, sermons, prayers, committee work and rich discussions with the breadth and depth of a diverse and

The following statements are excerpts from articles Brown wrote in the January-March 2018 issue of Baptist World: A Magazine of the Baptist World Alliance:* The BWA has such an outstanding history of service in many corners of the world. To be considered for this role was an overwhelming, humbling and deeply exciting opportunity. I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner with goodwill Baptists from around the world.

It is a position to which my wife, Amy, and I feel called. We feel the support and encouragement of many individuals, even when it feels that it is such a large task.

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BGAV Annual Meeting

Check for updates:

BGAV.org/Meeting Registration opens September

November 12-14, 2018 Mount Vernon Baptist Church Glen Allen, VA

BGAV

Guest Speaker

Tod Bolsinger

Advancing the Kingdom Together

continuing to live in areas where they have less than a 50 percent chance of ever hearing the Gospel and where 30 percent of our BWA member bodies have no Baptist theological educational institution within their country, there is much we can continue to do together.

incredible Baptist family that have led me to repent, quietly recommit and humbly strive to live in light of the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

These last six months have been a further reminder of our interconnectedness. I feel the love of parents who shaped a calling to global mission; of mentors through the years who have challenged and affirmed; and the kinship of a global BWA family filled with gifts, passion and a longing for God’s kingdom.

I feel our dependency upon the Lord and upon one another, and your undergirding prayers leading us to a strengthened tomorrow.

I join with you and all who have gone before in working to serve the Lord in witness through the BWA family. I believe in our ongoing ability to advance a kingdom focus, celebrate unity within diversity, network resources across partner conventions and institutions and provide ongoing opportunities for a public voice on issues of critical concern, especially in light of mission and justice. I believe the BWA remains a powerful platform proclaiming hope, peace, justice and whole-life discipleship in Jesus Christ.

At a time when more people face famine and more people live as refugees than at any point since World War II, we have an opportunity to live into this family connectivity. With 35 million members of the BWA family living in contexts characterized by high to very high religious persecution, discrimination and marginalization, I anticipate with you that the BWA will continue to be a leading voice advancing human rights, religious freedom and justice.

*Excerpts reprinted with permission from the Baptist World Alliance.

I envision with you missional witness remaining a hallmark of BWA commitment matched with ongoing theological education and reflection. With some 1.5 billion people

For more information, visit BWAnet.org 7

Virginia Baptists

A PARTNERSHIP

THAT CONTINUES Panamanian Baptists Panama City area. Smith developed a strong relationship with many of their leaders and hosted them in Virginia when they sent a choir for a week to tour on their first-ever mission trip.

A relationship that began as part of a BGAV partnership with Panamanian Baptists in 2011 has continued to flourish because of strong bonds of friendship and dedicated volunteers, even though the official partnership ended in 2016. Those friendships proved valuable in February 2018, when plans for a mission team’s work fell through and the leaders were left with little time to reorganize.

At River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond, Judy Collins and her husband, Joe Teefey, were two of the first volunteers to get on board with the partnership. Craig Waddell, BGAV’s partnership coordinator, contacted Collins because she and Teefey had previously been involved with medical missions to Brazil.

“We went down and met Matilde and Cleveland Cooper, the Panamanian Baptists who had started the medical foundation, and we became good friends with them,” remembered Collins.

“Matilde was a retired nurse and Cleveland was a dentist, and they both spoke Spanish and English, which helped a lot,” she added. Collins is a women’s health nurse practitioner, and Teefey has worked in healthcare administration for many years.

The two couples formed a bond that would last for years.

The partnership between the BGAV and the Panama Baptist Convention (PBC) was born out of a desire to reach underserved, less-accessible populations in Panama with medical and dental care. Longtime Baptists in Panama had formed the Christian Medical and Social Foundation several years earlier with that goal, and Virginia Baptists joined their efforts. Initially, this meant sending volunteers to help during a specified time frame that coincided with the PBC’s annual meeting and conference. The foundation worked with the University of Panama’s medical and dental schools to recruit professional volunteers, and Virginia Baptists worked alongside them in a team approach.

The partnership evolved from its original format when Collins and Teefey started taking teams to Panama for week-long missions experiences that were no longer tied to the PBC’s annual meetings. Collins and Teefey have taken teams on nine trips so far—the most recent of which occurred in February 2018—and one that appeared might not work out.

Sue Smith, a member of First Baptist Church of Fredericksburg and the executive director of LUCHA Ministries, has been involved in the partnership since its formation. Smith worked extensively with the Guna, an indigenous group with several churches both in the indigenous territory and also in the greater 8

From left to right: Dianne Duke-Hancock poses with a young mother and her newborn daughter in a clinic held in a school.

John Smith comforts a Panamanian child with cerebral palsy in an orphanage in Panama City.

Joe Teefey enjoys interacting with Panamanian children during the mission trip.

Many Panamanian families took advantage of the volunteer medical clinic.

During their time in Panama, volunteers worked to expand a church’s porch that houses a local children’s feeding program.

that point, the construction part of the team was ready to go but had no project to work on.

Collins contacted Smith, and she immediately offered to contact her Guna friends to see if they had any work that needed to be done in construction. Within only a few days, Smith had secured a new project for the team. It meant that the team would work in more rustic conditions in a remote area with few accommodations or amenities, yet the team members were still committed to their mission. The new project was to enlarge a porch-like area—an addition to the back of a church building where they will serve lunch on Sundays and provide activities for about 90 children in their community. “The sponsoring church of this mission site is First Guna Baptist Church—the very church who sent the choir to Virginia right before the partnership began!” explained Smith. Much of the cost for the project was paid by donations from River Road Church’s endowment fund, with the church eagerly supporting the cause.

“We found out the week before we were supposed to leave that our construction team’s work couldn’t happen,” explained Collins. This mission trip marked the first time that construction volunteers went along with a medical and dental team. The need arose from a longtime dream of two of Panama’s bivocational pastors—to bring a more permanent healthcare solution to an area that was accessible only by boat. The pastor from that remote area wanted to use two of his church’s Sunday School classrooms as a medical clinic, so Collins and Smith recruited construction volunteers to go and convert those rooms. But just before the team was to leave, Collins learned that the Panamanians had not been able to secure a work permit for the job, because they could not locate the deed to the church. At

Collins said that everything went amazingly well during their February trip. Her part of the team operated five different clinics and saw about 400 patients during the week they were there. “I 9

Jonathan was thrilled to be able to do. “He learned to use the machine and was able to do 31 fillings in a five-hour period to restore children’s teeth,” Collins recalled. “He is so good with those children. We’ve seen him grow so much; it’s unreal.”

Not all the volunteers are medically trained professionals.

Collins said they have a number of people who go with them who are trained on the job to do specific tasks. Her husband, for example, was trained to administer fluoride to children’s teeth. Others are taught to sterilize instruments and do other tasks that are critical for the medical personnel to do their work successfully.

Norma Hays assists a local Panamanian dentist in restoring a child’s tooth. use the word clinic loosely—we’re all in one big room—it’s not a clinic like you’d picture in the United States,” she commented.

Working alongside the Panamanian doctors and medical and dental students, they were able to offer basic medical care and evaluation along with medicine to patients who lack access to convenient care. “If we see something really serious like high blood pressure or high blood sugars, we refer those patients to further care.” Another major accomplishment was the purchase and use of a portable machine that allows dentists to repair children’s teeth with fillings rather than having to perform extractions—a service that a young dental student named

Collins, Teefey, and Smith have developed incredibly close relationships with the people of Panama as they’ve continued the life-changing, meaningful work they’ve been doing with teams there for the past eight years. “God has certainly been good to us,” said Collins, especially in referring to how the plans came together at the last minute for their most recent trip. “We like to say we’ve come up with our own Beatitude: Blessed are the flexible, for they will not get bent out of shape,” she said with a laugh.

Register now forSummer 2018!

e r u s a e Tr unt H hew Matt

6:21

For more information, visit our website:

CampPiankatank.org

For more information, visit BGAV.org/Partnership

• • • • •

Christ-centered environment Age-appropriate, interactive Bible and mission studies daily Co-ed camps for ages 6-17 Sailing, ropes course, sports, water sports, climbing wall, and much more!

• Well-trained Christian staff • Weekend Family Camp programs for Mothers and Daughters and Fathers and Sons are a fantastic get-away and bonding experience for families

Because of

You... ‌lives are continuing to be touched as groups like this team from First Baptist Church, Gretna, travel to Liberty, Texas, to help rebuild after Hurricane Harvey last year. Thank you for your faithfulness, contributions, and willingness to go and help. Learn more about Virginia Baptist Disaster Response at BGAVDR.org.

‌lives are being saved in Ghana through the More Than Nets project. This group from Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond, recently traveled there to help distribute nets, plant churches, and help with other initiatives.

Check out the following pages for their story and the latest updates on reaching our goal of 100,000 nets!

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In early February 2018, a mission team from Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond traveled to Yendi, Ghana, to work with More Than Nets.

Bon Air Baptist Church in Ghana: Day 1

After 20-plus hours of travel we made it to Yendi, Ghana, around 4 p.m. Blessed to have traveled well and safely, only to load up and travel to see the last night of the Roger Roller Evangelistic Crusade. It was an amazing thing to participate in. I can say that because we danced and Pastor Anthony Scott even sang for the crowd.

Roger was amazing and the reports count more than 5,000 people giving their life to Christ during the crusade.

Can’t wait to see what God has in store for us on Sunday.

Day 2

It is Sunday. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. We sent six teams out to teach Sunday school, sing songs, and preach the gospel.

What a day it was, the teams returned with so much joy and enlightenment about what God has been doing in Ghana.

Our team was blessed today with three chickens, a guinea fowl, six eggs, and 12 yams. The preaching moments were significant as we had three preachers that preached for the first time today, we had Sunday school go to all the villages, and we shared the gospel at Ditney Baptist Church.

Day 3

Today was a day of learning in multiple ways and multiple disciplines. We started a new sewing school with 19 students.

Let me break the day down for you: We started our Teachers Conference for the NECA-Yendi school.

We had all the teachers present from both campuses (about 50). At home, our group spent the last 4-5 months pouring over the curriculum in Ghana, not to change it but to create tools, methods, and templates to help the teachers inspire the students in new ways. It was amazing to watch educators work together to create a better school experience for their children and to spend it also talking about Jesus. This conference will continue for the rest of the week.

You might ask what happens to a school full of children when their teachers are in training. About 650-700 of them played sports with us today…well, loosely, it was sports.

We also launched a sewing school today; we had 19 students who began by putting together their sewing bags. This program is built to scale the training of the students to accredited status in a 3-4 year cycle. We are in the process of getting machines set up for the first sewing project, and we have purchased 20 machines for the program.

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Each day, they shared a brief update about their experiences that we shared on the BGAV blog.

Here are some highlights of their adventures.

Today we also had the beginning of a pastor training program. With the help of World Hope Bible Institute, led by Stuart Sheehan, we have started teaching two courses, one on salvation and the other on hermeneutics.

It was a great start, with 26 students and more to come tomorrow.

Day three was tiring and exhilarating for all of us. We all learned something new about ourselves and how missions works in the world. Be more than flexible, be fluid!! Come join us!

Day 4

Day four for the team was a day of words.

Words were used to continue the World Hope Bible Institute training for the pastors. Today they continued their work in hermeneutics; tomorrow they will begin working on the doctrine of salvation.

We used words in the sewing clinic as we began to teach the girls about how business is structured and continued to build on the girls’ knowledge of creation.

The education team spent the day observing the teaching using the new tools and new ways to speak to their students. The sports/education team went to the upper elementary school to work with the students on their basketball skills.

After lunch, we shut down all the ministries so that the team could go out to continue the work of More Than Nets. We put up almost 400 nets and look forward to doing more nets on Friday.

Then in the evening we shared the words that had meaning for us today. If you want to know what that is like, come with us and see.

I am so glad that we are closing in on the goal. We are ~18,000 nets short of reaching the project goal.

Day 5

Day 5 all of our activities continued.

We shifted our teachers conference to have our leaders spend more times with teachers in training.

Our sports/evangelism team continued to teach the students new basketball skills, and despite our limited skills, they are actually learning things. In the afternoon they had the opportunity to go out and plant four churches.

Our sewing team has completed their first projects and began the work on hygiene kits with the girls. They also continued to teach the girls Bible stories as well as business development.

Pastor training also continues at the newly chartered World Hope Bible Institute—Yendi. What a great feeling to be able to continue teaching about salvation to the 51 pastors here. If you are curious about what the institute does or how to become a teacher for this great institute, go to WHMI.org.

We are to the point in the trip where we have settled into the groove of what we are doing (not settled, because plans change 13

rapidly here), but the end is approaching. Even though we know this, we are starting to realize that the work of the partnership is not done. We are all beginning to think about what happens when we leave and are glad that in this setting we are leaving things that are going to continue to run without us. Sewing will have a daily teacher, teachers will have instructional videos to view, pastors will have a quarterly schedule for institute training, and we will have a set of students capable of teaching others the basics of dribbling and passing.

God is wonderful because he has allowed us to be part of something that will keep working even if we aren’t ever blessed to return to Yendi. We want dependence on God, not on ourselves. So we are blessed to be a blessing, not congratulated for being paternal.

Day 6

Day 6 was a day of action.

Today we ran the gamut. The school was on the field learning yet more basketball skills.

The teachers were back at the church learning more skills, using themselves in games and techniques to share with their students.

The pastor training went well, except for dodging mangos falling from the tree.

Sewing has reached the point where the girls will begin to start putting together the hygiene kits and sewing sanitary napkins for each kit.

Today we shared words like stretched, challenged, promising, and others to describe where we are in this trip.

Tomorrow represents a sort of end for us, as it is the last day for most of our separate activities.

What a wonderful day today was as we watched the teams come together as one unit—not different churches or campuses—but just one team, learning to serve Jesus near and far.

The History of More Than Nets

In January 2013, the partnership between the BGAV and the Ghana Baptist Convention officially opened with a celebration in Yendi, Ghana. Since that time, the Baptists in the northern region of the country have been able to accomplish a lot as we have taken this journey together. One key component has been the purchase and distribution of chemically treated mosquito nets to significantly reduce cases of malaria.

To date, we have distributed 82,000 nets toward our goal of 100,000—a goal we are striving to meet by the end of 2018.

But this project is called MORE Than Nets. What does “more” mean? A second key component is the goal to plant 345 churches in the Yendi region— one in every village. As of January 1, 2018, Virginia Baptists, working alongside indigenous church planters, have assisted in planting 280 churches in Yendi and an additional 168 in nearby locations for a total of 448 new churches. Over 20,000 people have

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come to know Christ, with more than 10,000 being baptized after completing a six-month study on what it means to be a Christian.

More than 100 volunteers have traveled to Ghana and had the privilege of working with the Ghanaians to plant many of these churches. Financial contributions from Virginia Baptists have allowed the indigenous church planters there to carry on the work.

How Can You Help?

• Support a church planter for $50 per month • Purchase a chemically treated mosquito net for $10 (includes net, education, transportation, and support for church planting) • Travel to Ghana and experience this life-giving mission with our Ghanaian partners

To learn more, visit BGAV.org/MoreThanNets.

To donate a mosquito net, visit BGAV.org/Donate

BGAV Disaster Response volunteers assess damage to Central Baptist Church after tornadoes destroyed its sanctuary in February 2016.

Almost two years later, in January 2018, a dedication ceremony was held in the church’s new sanctuary (far left).

Central Baptist Church Rebuilds After Destruction

by Tornado

The new church building can accomplish with just 3,700 square feet what the old building did when it had 5,700 square feet. It can perform the same functions because the new, much more modern facility is multi-functional. It has partitions, for example, that allow for sectioning off rooms for Sunday School.

The congregation will also be able to save money because of several improvements like additional insulation and a new heating and cooling system that is more efficient. Construction also allowed for the addition of a new sound system and other modern technology that wasn’t present in the old building.

In February 2016, a devastating tornado hit Appomattox, leaving a 13-mile path of destruction including the loss of more than 200 homes and two church buildings. One of those churches was Central Baptist Church, a BGAV congregation which was built in 1893 in the community of Chap. On Sunday, January 28, 2018, Central Baptist Church held a dedication ceremony in its newly rebuilt sanctuary at the same site that was covered in debris and rubble just two years earlier.

Not everything at the church is brand new, however. The church was able to preserve several elements of their heritage from items they recovered from the original building. Wood salvaged from the original structure was used to make wainscoting for the new sanctuary, and the original communion table, pulpit, chairs, and some light fixtures were cleaned and restored for use in the new building. An important portrait of Jesus Christ that had hung in the old church was damaged, but it has been restored and now is once again on display. Most of the stained glass windows were repaired and reused, which was done at no cost to the church by the stained glass company that originally made them.

The new church building is a tangible, visible testimony to what a community can do when it comes together around one goal as a response to a tragedy. Virginia Baptists were an important part of that community, especially in the beginning stages. When the tornado first occurred, BGAV Disaster Response teams were some of the first to arrive in Appomattox. Volunteers worked alongside members of the community to clean up and provide critical resources to those who were affected.

While the members of Central Baptist Church recovered from the destruction and made plans for the future, the Appomattox Baptist Association hosted the congregation—allowing them to meet for worship and Bible study in their office building. The association also raised funds for the rebuild, and several local churches donated generously toward the effort. Many local companies donated time and materials to the rebuilding effort as well. Before they signed a contract with the construction company, all the money for the project had come in—from donors throughout Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Texas. The church members were amazed at how many people reached out to help. Donations, along with an insurance settlement, yielded about $550,000 for them to use toward construction of a new facility.

Between in-kind donations, volunteer labor, donations, and insurance funds, the church was able to build the new facility without using any of their cash reserves or going into debt.

They held their first worship service in the new building on November 26, 2017, which was less than a year after the reconstruction began. The first wedding in the new church took place on December 30. Their dedication service in January was a joyous time of celebration; the community came together to witness God’s faithfulness among the people who’ve served and worshipped there for so many years.

For more information, visit BGAV.org 15

Church members gather for a ministry event at the church.

Life Church

REACHING ARABIC SPEAKERS IN RICHMOND WITH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST After struggling for nine months, though, Shehata thought he would have to go back to Egypt. “We had no green cards for me or my family, no income, no jobs, no Social Security. But God spoke to my wife through scripture and said, ‘Don’t go back to Egypt.’ We didn’t understand how we could stay; it was so hard.

But God said, ‘No, don’t go back.’”

When Rev. Agayby Shehata was a young man living in Egypt, he sensed God saying to him, “One day, you will leave your country and go to the United States.” Shehata, who was saved at age 13, was ordained as a minister by an Assemblies of God church at age 22. He served eight years in southern Egypt and another eight years in Cairo. “Each time God spoke to my heart,” he recalled, “saying, ‘You’re here for just a time; then you will leave your country.’ God spoke to me through the Bible, through other people, and through a lot of dreams.”

In 2011, Shehata met Dr. Craig Sherouse, pastor of Second Baptist, through the church’s English as a Second Language (ESL) ministry. When Sherouse learned Shehata’s story and heard his testimony, he decided to support him and his family in getting their green cards so they could stay in the U.S. “He stood beside us,” Shehata recalled. “And once we started our process, we got our green cards in one month. The attorney said he’d never in his life seen that happen so fast.”

Shehata currently serves as pastor of Life Church, an Arabic mission that resides at Second Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia—a congregation he has led since 2010, when they met at Ridge Baptist Church. In March 2016, they relocated to Second Baptist, and the move has afforded them access to more space and facilities. The church has grown slowly but steadily since it began.

Shehata is also grateful for the three-year financial support the BGAV initially provided for their ministry, but he explained that they no longer receive that support. “We live by faith,” he commented. “God is good, and God has always provided for my family.”

God led Shehata to his current ministry position via a journey that started years ago as he was learning to pastor while serving in Egypt. In 2006, he was invited to come to the U.S. for about a month. Four years later, he returned to the U.S. to be a pastor.

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The congregation gives Second Baptist five percent of their offering receipts in exchange for the meeting and office space they provide. The Arabic mission, which began with seven people on their first Christmas together, had about 100 in attendance on Christmas Eve in 2017.

Last year, Shehata invited the dean of the biggest Islamic college in Egypt, who has converted to Christianity, to speak at Life Church. The event drew many Muslims from the community.

“When he started to preach, many became angry, but the rest enjoyed it. This is one of our goals—to reach many Muslims.

We have a special declaration—a special work from God, so we must follow his vision.”

Life Church focuses on reaching the Arabic-speaking population in Richmond, particularly those who come to the U.S. from Egypt. One of Shehata’s many challenges as a pastor is the diversity of his various responsibilities; in addition to preaching at all their services, he also is on call around the clock to help newcomers settle into the Richmond area when they arrive. “They need help getting an apartment, getting furniture, getting jobs, and other things. I go with them to get whatever they need.” Shehata’s whole family is involved in the church: his son plays the music, his wife leads singing, and his young daughter is part of their ministry.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Rev. Shehata and Life Church are growing but face many challenges. He asks that Virginia Baptists pray for his leadership, for financial support, and especially for their efforts to reach the Muslim community for Christ. “They are very restrictive, and sometimes some of them are dangerous,” he explained. “But just recently, I met with a Muslim from Sudan who is now ready to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. It’s very difficult. Please pray for him and for us.”

“We try to reach the Muslim community,” Shehata explained, “and it’s very hard.” There are over 40,000 Muslims in the Richmond area, and there is an apartment complex only a few miles from Second Baptist where many Muslims live. “When we do outreach, we bring bags with gifts for each apartment, and each bag has a Bible,” he said. “We preach and sing songs on the street, preaching in English, Spanish, and Arabic.” They also go to flea markets and other open places to reach more people, especially in the Virginia Commonwealth University area, where they often distribute Arabic Bibles. “Muslims everywhere are very strong. They love their religion. It’s hard to start to communicate with them—very, very hard. But we just go. We invite them to just to come and have fun with us outside.

You have to have a relationship first, so it takes a long time.”

For more information, visit BGAV.org

Pastor Shehata leads in prayer.

Children enjoy worship music at a church event.

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CHURCH PLANTING UPDATE Below is a report from one of our latest BGAV church plants.

Please be in prayer for all of our church plants as they work to share the gospel in their communities.

The Seeds Community — Minneapolis, MN

By Dale Durie, Lead Pastor It all started in the spring of 2015 with a small band of Jesusfollowers dreaming of being the church in a new way. For a year they discipled and mentored one another in the way of Jesus. As they did, they wanted to be small enough to care but big enough to dare. They wanted to be a place where “everyone knows your name and is always glad you came,” but also mobilize to make a real difference in the real world.

And by God’s grace it happened. They grew and adopted a school where they began a food program fighting weekend child hunger.

They encouraged the teachers and came to the aid of staff Are who you ready to go deeper in the Word, experienced family crises. All the while, they met in a home to in ministry, in community? share meals and care for one another.

Are you ready to go deeper in the Word, Have Then the school offered their auditorium as a place to gather for you ever considered seminary? in ministry, in community? worship. And some of the people in the community sensed the need for a second community that would dare to make a difference Have you ever considered seminary? but in a different way. And now, less than three years later, The

Are you ready to go deeper in the Word, in ministry, in community?

ou ready to go deeper in the Word,

Have you ever considered seminary?

in ministry, in community?

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There’s a place for programs: you at Leland!

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Master’s Degrees: Master of Divinity - Master of Christian Leadership - Master of Theologcial Studies find outin more, contact us: - Certificate in Theological Studies Graduate Certificates:To Certificate Leadership Studies Undergraduate Certificate: Diploma in Theological Studies Arlington Main Campus Jacqueline Coker Director of Enrollment 703.812.4757 ext. 204 Arlington Main Campus jcoker@leland.edu Jacqueline Coker Director of Enrollment 703.812.4757 ext. 204 jcoker@leland.edu

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Hampton Roads Campus Vicki Bohannon Assoc. Director of Enrollment 757.930.3150 Hampton Roads Campus vbohannon@leland.edu Vicki Bohannon Assoc. Director of Enrollment 757.930.3150 vbohannon@leland.edu

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Seeds Community is a network of missional communities (1530 people each) that gather in homes for community and mission and also gather twice a month for collective worship.

The Seeds Community became a Watch Care church of the BGAV in December 2017. Their lead pastor, Dale Durie, has completed two years of V3’s learning cohorts and is now a coach for V3, the church planting movement of the BGAV. DID YOU KNOW? The BGAV is fueling a church planting movement in Virginia and beyond. There are hundreds of eligible and trained church planters; we have the opportunity to help 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.

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G ISOL ATED P N I EO CH

DINNER CHURCHES FOR RIST CH

years—and how they did church. There was a predominance to the dinner table, and that’s something that’s dropped off the scene quite a lot in recent centuries,” he explained. The Fosners rented out the house they owned and moved to an apartment about 50 blocks south of their church’s main campus. In that neighborhood, they started a dinner church on a Thursday night in a community space.

“What happened next was quite profound,” Fosner recalled.

“That room started to fill up with more strangers and individuals that you would just never see on a Sunday morning—people without any church background at all. Before long, they were fascinated with the life of Christ and then knew it was a church.

They called me their pastor, and my wife their pastor’s wife— and we weren’t even using those titles. Very quickly, a church was born.”

The meal is the central element by which a dinner church operates; gathering around a common table for worship builds relationships and facilitates communication.

“There’s a natural beauty in a big, huge, family table that says, ‘You’ll be included here,’” explained Verlon Fosner, director of the Dinner Church Collective, a stream of the Fresh Expressions movement. He and his wife, Melodee, work together to help churches reach isolated people in their communities by establishing “dinner churches”—a type of congregation that seems new to many traditional churches but really isn’t so new at all.

When the church Fosner pastors in Seattle, Washington, began to decline rapidly in his sixth year there, he and his wife felt a new kind of calling. “We prayed about moving, but we sensed God bringing us back to the apostolic era—those 300 20

Not long after, they started another dinner church in another neighborhood nearby on Wednesday nights. They opened the first one in 2009, and later this year they will start the eleventh one in their area.

“In 2014,” Fosner remembered, “we realized we had a responsibility to the wider body of Christ.” Knowing that similar dynamics of church decline were going on around the country, they linked up with Fresh Expressions (an international ministry whose American franchise is led by BGAV) in order to bring their ideas and resources to more congregations by forming the Dinner Church Collective. The Fosners now colead training for others around the United States who want to start dinner churches. In North Carolina, for example, they’ve recently worked with a group of leaders who have a goal of starting 500 dinner churches in the next 3½ years. The Fosners no longer lead all the dinner churches in their area of Seattle,

Attendees at Northgate Dinner Church enjoy fellowship with their meals.

Church members stand ready to serve food to its dinner guests.

and delivered in “hotboxes” to all the locations. Most dinner churches start serving at 5:00 and continue serving until 6:15 or so, throughout the worship experience. Music by live worship artists begins early, and some congregations have visual artists who paint during worship as well. The entire worship experience occurs around the dinner table; the pastor preaches a one-point sermon on the life of Christ, and congregants share in prayers of healing with those around them. “We do everything needed to lead someone in their next step of the Christian faith, and we come back the next week and do it again.”

since they travel frequently with the national initiative. But they continue to be actively involved in their local dinner churches by helping prepare food and nurturing relationships with those who pastor those churches.

Fosner said that they know of at least 133 dinner churches currently meeting in the U.S., and new ones are opening every few days. In the past year, the collective has expanded to the point that jurisdictional and denominational leaders have sought help in putting together strategies for their entire conferences, districts, and networks because of the growing number of churches that are closing. “We want to get declining churches’ missional momentum back,” he explained. “Our big dream—what we really want—is for an established church congregation to start a dinner church congregation in a challenged neighborhood a few blocks away on a weeknight, and for them to love it as much as they love their Sunday morning church.” Fosner said that the stability of the traditional group helps the new group, and the new group helps the traditional group know what the front line of missions feels like. “It’s a great way for everyone to win.”

Because of the nature of dinner churches, diversity is built into each congregation. “Whoever lives in the neighborhoods— that’s who’s in the church,” Vosner explained. People of all ages and ethnicities are attracted to dinner churches. They just go to the one that meets in their neighborhood. “The ethnic blending is so natural, it’s shocking—since that’s something that traditional churches tend to really struggle with,” commented Vosner.

“The heartbeat of the dinner church is that it is for isolated populations, and you can trace that theologically way, way back. For some of these people, maybe their family left so they live alone, or maybe they have struggles within their family and society isn’t enveloping them in support structures. But they’re included around the table at the dinner church, and that’s one thing that Christians have historically been very good at. We do know how to make family out of the family-less.”

Fosner told of one dinner church in North Carolina that runs about 80 in attendance, and its affiliated traditional congregation recently grew from just seven to 14 members. In the Seattle area, some dinner churches have more than 300 people attending weekly. Fosner clarified, “These are not outreaches, they are churches—not just another church activity on a weeknight.”

The food for each meal—a central element to the dinner church experience—is usually coordinated and prepared by a culinary team of volunteers who start cooking as early as 11:00 a.m. on meeting days. In areas like Seattle where there are several dinner churches, the food is prepared in a central location

For more information about the Dinner Church Collective, visit FreshExpressionsUS.org DinnerChurchCollective.net 21

VIRGINIA AND TEXAS BAPTISTS

PARTNER IN CHAPLAINCY MINISTRY see the importance of and the potential for strengthening the ministry of chaplaincy across the Commonwealth.

In his role with the partnership, Combee meets with the Chaplaincy Relations Council either in person or through video conferencing 4-6 times per year to recommend approval for those individuals seeking endorsement as a chaplain, and he participates in staff meetings with the other part-time and volunteer associate endorsers. He is also involved in personal interviews with the chaplains who seek endorsement (a requirement for each applicant and also for his/her spouse if he/ she is married). Combee represents the Chaplaincy Relations team in pastoral visits to BGCT and BGAV active duty and reserve/National Guard Chaplains serving in Virginia at places like the Pentagon, the Norfolk Naval Station, and Andrews Air Force Base, among others.

Colonel Todd Combee (right) is a retired Joint Forces Headquarters Chaplain for the Virginia National Guard, having served 34 years in the military.

“Virginia Baptists and Texas Baptists seem to have a likeminded approach to ministry that resonates well with me,” said Rev. Todd Combee. Besides being pastor of New Bethesda Baptist Church in Mechanicsville, Combee serves as the BGAV representative for the partnership between BGAV and the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) as it relates to chaplain ministry.

The BGCT created their Chaplaincy Relations department in 2002. Bobby Smith was appointed to lead the ministry and became the department’s director, a position he still holds. Since the program began, it has endorsed almost 1,000 chaplains in health care, the military, prisons, crisis care, and five other areas of chaplain ministry. In the past, the BGAV had offered support to Virginia Baptist ministers involved in chaplaincy, but they desired to increase their efforts.

In November 2016, Combee and John Upton, BGAV executive director, met with Bobby Smith and discussed the possibility of a partnership. The idea quickly grew into an invitation for Combee to become a Volunteer Associate Endorser for the BGCT and also to be the point person for the BGAV chaplaincy ministry.

Combee is highly qualified for this role, and he is passionate about it. In 2014, Combee retired after serving 34 years in the Virginia Army National Guard. His last assignment was as State Chaplain for the Virginia National Guard. He has been a BGAV pastor for over 29 years, and he’s served on the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Upton knew Combee would be a great fit for the position because of Combee’s experience and his ability to 22

The partnership has already resulted in meaningful resourcing and networking. In 2016, four Virginia Baptists went to a training event in Texas to become Crisis Care Providers. In August 2017, those four offered the same training to 17 more participants at an event in Richmond led by Bobby Smith. Just a few weeks later, the newly trained crisis responders were mobilized to Texas and Florida to care for people affected

by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Chaplains provide a unique ministry in disaster-response situations, for they can offer an experienced, listening ear to those who need to tell their stories as they process their trauma and grief.

“Texas Baptists require their chaplains to attend at least one training event every three years as part of their commitment and endorsement,” explained Combee. The BGCT offers an annual training event in September, which Combee attended last year.

“Bobby had the vision to offer a duplicate training event each year in Virginia, so we’re having one in Williamsburg—which we chose because of its history and cultural appeal,” he said. The event is open to chaplains, church leaders, and staff members and is offering five training tracks including Baptist Heritage, Leadership, Crisis Ministry, Personal Growth, and Mental Health (subject to interest and level of participant response).

The Legacy Chaplaincy Relations Annual Training event will be held at the Williamsburg Doubletree Hilton April 24–27, 2018. For more information or to register, visit the webpage at BGAV.org/events/pastor-care-training-event/.

For more information, visit BGAV.org/Blog

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Join our GraceInside family and honor Matthew 25. We know Jesus changes lives. We represent Jesus Christ behind the bars in Virginia’s prisons transforming hearts, changing behaviors, restoring families and saving lives every single day. The need is overwhelming. We must do more. With your help, we can. Join us today!

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LATEST MINISTRY JOBS • PT Worship Minister @ Tomahawk Baptist Church, Midlothian, VA • Church Business Administrator @ Anointed New Life Baptist Church, Henrico, VA • Pastor @ Chadbourn Baptist Church, Chadbourn, NC • Minister of Music @ Mount View Baptist Church, Charlottesville, VA • Pastor for Students and Adult Discipleship @ Fairfax Circle Church, Fairfax, VA • PT Secretary @ Kentwood Heights Baptist Church, Quinton, VA • Senior Pastor @ Emmaus Baptist Church, Poquoson, VA • PT Choir/Music Director @ Mechanicsville Baptist Church, Gordonsville, VA • PT Director/Minister to Children and Youth @ Mechanicsville Baptist Church, Gordonsville, VA

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