by David Washburn, BGAV Treasurer

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This Advent season, I find myself reflecting on the profound truth at the heart of Christmas: God’s willingness to enter fully into our reality. The incarnation wasn’t a distant gesture—it was God with skin on, sharing our joys and bearing our burdens, walking alongside us in the dust and complexity of human life.

This Christmas, I’m deeply grateful for how BGAV churches embody this same incarnational ministry. You’ve shown up in communities across Virginia with genuine presence—sitting with the grieving, welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, rebuilding homes destroyed by floods, and proclaiming hope. You’ve been Christ with skin on in your neighborhoods.

The Christmas story reminds us that God’s greatest gift came wrapped in vulnerability. Mary and Joseph had no guarantee of safety. The shepherds were society’s overlooked. Yet each played their part in God’s unfolding plan, and their faithful response changed everything.

BGAV churches mirror this same faithful response. In a year when many have faced financial strain and cultural pressure, you’ve continued giving sacrificially. You’ve sent mission teams, supported church plants, and resourced ministers—not from surplus but from faith, trusting that God multiplies what we offer in obedience.

I’ve witnessed pastors pouring themselves out week after week. I’ve seen volunteer leaders juggling full-time jobs while faithfully serving. I’ve watched churches stretch limited budgets to meet both local needs and support our shared mission. Your generosity isn’t measured merely in dollars—it’s evident in time given, prayers offered, and doors opened to ministry.

The theological beauty of Christmas is that God didn’t wait for ideal conditions. The first Christmas happened during occupation, political turmoil, and economic hardship. Yet into that messy reality, God sent the Light of the World. The darkness couldn’t overcome it then, and it won’t overcome it now.

We’re navigating our own challenging season, yet I see the same light breaking through in your faithful ministry. You’re not waiting for easier times—you’re faithfully present in this moment.

Your partnership enables ministry multiplication across Virginia and beyond. These aren’t obligations fulfilled grudgingly—they’re expressions of faith that we’re stronger together, just as the body of Christ has always functioned.

This Christmas, I want you to know you’re seen and valued. Not just for what you give, but for who you are—faithful congregations living out the incarnational ministry that the Christmas story inaugurated. Your perseverance reflects the same Spirit that empowered Mary to say “yes” to God’s impossible plan.

As we celebrate Emmanuel—God with us—let’s remember that God remains with us still. The same presence that filled that Bethlehem stable fills your sanctuaries. The same grace announced to shepherds continues speaking through your faithful witness.

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel. Thank you for believing that what God started in a manger continues today through ordinary people who trust an extraordinary God. Merry Christmas to each congregation in BGAV. The Light still shines, and you carry it faithfully into a world that desperately needs what only Jesus can give.