Annual Homecoming 2008

The messengers and guests of the churches that make up the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia will convene on November 10 and 11 at First Baptist Church, Roanoke for the 12^th Annual Homecoming. While many state conventions call their once-a-year business session a “meeting,” the SBCV integrates powerful preaching, dynamic music, and inspiring testimonies throughout its two-day event, thus calling it an annual “homecoming.”

Following up on last year’s theme of “Pushing Back the Darkness,” this year’s Annual Homecoming will emphasize prayer with the theme, “Pushing Back the Darkness through Prayer.” In order to penetrate the darkness in Virginia, churches will be encouraged to commit to intentional prayer and evangelism strategies. Four sub-themes on prayer will be covered, based on the acrostic, P.R.A.Y.

P – Praise

R – Repentance

A – Ask

Y – Yield

Each theme will be highlighted by personal testimonies and a designated speaker. The keynote speakers will be Dr. Tim Hight, pastor of Main Street Baptist Church and president of the SBCV; Dr. Junior Hill, career evangelist; Dr. Dave Earley, professor of church planting at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary; Dr. John Avant, pastor of First Baptist Church, West Monroe, LA and former vice president for evangelization at the North American Mission Board; and Dr. Jeff Ginn, executive director of the SBCV.

Rev. Paul Randlett (minister of music at Hyland Heights Baptist Church, Lynchburg) and the Annual Homecoming praise team will lead worship. Special music will be provided by The Sounds of Liberty, Charles Billingsley, This Hope, and combined choirs from First Baptist Church, Roanoke and Main Street Baptist Church, Christiansburg, under the direction of Dr. Joe Crider, minister of music at First Baptist Church, Roanoke.

New this year will be video prayer challenges from such ministry leaders as Dr. Henry Blackaby, founder and president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries International and author of Experiencing God; Dr. Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board; Dr. Geoff Hammond, president of the North American Mission Board; and Dr. Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Some forty churches will be receiving Eagle Awards for church planting, and two individuals will be honored with the Nehemiah Award for their contribution to the convention during the foundational years. Also new this year will be the presentation of the Macedonia Award for Cooperative Program giving and the Pentecost Award for baptisms. The names for these new awards are derived from Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, Paul praises the Macedonian believers for giving abundantly, despite their crushing poverty. In Acts 2:41, we learn that 3,000 were baptized on the day of Pentecost. These new awards will serve as an encouragement to churches for their commitment to evangelism and missions giving.

Messengers will witness the signing of the first inter-state partnership covenant agreement with the Dakota Baptist Convention. The executive directors of both conventions will be present for this historical moment.

Finally, Dr. Jeff Ginn will be commissioned as the new executive director of the SBCV. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Colonial Heights, where Dr. Ginn previously served as pastor, and the SBCV Search Committee chairman will commission Dr. Ginn, and Dr. Doyle Chauncey, former executive director, will pass the mantle of leadership to Dr. Ginn.

You will not want to miss this year’s Homecoming. This annual event is open to the public and is not limited to the allotted messengers for each church. Bring a large group from your church, arrive early, and join us for the traditional free fellowship lunch prepared by our local Disaster Relief team members (11:00 AM-12:30 PM, Nov. 10).

For more information, seminary and ministry luncheon and dinner schedules, and registration, visit www.sbcv.org.