Norfolk Association's Conservative Churches Hold Joint Service

by    A. C. Smith                                                                                                                                    Vol. VII, No. 7, September 1994

Virginia Beach, July 31: About 600 people gathered at Kempsville Baptist Church here on a rainy Sunday evening for a joint worship service which included praise, hymns, a mass choir, singing groups, and preaching.

Sponsored by 17 different churches, the service grew out of disappointment with the Norfolk Baptist Association over its Women's Missionary Union bringing Keith Parks to speak at its spring meeting. Parks is now a coordinator for the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Ron Lee, pastor of Princess Anne Plaza Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, made a motion at the Norfolk Association's last meeting which said in effect that only Southern Baptist speakers should be promoted for speaking engagements by the association. Park's picture and speaking engagement were promoted on the front of the association's newsletter. Lee's motion, which also asked the association to commit itself to the Southern Baptist Convention, was tabled by opponents.

“It's great to be with people who really believe the book," said Lee. "This is the first meeting like this I've been in where everyone believed in the complete inerrancy of Scripture."

Evangelist Mark Stone brought the message at the worship service. Described by Jim Bradshaw as a Paul to the young Timothies of the area, Stone spoke from Ephesians six on the armor of God. Stone, an alumnus of Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary, was greeted with applause as he approached the pulpit to present his sermon.

The response of attendees was positive following the meeting.

"People have been asking me when we're going to have the next one," said Bradshaw, who is pastor of Norview Baptist Church in Norfolk.

The meeting was sponsored by the Tidewater Pastors Fellowship, which is made up of conservative Southern Baptist pastors in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area. The pastors fellowship meets monthly, and it has already had a banquet for pastors and their wives.