Click here to register and pay online!

What if our middle and high school students believed that they were the very hands and feet of Jesus in our world today? At the YEC in Northern Virginia on January 28, students will be invited into Mission Possible, where they can join with God in changing the world. Students will have the opportunity to be inspired by leaders from the International Justice Mission. For more information, visit the YEC Annandale webpage or contact Ken Dibble, Youth Ministry Strategist, at 800.255.2428, ext. 2255.

Many pastors and lay leaders are learning the value of having a life and leadership coach come alongside them in their journey and help them take the steps necessary to move forward in their spiritual journeys. So how do you become a coach? This class will help you begin the process of becoming a life and/or leadership coach. To register, contact Ken Kessler or Gwen Payne.

2-3/3-5 Octave Handbell Festivals
February 3–4, 2012
Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center, Lynchburg, VA

2-3 Octaves Director: Mark Gourley of Goldsboro, NC
3-5 Octaves Director: David Harris of Raleigh, NC

3-5 Octave Handbell Festival
February 17–18, 2012
Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Glen Allen, VA

Director: Mary Kay Parrish of Shawnee, OK

The program fee is $22 per ringer or a minimum of $100 per church. Visit the Handbell Festivals webpage for information on how to register, order the Festival music, and more. Or contact Tom Ingram or Debbie Cobb in the Office of Worship and Church Music Ministries.

Panama Missions: Urgent Requests!

Help a Panamanian Church be the hands of Jesus by helping them reach out to a local school.
Needs: A team to paint in the mornings and help with a Backyard Bible Club in the afternoons
Best Dates: February 11–19, 2012
Cost: $550 + airfare

Panama Baptists' Annual Children's Camps need volunteers. See details at Panama WMU Camp.
Needs: Volunteers for camps throughout February

For more information, email Craig Waddell or call 800.255.2428, ext. 7263.

Free 2012 Virginia Baptist Calendar!

Being a Virginia Baptist means being part of a diverse family of believers who partner together with unity, purpose, and a common passion: missions and freedom in the Spirit.

We live out that passion day by day as we participate in God's work through Cooperative Missions—finding strength in our diversity and celebrating our unity of purpose.

Start now, at the beginning of 2012, planning how you will connect with other Virginia Baptists throughout the year; the 2012 wall calendar can serve as a reminder of important dates, deadlines and events.

To get yours, email Rita Smith or call 800.255.2428, ext. 1204.

Deacon Training Events
First Baptist Church
Waynesboro, VA

Make sure your church leaders and deacons are ready for change in 2012. Eddie Hammett, national strategic coach and deacon trainer with The Columbia Partnership, will be leading two sessions:

Friday, February 17: Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60

Saturday, February 18: Deacon Ministry: Growing Churches in Challenging Times

Both sessions will be held from 6:00–9:00 p.m. with a light supper. Cost is $125/church for both sessions (bring your whole team!) or $100 for one session.

To register or for more information, email Gwen Payne or call 800.255.2428, ext. 6265.

BGAV 2012–2013 Scholarship Applications Now Available!

Through Cooperative Missions offerings, the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) provides four options for scholarships and ministerial education funds for students from cooperating churches of the BGAV:

• Achievement Scholarships for BGAV Academies
  
• Achievement Scholarships
• Ministerial Education Funds
• Nontraditional Ministry Education Scholarships

The completed application deadline for Achievement Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds is April 1, 2012. The completed application deadline for Achievement Scholarships for BGAV Academies is October 1, 2012. Nontraditional Ministry Education Scholarships are currently being accepted for the Spring 2012 semester.

Go to the SMEF webpage for more information and online applications, or contact Alicia Parker at 800.255.2426 ext. 6225.

Baptist Ministry Assistants of Virginia (BMAV)

Ministry Assistants are oftentimes at the core of a local church helping it to operate smoothly and efficiently.  And to that end, the Baptist Ministry Assistants of Virginia offers opportunities of continuing education and professional excellence to help them help their local church.  And this year they have a special $10 annual membership incentive in celebration of their 25th anniversary! It's a perfect time to join and to learn how BMAV can serve as a spiritual and educational support.  Membership is open to all administrative assistants, church secretaries, ministry assistants, financial secretaries, bookkeepers, office managers, and more!   For more information, email Jackie Harris or call 703.368.2005.  

Student Missions: Panama
May 18–28, 2012

This summer, a group of students will go to Panama to build a partnership with the Baptist churches there as they seek to be more missional in their communities. The team will consist of about ten students from around Virginia. To find out more, visit the BCM website.

Apply now!
Applications are due January 31, 2012. Cost is $200.

Read the Bible Through 2012

If you've never read the Bible from beginning to end, why not make 2012 the year you do it? Download this simple Reading Plan and start today!

"I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word." Psalm 119:15–16

Youth Ministry Coordination Team Booklet 2012
"The Missing Ingredient"

Have you ever tried a new recipe, and upon tasting the dish, thought to yourself, "It's delicious but there's something missing. I can't put my finger on it, but whatever it is, if added, would make it even better?" Youth ministry can be like that, too. We have all the ingredients and we mix it up and most times it turns out good. But sometimes we can't seem to put our finger on that one missing ingredient that would move it from good to great!

That's where the Youth Ministry Coordination Team (YMCT) might be able to play the role of Emeril and BAM!... add that missing ingredient to help your youth ministry be even better. It contains everything a youth ministry worker needs including events, resources, mission project ideas, etc. Download this free resource!

Impact! Mission Camps
Registration for all camps is now open!

Impact Virginia!, the "classic" one week construction opportunity will be serving in Chesterfield County, Appomattox, King William Country, and Middlesex County in 2012. Go to the Impact Virginia! webpage for more details!

Impact International! will be serving in Panama from June 23–July 1. Check out registration and general information about Impact! in Panama.

Impact Metro! is an urban-centered mission opportunity focusing on community service and issues of culture for those living in metropolitan areas. The 2012 sites are Richmond and Roanoke.

Keep up with the latest Baptist headlines on the Religious Herald Facebook page.

From 2011–2015 there will be many observances of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Many of us remember the centennial of the War which was celebrated from 1961–1965. The key word is "celebrated" and about half of the country did not feel very celebratory. African-Americans felt rather left out of the centennial and its "celebration." The emphasis this time around is more on "commemorate" and affords an opportunity to learn from a broader perspective. Many organizations are choosing to commemorate Emancipation as well as the Civil War.

I well remember the celebration of the centennial in the 1960s. I was a high school student in my Deep South hometown. The junior-senior prom took the Gone With the Wind theme. There were Dixie rebel yells heard everywhere. My high school was still lily white. The major emphases and programs related to the centennial centered on military battles, Southern white heroes and the states rights issue. Looking back, it is no wonder that blacks saw little to celebrate.

READ MORE