BGAV – Baptist General Association of Virginia

A number of students and young adults are spending the summertime to share Christ's love around the globe. We ask you to say a special prayer for these summer venturers. Whether they are serving internationally in Romania, Vienna, or Ghana, or stateside through Impact camps and Disaster Response locations, they need our support and encouragement from home.

It is only when Phil begins to think of others and discovers love that he is able to break the curse of reliving the same day. Could we be under the same curse in our classes? Is it possible that we have blinders on and basically find ourselves going through the motions of each Sunday?

It seems to me that America has grown lethargic and unmotivated. Maybe it is because we have been provided with so much by those who came before us, or maybe we have become desensitized to new ideas because of the glut of information that bombards our senses 24/7. Perhaps we have become lazy and lost our work ethic. Am I being too hard on us?  Perhaps, or perhaps not.

"There were several memorable experiences, including a Jewish sailor who converted to Christianity and a woman who gave her life to Jesus Christ for the first time."

The BGAV Ministry Equipping Network is designed for pastors, ministers, and lay leaders to be able to enroll in single courses in a specific ministry area or to be able to complete a comprehensive program that yields a Ministry Certification. 

What does happiness look like to you? To me, it is the look of children’s faces every time they see me. When I walk into the room and they see me, a smile just happens to creep onto their faces.

I have been reading Tod Bolsinger’s book, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Unchartered Territory. On Page 14, he writes, “Understanding unchartered territory: The world in front of you is nothing like the world behind you.”

We remonstrate against the said Bill, . . . [b]ecause we hold it for a fundamental and undeniable truth, "that Religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence."

Sitting in the window of a coffee shop overlooking Lexington Avenue and Grand Central in New York City. Watching as so many people pass by. Thinking over the theme More Than Welcome and what it means to welcome the stranger, I find myself coming back to the question, “Who really is a stranger?” We live in a world and a time …

The Martinsville Bulletin recently highlighted the story of the Blue Ridge Mission School, a school spearheaded in northern Patrick County by the Blue Ridge Baptist Association and Virginia Baptists in the early 20th century.

The next time you are bored, explore God’s world all around you, looking at life through fresh eyes for fresh insights.

Being a pastor is more than preaching, it is more than being in charge, it is more than visiting people in the hospital, leading Bible studies and prayer meetings. While those are aspects of the job, being a pastor is about leadership. It is being able to make hard decisions for the betterment of the church and God’s movement.