STAFF CHANGES

• Jeff Sowers, to Real Life Community Church, Fredericksburg, as lead pastor.

• Ron Wehman, to Falmouth Church, Falmouth, as minister of worship.

• Kevin Carter, resigning as associate pastor of education and youth at Chancellor Church, Fredericksburg.

• Rudy Jones, resigning as minister of education at Oakland Church, Roanoke.

• Jonathan and Audrey Davis, resigning as children’s minister and worship/ youth minister at Sandston Church, Sandston, to accept full-time positions in League City, Texas.

• Willie Kiepper, to Villa Heights Church, Roanoke, as minister of administration and education.

• Chris Lugo, to Falmouth Church, Falmouth, as full-time minister of students.

• Dwight Hanna, to Roanoke Avenue Church, Roanoke, as youth director.

RETIREMENT

• Ray Jones has retired as pastor of Wise Church, Wise, after having served as pastor there for 27 years.

CHURCH EVENT

• Sunbeam Church, Franklin, will celebrate its 103rd anniversary May 3. Former pastor Kenneth Williams will speak at the 11 a.m. service. A covered-dish lunch will follow.

REVIVALS/HOMECOMINGS

• Fairlawn Church, Fairlawn; revival May 3-7; Jerry Burgess, evangelist.

• First Church, Coeburn; revival April 26-29; Mark Elmore, evangelist.

• Hampton Church, Hampton; revival May 3-5; F. Scott Spencer, evangelist.

• Mount Hermon Church, Danville; revival May 3-6; Francois Carr of South Africa, evangelist.

• Spring Hill Church, Cobbs Creek; marketplace evangelism weekend, May 1-3.

OTHER

• The Virginia Baptist Women’s Chorale will be in concert Saturday, April 25 at Sharon Church, King William, at 6:30 p.m.

• The Virginia Baptist Library Association will hold its spring conference May 15-17 at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center. The theme is “51 and Growing ... the Best is Yet to Come!” and will emphasize how libraries can reach communities. Several guests will teach classes and an author will give her testimony and have a book signing. Details at www.vachurchlibrary.org. Register directly with Eagle Eyrie, www.eagleeyrie.org.

DEATHS

• John D. Bowman, former Virginia Baptist pastor, died March 22 in Mt. Airy, N. C. He had served as pastor of Doe Run Church, Ararat; Mayo Mountain Church, Claudville; and Rome Church, Hillsville, in addition to several churches in North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Rada B. Noah Bowman; a daughter; two sons; seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; six sisters and a brother. A funeral service was held March 24 at Antioch Church in Mt. Airy, N.C.

• Former Virginia Baptist pastor James Thomas Cravens died Feb. 24 in Dallas, Texas. Following seminary he came to Virginia to start a new work in Northern Virginia. Working with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, he became the first pastor of Providence Church in McLean. Later he served as pastor of Bethany Church, Callao; Liberty Church, Appomattox; and Walnut Grove Church, Montvale. He also served as minister of education at West End Church, Petersburg. Cravens also served as director of missions for four district associations– Strawberry, Lynchburg, Henry County and Shenandoah. He is preceded in death by his wife, Ann Thomas Cravens. He is survived by a son, James E. Cravens; two daughters, Karen Cravens and Gina C. Felt; and seven grandchildren.

• William Owen Dillard Jr., former Virginia Baptist pastor, died April 8 in Richmond. He had served as pastor of Webber Memorial Church, Richmond; Irvington Church, Irvington; and retired from Parham Road Church, Richmond, with 24 years in the pulpit. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Mattox Dillard; two sons, David Owen and Spencer Mattox Dillard; a sister and two nieces. A funeral service was held April 11 at Parham Road Church, Richmond.

• Iris Deane Starkey died March 20 in Roanoke at the age of 90. She served as minister of music in churches in Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, and her home church, Waverly Place in Roanoke, three times. She was children’s choir coordinator at First Church Roanoke, for 17 years until her retirement. In 1980 she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for services in church music ministries by New Orleans Theological Seminary. She is survived by her sister, Madalone Austin; a brother, Posey L. Starkey; and numerous nieces and nephews. A funeral service was held March 23 at Waverly Place Church, Roanoke.

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