What Really Matters to Our Students?

By Ann Carter

Student Ministry at Richmond’s First Baptist Church is a special place made up of amazing students. Not only are they really smart, delightful, funny and enthusiastic; they are courageous, vulnerable, open, inclusive and welcoming. They are especially eager to work hard on the things that matter to them. They have a clarity of vision and an uncanny ability to see through the masks we wear, and they are not afraid to point out when our actions don’t match our words.

While Dr. Somerville was on sabbatical I was invited to preach a sermon about why I do what I do. In that sermon, I gave you an insider’s peek into my minister’s heart when I shared the three things that ignite my curiosity, inspire my soul and motivate my work: 1) the church, 2) scripture, and 3) our students. I spent a good bit of time talking about scripture and the church and I shared a bit about how our students inspire me. Several of you have asked for more, wondering what our students are thinking and talking about. So here you go, a glimpse into the remarkable minds of our students:

Race – Our youth believe every human is an image bearer of God and they puzzle over those who do not acknowledge that systems of racism impact our nation even today. Equity and equality are very important to them. They are willing to look in the mirror and see how their attitudes and behaviors might harm others, and they are willing to listen, learn and change.

Diversity – Our students love that our youth group is diverse. Not only do they come from more than 30 different schools, they cross the political spectrum, their theologies vary, they are exploring their own identities and orientation, and many come from non-traditional families. They are involved in as many activities as there are people in the youth group and yet I challenge you to find a group that loves each other more or better than this one.

Human Rights – Our youth want the church to not only talk about human rights but to address the issues of the violation of human rights we encounter in our city and in our world. They don’t think that talking about human rights is political, they think it is about honoring the image of God in others, and about empowering, equipping and enabling individuals to thrive.

Justice – Our students are very clear that justice is the work of the church. They read it in the pages of scripture, they see it reflected in the character of God and in the work God does in the world. They believe that God intends that we (as individuals and as the church) treat all people with equity and it breaks their heart when they witness inequity in our world. Along with race and human rights, they do not view justice as political, rather they view it as part of the work to which God has called the church.

Service – Our students love to put their faith into action and they are hard workers. I have witnessed them replace roofs, demo kitchens, install cabinets, paint houses, and harvest vegetables with an energy and an enthusiasm I would love to bottle and sell. I have also witnessed them feed the hungry with generosity, engage those who are homeless with love and kind attention, and care for children with tenderness and care. What is remarkable is that they engage others with humility and an understanding that those we serve have dignity and value. They want to contribute to the world in ways that are significant and meaningful. We are not saviors, we are servants.

Sexuality – This may be the most pressing topic in student ministry these days. Each of our students know and love people in the LGBTQ community—some of them members of our group—who are not “normative” either in their gender or their sexuality. Our students believe that individuals do not choose their sexuality or their gender identity any more than they can choose the color of their eyes, their height, or the width of their feet. They are open and affirming – not necessarily of lifestyle, but of personhood worthy of God’s love, the love of each other and a place in the church. They love and accept their friends no matter their race, gender, sexuality, identity or political persuasion.

And here is what they want from their church, in their words (as articulated at our recent Fall Retreat):

• We want to hold space for “all sides” of the political aisle.
• We want to figure out ways to have conversations to honor all.
• We need more of Steve Blanchard’s Front Page Faith conversations! Our youth want to engage in these discussions about topics we’re reading about on the front page of the paper.
• We want there to be acceptance of different opinions.
• We want to get to know people in our church outside our age group (I love this one. They want to get to know you!)
• We want the church to make space for us in important conversations. Don’t leave us at the “kid’s table.”

In my sermon I said that we need to learn from our students. I am certainly doing that. Even though I am supposed to be their teacher, they teach me an awful lot about true and beloved community, authenticity, acceptance, and courage. They love each other well and their hearts are open to God and to the world God loves. It is beautiful to witness. It is a sacred privilege to bear witness to and to hold space for these students as they navigate life and faith. I hope you will join me in this sacred privilege; they want you to!

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Journey to the Deaf Mission at Richmond’s First Baptist Church

by Ken Storey

Imagine being born with all your senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. You are an active, energetic little boy of six. One day a storm door falls on you and you lose your hearing. From a bump on the head, albeit a big bump, you go from hearing to being deaf — in an instant! That’s the story of Dirk Hill, senior pastor for the Deaf Mission at Richmond’s First Baptist Church (FBC). 

Dirk’s parents were able to hear and didn’t know anything about sign language, so Dirk adapted by learning to read lips. He had learned to speak before the accident, but now he developed a slur. Dirk attended public schools in DeKalb, Texas, reading lips as he went. It wasn’t until later that he learned American Sign Language (ASL), the standard for deaf signing in America.

He came to know Christ at the Fall Creeks Baptist camp in June 1981 while in high school. After graduating in 1984, Dirk went to Southwest College for the Deaf and earned a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. After graduation, he went to work for the Federal Prisons in Texas as a Laboratory Technician.

Dirk started attending Trinity Baptist Church and soon began teaching Sunday School. It was during his experience as a teacher that he felt the call of the Lord to ministry. Not long after, he started attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his divinity degree. He was ordained at First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas.

At about the same time, he met and fell in love with Laura, who is also deaf. They married in June 1997 and have two children. Their daughter, Lexi, is deaf and is working towards a double major at Gallaudet University. Their son, Dakota, is hearing, but signs ASL. He is a student at Grand Canyon University in Arizona majoring in Christian Leadership with hopes to be a youth pastor.

Dirk pastored several churches in Texas and helped plant deaf churches before he accepted the call in 2019 to pastor the Deaf Mission at FBC. He loves the church members and believes that those who hear would benefit from the deaf worship experience.

There is a difference between a deaf minister preaching and a hearing minister preaching with someone signing. A deaf minister preaches with their whole body and, as any communication expert can tell you, body language is central to conveying a message. If you see a deaf minister preach through ASL signing, you get not only the words but the body language and inflection that goes along with the words. It is different from any other kind of preaching, and Dirk invites hearing people to come and experience it  for themselves. 

Before your come, know that because deaf people cannot hear music, they play it LOUD so they can FEEL the musical beat. When you visit, be prepared to feel the music in your chest; you may want to wear ear plugs.

In addition to more hearing people visiting the deaf ministry services, Dirk wants more deaf people in our community to know about the services at FBC. There are literally hundreds of deaf people in our community and beyond who simply do not know that the Deaf Ministry exists, or that “hearing” about Christ via ASL is available weekly at FBC. So spread the word whenever you can.

Learn more about FBC’s Deaf Mission and plan to join them to experience this type of worship for yourself!

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New Seasons, New Schedules, Same God of Love

By Allison Collier, Associate Pastor, Minister of Formation,
Richmond’s First Baptist Church (FBC)

Each time a new season approaches, I begin to get excited for the subtle changes that can often be felt before they can be seen: a still morning of peace before the first snowfall, the smell of flowers beginning to grow as the earth awakens in the spring and the warmth of the sunshine beaming through the window calling attention to the start of summer. Now, as fall approaches, I await the first, crisp, slightly-chilled, morning air that promises the swift cascade of leaves changing colors, pumpkins on doorsteps and apple spice that will soon linger on the tongue. Each season has a way of announcing its arrival, doing something different than the one before, and yet continuing to move us through time creating its own rhythm of old and new, birth and rebirth.

This fall while the seasonal rhythm changes outside, we’ll also change our FBC rhythm a bit. We’ll still gather on Sundays for Bible study and worship and Wednesdays will still be full of community building and discipleship opportunities for all ages, but we, too, have a chance to try something new: a new time to gather, a new study to be unlocked, and new friends to meet and get to know!

• We’ve extended meal time so that families have more time to arrive at the church and get a hot meal.
• Adults will share in a profound time in the Chapel each week around the theme “What’s Your Story.” We’ll hear Biblical stories unpacked, and lay members will share their personal stories of how God has impacted their life.
• We’ll provide children with the opportunity for recreation and a new, combined approach to missions and music.
• We’ll encourage students to eat together and engage in rich study, dialogue and activities that will build up their faith.
• Parents that long for connection can sit around a table and talk together.
• Small groups will offer a chance to learn a new skill, dive into personal growth areas, or pray for the needs of the church and community. 

We carefully thought through every detail so that times align to give each family the freedom to come as they are, engage where they are and be transformed into who God has called them to be.

Our staff worked hard, side by side, to listen to the needs of many groups within the church, cultivate an atmosphere of cooperation and flexibility, and to dream a way forward that honors tradition and meets the needs of tomorrow, and it’s been worth every minute. Even with a few changes, there is comfort in knowing the same God who loved us then, loves us now. The same God who created us in his image, is still molding us now. The same God whose story we love to hear is the story we will be sharing. The same God was and is and is to come!

Yes, a new season can be felt in the air outside. Yes, we’re trying new schedules inside. And yes, the same God that loves us and cares for us is the one whose story we want to share with the world.

Help us spread the story of that love in a new way this season.

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New Showers for our Homeless Friends

By Steve Blanchard

In 1999, a few years after arriving at Richmond’s First Baptist Church to serve as a minister, I began asking some of our homeless friends what services they could not find in the Richmond area. One of the main services mentioned was the need for a place to take a shower. After checking with various churches and agencies in the area, I found that indeed no one offered the homeless a place to take a shower.

In March 1941, FBC had dedicated an expansion to the original building which included an area in the then-new gymnasium that included several showers. However, over the years the area had become a storage area. Realizing that the need for showers for the homeless was so dire, we decided to clean up the area and modify the existing space a little to make the showers available to our homeless friends. For the next 15 years, FBC was the only place in town where the homeless could get a hot shower, well, mostly hot, except when it ran out because we averaged 40-plus showers a day, four days a week.

By 2016, we began to notice that the showers were really starting to deteriorate, despite the numerous efforts of patchwork we had done over the years to keep them available. One of our dedicated shower ministry volunteers, Buddy Hamilton, who worked every Wednesday morning, greeting our clients by name, giving them hugs and handing out towels, decided to start a campaign not only to refurbish these showers, but to renovate them completely. In fact, on one of the days Buddy was attending the shower, he asked our senior pastor, Jim Somerville, if he had seen the condition of the showers. Jim responded that he had, to which Buddy replied, “Would you want to take a shower down there?” When Jim said that, honestly, he would not, Buddy said, “We need to make it better for them.”

The ball began rolling, slowly at first, then, a little faster. Money was pledged, plans were drawn up and everyone involved worked to have the showers completely renovated so that we could give our friends, who happen to be homeless, the best we had to offer. On May 16, 2021, we dedicated our newly renovated shower facility. We now have eight private shower stalls, two of which are accessible for people with disabilities. The fully renovated space, with all new state-of-the-art materials and a brand-new HVAC system, will be available for use beginning in June. In addition to soap and shampoo, we will provide our clients with clean towels, new socks and new underwear at each shower session. And it’s not only the showers that have a new face but our waiting area as well.

Thank you to all who planned, worked, gave and prayed to make this part of our church beautiful, functional and a place to welcome our homeless friends.

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An Invitation to Engagement

By Andy Berry, Interim Minister of Engagement

Long before I returned to the staff at Richmond’s First Baptist Church, I had heard the words, “Bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond, Virginia.” This mission, which draws upon the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6, seemed to have been written on the hearts of the FBC staff, leaders and just about every member of the congregation. And it made its way outside of the walls of the church and into the community. It was a battle cry, an invitation to join God in this audacious calling.

In July 2020, as I attended my first staff meeting, I wondered, “How am I bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond, Virginia, and how can I invite others to do the same?” After all, this was the expectation of the Interim Minister of Christian Invitation. With that in mind, I began by asking a lot of questions, seeking to understand how the people of Richmond’s First Baptist Church were owning this mission. Trying to connect with and understand the congregation when there was no congregation, at least not in-person, proved difficult.

I began connecting online through the church’s Facebook group and with those worshiping via Facebook Live and the live stream each Sunday. What I found almost immediately was an infectious energy and passion for the church. These were engaged people. Even from afar, I could feel it! While part of my work did focus on inviting others into the church, I gravitated more toward what to do with them once they got here. How could we elevate the level of engagement for our congregation? How could we help the entire congregation have the same energy for the church and our mission that I was seeing in the Facebook comment section during the worship service? This was church. But it was online.

Precautions and restrictions brought about by COVID-19 have created new opportunities to examine our engagement as a church online, in a digital environment. All of a sudden there was live worship from home, small groups and Sunday school via Zoom and teleconference and Home Groups for students and children. The staff worked tirelessly to innovate and adapt in the current reality. However, I believe that these new avenues for worship, formation and community are not merely temporary solutions that will be abandoned when life “gets back to normal.” Rather they are sustainable ways to invite new people into the church and rethink the way current members engage in our mission.

Over the last two months, I have had conversations around the term, “Hybrid Church.” This simply means that a person can be an active participant in the life of the church either in-person, online or a mix of both. This picture was made a bit clearer at our February offering of Starting Point, the new once-a-month gathering for those new to Richmond’s First Baptist Church or those ready to take a next step in the life of becoming involved in the church. As the attendees introduced themselves, I was finally able to put a face with a name that I had known only through email and telephone calls, Hilda Vazquez. While it is noteworthy that Hilda is a friendly, energetic participant in the life of FBC, it is more noteworthy that she lives in New York. Hilda worships along with us each week from home via the Live Stream. She frequently comments about the beautiful music and inspired message along with her warm, weekly greeting. After learning more about our mission in Starting Point, Hilda was ready to take a next step in joining a small group Bible study with others who call FBC home. I have no doubt that Hilda is owning the mission of bringing the kingdom of Heaven to Richmond, Virginia … scratch that … to New York, New York.

This is the beauty and reach of hybrid church. Real worship, real connection and real formation in a digital space. Hilda’s story is just the beginning. Whether someone chooses to engage online because of health precautions, their work schedule or their distance from the church building, the staff and leaders are working hard in this season to prepare for this new reality of hybrid church. We have already taken steps to launch an online Connect Card for those worshipping through Facebook and Live Stream that provides next steps and the opportunity to share prayer concerns. As mentioned earlier, Starting Point has also launched, paving the way for newcomers to engage with the church in meaningful ways.

With this refined vision for engagement, both in-person and online, I began a new role as the Interim Minister of Engagement and am working closely with the Transition Team to shape this role for the eventual, permanent hire. No matter how someone engages with FBC in the future, we want them to own the mission. We want them to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to wherever they are. As I shared in a Commit to Give video recently, “We are not going to measure our success as a church by the number of people showing up on a Sunday. We are going to measure our success by how many people are showing up in the lives of others every week.”

God is at work and the church is on the move, even during this season apart. Moving forward, I invite you to consider how you might own this mission, how you might play a more active role in “being the church.” I invite you to pray for those who will one day call Richmond’s First Baptist Church home but may not regularly step foot in the building. Pray about how God may be leading you to bring the kingdom of Heaven to your digital space through social media, Zoom calls and email exchanges. Pray for our church as we enter into this new season together!

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Andy Berry is the Interim Minister of Engagement. After growing up at Richmond’s First Baptist Church and serving as an intern under Lynn Turner, Andy served in family ministry in churches in Charlotte, NC and Richmond, VA. He is passionate about the local church and works everyday to awaken wonder for God in the heart of every child and grownup he meets.

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Staff Bible Verses During the Pandemic

By Rodney Macklin

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us all in so many ways, and at times it has been hard to know how to move forward. Back in the late summer at a Leadership Staff planning retreat Lynn Turner asked everyone present to share a Bible verse that had given them hope, courage, or sustained them through the challenging days that all were facing. We’ve put together a video so that they can share in their own words some ways in which they have been able to navigate through these trying days.

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Rodney Macklin joined the FBC support staff in September of 2019 as the audio-video production technician. He graduated from James Madison University in 1996 with degrees in Mass Communications and English. His video production career has involved local and state government, news production and the private sector. Rodney lives in the West End with his wife Stacia and their two children, Logan and Natalie.

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An Undaunted Advent

By Phil Mitchell, Associate Pastor for Christian Worship

Advent, the upcoming season that encompasses the four Sundays before Christmas Day, is a time when the church’s worship focuses both on the birth of Christ and the Parousia (the second coming of Christ). During these four weeks, you are encouraged to pray, read the scriptures, reflect and thoughtfully consider the unthinkable… God in the flesh.

At Richmond’s First Baptist Church, we observe Advent every year. Celebrating the season together has always connected us in deep and powerful ways.

And then, the COVID-19 pandemic came on the scene and has reshaped everything, including our plans for Advent.

Since Advent is, at its core, a “journey,” we needn’t let our circumstances derail its message or meaning. Our current circumstances mean that Advent may not look the same, but we can still celebrate the birth of Christ!

Why should we resolve to discover and put into practice alternative ways to celebrate Advent? Would it be worth the extra effort? Couldn’t we just ignore Advent this year?

Marcus Aurelius, the second century Roman emperor, wrote, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” (Meditations, Book 5.20) This is profound and true. Let’s imagine a way through Advent that births new means and new meaning.

As you prepare for your journey through Advent, remember its place in the annual journey of the church. The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year and it would be a great time to renew a commitment to reading the Bible every day. The liturgical year that began on November 29, 2020 features readings from Mark. One can read through all of the Gospel of Mark in less than an hour!

Place an Advent wreath in your home. Whether you live alone or have a house full of family, using an Advent wreath is a perfect way to see the progression of the Advent season. Traditionally, the wreath is encircled with two purple candles, one pink candle, and one more purple candle, all surrounding a white candle (the Christ candle) in the center of the wreath. Here are a few websites to help:
https://www.flumc.org/newsdetail/resources-for-advent-home-worship-6532688
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/advent-wreath

Emphasize an Advent “gift” to focus on giving each week. Each candle in an Advent wreath represents a symbol of the key emphasis for worship on that day. The first Sunday of Advent (November 29) represents hope; the second Sunday (December 6) represents peace; the third Sunday (December 13) represents joy; and the fourth Sunday (December 20) represents love. Perhaps during the week of November 29^, you could give the gift of hope to others through words and deeds. For the week of December 6, spread peace in your own context by being an agent of peace – be a calming presence, repair an injured relationship, get involved in an organization or initiative that fosters peace. Be a joyful presence in someone’s life. Be creative in the ways you allow your life to reflect the symbols of the Advent candles.

Advent has historically been a time of reflection and repentance. Consider making an “Advent jar” that would house small pieces of paper, with habits, actions and sins that you acknowledge and offer to God. Destroy them on Christmas Day as a celebration of Jesus, God’s life-restoring Redeemer.

Read something new that will enrich your spiritual journey during the season. Perhaps you are already reading: Awaiting the Already, Magrey deVega, Abingdon Press, 2018.

Other good possibilities:
Longing for Enough in a Culture of More, Paul Escamilla, Abingdon Press, 2007
Mark for Everyone, N. T. Wright, Westminster John Knox Press, 2004
Sacred Thirst, M. Craig Barnes, Zondervan, 2001

Perhaps you could incorporate some simpler practices to enrich your Advent. Some ideas are to save a dollar a day (or more) and give it to someone you don’t know on Christmas Day. Or you could make a Chrismon ornament and put it on your tree. A Chrismon is a Christmas decoration with a Christian symbol. Chrismon ideas are found on the following website: https://www.umcs.org/chrismons/making.htm

Finally, there are still ways to participate in the Advent journey with your church family. Here are a few:

• Sunday Morning worship in-person (with a reservation) or participate in worship on fbcrichmond.org/watch or Facebook page.
• Wednesday evening speakers and services.
• FBC Virtual Christmas Concert on Wednesday, December 23 at 7:00 p.m.
• Christmas Eve celebration outdoors in the Courtyard at 5:00, 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. (with a reservation)

Complete details for FBC Advent emphasis are at fbcrichmond.org/advent.

“What stands in the way becomes the way.” Let’s walk the Advent journey… together.

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Family Fellowship at Fall Retreat

By Michael Lacy

The annual fall retreat is an important event in the Student Ministry at Richmond’s First Baptist Church. During fall retreat, middle and high school students get away from everyday life to focus on their relationship with each other and the Lord. For our FBC youth, fall retreat also serves as the beginning of the Student Ministry year when rising high schoolers are welcomed into the group. The senior class of the year serves as the leaders of the group and participates in a special ceremony where each new student is given a blessing similar to an ordination ceremony.

This year, given the COVID-19 pandemic, fall retreat was a little different for the 35 students and their families who traveled to the Watermarks Camp in Scottsville, VA. Instead of the students and leaders sleeping in cabins and sharing bathrooms, families were invited to participate with each having their own cabin, bus or tent, along with a bathroom to use for the weekend. All activities were held outside, and social distancing and masks were the norm. In addition, we gave families several meal options for the weekend. Watermarks provided individually wrapped meals or families could bring their own meals. Families also could choose to stay for one night or two, or just come for the scheduled day activities and then return home.

The scheduled activities included a large group time with parents and youth together; focused parent, youth and younger sibling time; and free time activities. Parents and youth played paint ball, climbed high ropes, worked together to break out of an escape room, swam in the lake, played corn hole, rode skateboards, played gaga ball and/or just sat and had fellowship. In my opinion, there is no better way to build community than sitting in a swing and talking, and we did a lot of that.

One of the most exciting events on this fall retreat was the baptism of two of our youth, Claire Rumuly and Lola Jenkins. Pastor Jim Somerville, with his wife Christy, made the trip to Watermarks on Saturday to perform the ceremony. It was an idyllic day with the sun reflecting off the ripples of the lake. A truly spiritual moment came as Pastor Jim lowered Claire and Lola into the waters of the James River, and then lifted them up into their new life in Christ.

After dinner together, many of us reminisced about our own baptism. We then separated into small groups once more, with parents gathered around one bonfire and students gathered around another in a nearby field. Immediately following devotion and conversation, the Watermarks staff brought out individually packaged s’mores to roast over the campfire. After s’mores and more conversation, parents and students loaded onto a camp bus to go explore a corn maze. Some decided to just remain by the fire to continue to fellowship or read.

Fall retreat has been an anticipated event by the students of the FBC youth program. This time not only did the students and leaders benefit from the experience, but also their families. We provided siblings the chance to play in a safe environment and be in community with others, and parents got the opportunity to fellowship with each other and get a much-needed break away from stressors back home. The weekend was topped off by a sermon from Andy Berry that spoke to the new and miraculous thing God has in store for us. He took it from our theme verse this year, Isaiah 43:18-19: “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The weekend was fun and spirit filled. I would like to thank all those who participated and made this retreat one of the best I have ever attended.

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Michael Donovan Lacy has served FBC as a Deacon and is currently the Student Ministry Assistant. He has lived in three different countries and loves experiencing different cultures and cuisines. Michael is married to Shawnae Lacy and they have two biological children Darius, 22 and Justin, 17. This year they finalized the adoption of Tia, 5 and Leo, 3.

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FBC Endowment Fund Inc.

By Jim Norvelle

In December 1910, the Pastor at Richmond’s First Baptist Church, Dr. George W. McDaniel, announced in his annual message to the congregation that two elderly members “of moderate means” had made a generous donation to create an endowment fund.

During the 110 years since then, bequests, gifts, and wise and careful management of those gifts have enabled the First Baptist Church Endowment Fund Inc. to fulfill its purpose—to support the missions and ministries of the church.

The Endowment Fund supports eight ministries of the church, along with the church’s capital needs such as infrastructure and equipment:

• FBC Community Ministry — The fund provides 50 percent of the annual operating budget for the church’s Community Ministry. This includes The Farms at Charlotte Acres, Food Pantry, Clothes Closet, Shower Ministry and Grace Fellowship, among others.

The Farms at Charlotte Acres

• Television and Communication Ministry — In 1991, an anonymous donor contributed a very significant sum for support of the television ministry and other programs. Today the fund provides 80 percent of the operating budget of this ministry.

• Music Ministry — The fund supports major capital needs such as renovation of the Sanctuary organ, purchase of other instruments, and choir concert tours and mission trips.

• Education and Scholarship — Over the years, church members and Bible classes have donated funds for the church’s Scholarship Team to distribute to college undergraduate and seminary students. While investing and administering those dollars, the fund also contributes to the First Baptist Preschool, the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, Bluefield College, the Virginia Union University School of Theology and others.

• New Churches — The fund supports new churches in the greater Richmond area, Virginia and beyond.

• Missions — First Baptist Church has been a missions-focused church throughout its history, and offers national and international mission opportunities to its youth and adult members throughout the year. The fund provides up to 50 percent of the cost to church members going on first time mission trips and some supplies. It supports annual summer youth mission trips and has provided up to 50 percent of the cost for youth to attend Baptist World Alliance Youth Conferences, which occur every five years. The fund also supports the River City Faith Network, the Baptist General Association of Virginia and its entities and the Baptist World Alliance.

Students on mission

• Recreation Ministry — The fund supports the church’s activities and programs such as basketball leagues, volleyball, pickleball and summer camps for children.

• Richmond Community Ministry Missions — The fund provides support for more than a dozen local ministries (particularly for those providing food and shelter), the Boy Scouts, the Virginia Home, and the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls.

The Endowment Fund also provided the resources for the 2020 Vision Project, such as The Farms at Charlotte Acres.

A board of managers, all members of the church, determines the fund’s investment policy and how to distribute its resources. The board members are: Susan Beach, Kim Boys (treasurer), Virginia Darnell (secretary), Charlotte Evans, Linn Kreckman, Mark Larson, Michael Lipford (vice president), James “Jim” Markham, Burton “Mac” Marshall, Jim Norvelle (president), Julia Scott, Clint Smith, Lee Stephenson and Charles Tilley. Carl Johnson is president emeritus. Our pastor, Dr. Jim Somerville, serves as consultant to the board.

Two other church members serve for one year as visiting board members to increase the awareness of the Endowment Fund among the church. This year’s visiting board members are Leslie Beale and Ralph Brickey.

FBC seeks your contributions to the Endowment Fund and its planned giving ministry in the form of gifts, bequests, investment securities or property. For more information, please contact Jim Norvelle, president, or Kim Boys, treasurer, FBC Endowment Fund Inc., in care of the church finance office.

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Ready, Set, Re-invent the Church!

By Jim Somerville

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, ninety-two people gathered for worship in the Sanctuary of Richmond’s First Baptist Church. Four days earlier, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a “global pandemic.” The next day, March 12, the governor of Virginia declared a state of emergency. But there we were on March 15, trying to sing the hymns and say the prayers and listen to the sermon as if everything was normal.

It was not.

Our COVID-19 response team decided to suspend all gatherings at First Baptist Church for at least the next two weeks, which meant that we had to figure out how to produce a worship service for the following Sunday that could be streamed on our website and broadcast on Channel 8 without a congregation or choir. And then there were all those other things to think about. What about Sunday school? What about Wednesday night supper? What about staff meeting on Tuesday morning?

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and in this case it was. We scrambled to get a TV crew together to record the worship service on Sunday, March 22. Steve Booth began to reach out to Sunday school teachers who were willing to try meeting with their classes on conference calls, or on the “Zoom” platform. Phil Mitchell called off choir rehearsal and began to look for every talented soloist and instrumentalist he could find. Steve Blanchard searched for ways to continue the church’s Compassion ministry when we couldn’t let people in for showers. Ann Carter and Candi Brown were faced with the daunting prospect of ministering to youth and children “virtually.” Ralph Starling’s ministry of outreach ground to a halt while Lynn Turner’s ministry of prayer reached a whole new level. Personally, I was waking up at 3:30 every morning trying to figure out how to re-invent the church.

But two weeks into it we began to see the upside. Attendance was up! Since many of their own churches were closed more people than ever were tuning in to our webcast and broadcast. Our deacons reached out in those early days, trying to call every single member of the church just to make sure they were okay. Sunday school teachers rose to the challenge, and began providing opportunities for Bible study and discussion that were surprisingly successful. I started a private Facebook group, just for the members and friends of First Baptist, that grew from 500 on the first day to more than 1,000. I also started offering a Wednesday night Bible study to fill that gap in our schedule even as our own Beanie Brooks began posting Wednesday night supper recipes.

And then the true miracle: giving was up! Our members and friends seemed to understand our anxiety about meeting the budget when we couldn’t pass the plate. They began to give online, and give generously. I was bracing myself for the first financial report, and when it turned out we were ahead of our usual giving I could hardly believe it. What a church!

We don’t want to do this forever. Some of us are more than ready to be back in our beautiful building for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. Those warm hugs and friendly pats on the back are often what keep us going. Still, we can be grateful that in this unusual time we have stayed connected as a church family. We have gone deeper in our love for God and wider in our love for neighbor. I continue to pray that we will come out of this crisis “better and stronger than ever.”

It seems impossible.

But as I remind myself each time I pray that prayer: nothing is too hard for God.

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