If you are responsible for music and worship at your church, chances are that you have had to get creative with what you offer your congregations since the pandemic began in mid-March of this year. A quick Google search of any terms related to "music and worship challenges during a pandemic" will result in scores of articles on the subject of what churches have been facing, and those in charge of music and worship have had to pivot quickly in order to keep their churches active and engaged in meaningful ways. For most, livestreaming their services in some form has become a regular practice--even if they had never tried it before.

Even as health protocols have started to allow congregations to begin gathering again in limited ways, a dual worship environment may be here to stay since many pastors report that their outreach has increased exponentially because of their online presence--enabling people in any location to connect with them and participate regularly. What does this new reality look like for our pastors, ministers of music, and lay leaders in music and worship?

We hope you will join us during this year's BGAV annual meeting for a special breakout session on how to handle music and worship during this unprecedented time, led by Roger McGee. Watch a video from Roger to see more about what you can expect from his breakout session on November 10.

First Baptist Church of Alexandria is going to Beirut to see our friends at the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development. The LSESD is ministering among the over one million refugees in their country. Go along to see how they are being the hands and feet of Jesus to the truly vulnerable. At the end of the hour together there will be instructions on how to engage more deeply with what God is doing in Lebanon. Register now!

Manassas Baptist Church will travel virtually to Austria, where projekt:gemeinde (“project church”) in Vienna, and Linz Baptist Church, among others, are opening their lives to refugees, sharing time and resources to help their new neighbors become “at home”. The Baptist refugee integration work has done and continues to host long-term volunteers from the BGAV, and many faces on this Virtual Mission Trip will be familiar to you. Register now!

*Both of these Virtual Mission Trips will also be available for viewing live on the BGAV Partnership Missions Facebook page.

Join us at First Baptist Church in Nickellsville, VA, or virtually via Zoom for Crisis Care Chaplain training this Friday-Saturday, October 2-3. The cost is $125 per person. Register online now!

With this year's annual meeting on November 9-10 being held online, we have even more opportunities this year to feature you--our churches! We want to highlight the great Kingdom work that you have been doing this year, especially during these challenging months of the pandemic we're still facing - especially related to creative worship, meaningful services, or any new ministries that may have arisen during this time.

We hope to get a lot of videos, so we can share some on our meeting website and some during our gathering session broadcast on November 9. If you have a video featuring your church's work, email us the link! If you have the video file but it's not online anywhere, email Jennifer Law to arrange a way to send it. Please submit your content by this Thursday, October 1.

This year, the Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions is meeting real needs in real time. View allocations, read stories, download resources, apply for grants, and donate online at AlmaHunt.org!

September 30, 2020

October 2-3, 2020

Nickelsville, VA (with virtual option)

October 15, 2020

October 17, 2020

Kairos Collegiate/Young Adult Fall Gathering (online gathering)

October 23-25, 2020

November 9-10, 2020

December 5, 2020

Use code BGAV15OFF for $15 off!