by Wayne Faison

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I’ve learned over my 30+ years of ministry that sometimes the most important work begins with a conversation. That spirit shaped the BGAV Pastors & Partners Networking Luncheon on June 15, 2026, at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards, where pastors, ministry leaders, and community partners from across Southwest Virginia gathered to listen, learn, and imagine what God might be calling us to do together.

Guided by BGAV’s vision of a Heart for the Not Yet, our conversation centered on Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. We reflected on an important question: What if the Church not only cared for those wounded along the Jericho Road, but also worked together to address the conditions that made the road so dangerous in the first place? This question inspired a hopeful challenge to imagine a “new Jericho Road” marked by healing, opportunity, and restored dignity.

As participants shared stories around tables, familiar challenges emerged. We heard how churches continue to encounter neighbors facing food insecurity, housing shortages, addiction, mental health struggles, foster care needs, and the lasting effects of economic transition across Appalachian communities. Yet our conversation never settled on problems alone. Instead, our conversation turned toward possibility.

Most importantly, we affirmed that no single church or organization can meet these needs alone. Lasting impact will require deeper collaboration among our congregations, ministry partners, and community leaders. Rather than creating new ministries, many expressed a desire to strengthen existing partnerships, share information, and focus collective energy on a few priorities where churches can make a measurable difference together.

We also celebrated our faithful partners already serving throughout the region, including HopeTree, Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia, Fairview Housing, Communities in Schools of Virginia, Food City, and many local ministries whose work is bringing hope every day.

This network luncheon concluded not with a finished plan, but with renewed relationships and a shared conviction that God is already at work across Southwest Virginia. As conversations continue around regional collaboration, an Appalachian Awareness Conference, and shared ministry priorities, one thing was clear: when God’s people gather with open hearts and open hands, hope grows stronger together.

I am looking forward to having more of these collaborative conversations at our next BGAV Pastors & Partners Network luncheon, which will be held next month in the Tidewater Region.

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Rev. Dr. Wayne Faison is BGAV’s executive director.

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