BGAV
Last week my wife and I attended the 201st meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV). The meeting was held at First Baptist Church of Alexandria. Pictured here is Wayne Faison, the Executive Director of the BGAV, delivering the closing sermon.
It was 40 years ago this month that I attended my first annual meeting while I was on staff at Chestnut Hill Baptist Church in Lynchburg. That meeting was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Over the years we have met in Roanoke, Richmond, Williamsburg, Woodbridge, Salem, Virginia Beach, and Hampton. This was the first year we’ve met in Alexandria since I have been attending.
I have always loved going to the annual meeting. Messengers from participating churches across the commonwealth meet to elect officers, vote on resolutions, hear reports from the various agencies of the association, and worship.
I have fond memories of seeing friends from college and seminary, catching up with former church members, and going out for dinner after the business of the day. I loved touching base with Alden Hicks, the pastor at Chestnut Hill where I was his associate pastor. I loved seeing Kirk Lashley, my campus minister when I was at Averett College. I loved watching Bill Cumbie, Executive Director of Mount Vernon Baptist Association, acting as moderator for the business sessions.
I have to say, this year’s meeting was different. I didn’t recognize as many faces as I used to. Almost all of my college and seminary friends have retired. Alden, Kirk, and Bill are all deceased. It used to be that you would use a book of ballots to vote on motions. Now, you vote through an app that is on your phone. In the old days, every worship service included the old familiar hymns. This year, several of the worship experiences featured songs I had never heard before.
Every year, there is a memorial service on the last day of the meeting to honor those from the association who have passed away in the last year. I was a little shaken to see the photos of colleagues I did not know had died.
So, this was an emotional meeting for me. Things aren’t like they used to be. But that doesn’t mean it was not a good meeting! I learned a little about the new organizational structure of the association. I was introduced to new people, I listened to some excellent speakers, and I experienced awesome worship.
I’m not sure how many more of these annual meetings I will be attending. Retirement is on the horizon in the next few years. But I am glad I had the opportunity to add this meeting to my collection of memories. I hope you will join me in praying for the work of the BGAV.
