by Wayne Faison, BGAV Executive Director

‍

My mother taught me that when people do something nice for you, you should always say thank you. Her reasoning was simply the notion that people do not have to be nice to you. So I would like to take this opportunity to thank my BGAV family for such a wonderful annual meeting held on November 10-12 at Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, Virginia.

This year’s annual meeting was such a spirited meeting, focused on the theme “Mission Forward,” and based on Philippians 3:14. I would like to personally thank Tim Brown, Cindy Wiles, and Karl Johnson for answering the call to proclaim the gospel as it related to “Mission Here,” “Mission There,” and “Mission Everywhere,” respectively. Tim’s encouraging words, about how every local church can be empowered by the Spirit of God to make a missional difference through their various ministries, did my heart good. Cindy’s powerful words, about how every local congregation can make a missional difference in the community in which they reside, helped me to reflect on the ministry opportunities available to my own church. Karl’s transformational words, about how every local church can become the transformative presence of Christ in a world that so desperately needs to hear some good news, encouraged me to continue to press on toward the high calling of God.

As I continue to reflect on how spiritually invigorating this year’s annual meeting was, I can’t help thinking about the wonderful hospitality shown to us by the staff team of Highlands Fellowship Church. For every smiling face, thank you. For every kind word, thank you. For every helping hand, thank you. For every door held open as we entered, thank you. For every time you asked me if I needed anything, thank you. For every handshake and holy hug, thank you. For helping us set things up, and for helping us take things down, thank you. For experiencing together this year’s first winter snow, thank you. I can’t say thank you enough for your graciousness, your servitude, and your being there to monitor and meet our every need. I truly thank God for each and every one of you. May God richly bless you for your public display of kindness.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our BGAV churches, partners, leaders, guests, and staff for making this year’s annual meeting such a magnificent success. Whether you were with us in person, via livestream, or in spirit and prayer, your presence made all the difference in the world.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to press on towards what God has in store for us as Virginia Baptists. I feel extremely encouraged and empowered to keep on following Jesus and the plans he has for us for such a time as this. I am confident, in accordance to Philippians 1:6, that “He who has begun a good work in us, will complete it in the end,” as we continue to become greater agents of mission together impacting God’s kingdom locally, nationally, and globally.

‍