News & Updates

Where do we go from here?

Where do we go from here?

“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost.” These words are the first lines of the movie the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, but they have resonated with me these last few weeks...

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What does it mean to resume worship?

What does it mean to resume worship?

What does it mean to resume worship? If you’re like me you’ve spent the last 14 months away from any physical church building. With the onset of COVID-19, I thought I was saying “goodbye” to church for a few weeks at most; a vacation of sorts that I was looking...

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Update from Hannah Turner!

Update from Hannah Turner!

Hannah Turner works with CBF through the Global Service Corps. The GSC is a two-year mission apprenticeship that provides an opportunity for graduates (29 years of age and younger) and retirees to: go and work alongside seasoned career Field Personnel & partners...

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Can We Stay Together? by Mark Snipes CBFVA Coordinator

Can We Stay Together? by Mark Snipes CBFVA Coordinator

I grew up in a small town in northwest Georgia. As a teenager, I went to church at a relatively large (for that area), conservative, Bapti-Costal Church where I was a faithful member. Though I am no longer in sync theologically with the church of my youth, I do...

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Student.Church Reflection  By Houston Blake, Summer Intern

Student.Church Reflection By Houston Blake, Summer Intern

When I was sixteen years old, I prayed the scariest prayer and told God, “Here I am. Send me.” Little did I know all the things that prayer would bring. From joining the Army straight out of high school to preaching my first sermon and interning during a pandemic, I...

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Blog – Radical Candor  by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

Blog – Radical Candor by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

As an image-conscious Enneagram Pattern 3, I confess radical candor is not my best gift. My tendency to shape-shift to be what the context demands sometimes means I shy away from boldly speaking truth. My son knows my tendency to be and play nice. After reading...

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Reflection:  Pastors’ School 2021

Reflection:  Pastors’ School 2021

Reflection by Kris Aaron, Senior Pastor, FBC Bristol On January 28, CBFVA held its annual Pastors’ School. The speaker, Dr. Anna Robbins, and the theme, Recalibrating Faith & Culture in a Post-Pandemic World, were both especially timely and helpful. Dr. Robbins...

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Our Plumb Line Moment by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

Our Plumb Line Moment by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

I was a teenager the first time I used a plumb line. My grandparents’ home in Owens Crossroads, AL, blew up when propane gas filled the house. Both my Dad’s parents were outside on opposite sides of the building when the blast occurred, and both ran inside to check on...

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A Biblical Basis for Advocacy Work

A Biblical Basis for Advocacy Work

Art Wright, Williamsburg Baptist Church What was Jesus up to during his earthly ministry? It is a question that all Christians must wrestle with as they try to understand what it means to follow him. We often read stories in the Gospels of what he said and did . . ....

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Reflecting on 2020—Lament & Celebration

Reflecting on 2020—Lament & Celebration

by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator   The opening words of almost every Christmas card and letter we received this year sounded similar: “2020 has been a difficult year.” I lament the devastating impact of COVID-19 – severe illness and death, physical distancing...

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BSK & Flexible Theological Education in Virginia

BSK & Flexible Theological Education in Virginia

BSK & Flexible Theological Education in Virginia Grateful for the Invitation Last year, a group of Virginia pastors and state CBF leaders began meeting to discuss theological education in Virginia, BSK was excited and honored to be invited into that conversation....

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A Baptist Experience at Union Presbyterian

A Baptist Experience at Union Presbyterian

By Ben Brown “So, tell me what kind of Baptist you are…” It was orientation day for the DMin program at Union Presbyterian, and we were channeled into breakout groups for brief introductions. I had introduced myself, and I was the only Baptist in the small group. “Not...

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PODCAST: Nurturing Faith in Community (with Terry Maples)

PODCAST: Nurturing Faith in Community (with Terry Maples)

Art Wright talks with Terry Maples about Nurturing Faith in Community, a new CBFVA resource for congregations. Nurturing Faith is a curriculum written by Terry, in which he proposes a paradigm shift for the way in which Christians and congregations approach spiritual...

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BLOG:  Presence  by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

BLOG:  Presence by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator

I could not believe my eyes or my ears! As I drove down the highway and switched to radio station 100.9 Jack FM (variety hits), I realized the format had changed. The name of the new format….wait for it….is Short Attention Span Radio. Nope, I’m not joking. A format...

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Pastors’ School 2021 with Dr. Anna Robbins

January 28, 10 am CBF’s annual Pastors’ School is set for Thursday, January 28, 2021, starting at 10:00 am. Because of the continual spread of the coronavirus, we are converting Pastors’ School to a virtual experience via Zoom.   The theme for Pastors’ School...

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