Released: Friday, November 02, 2018

VAIB | Virginia Voice

Volume 10 | October 25, 2018 

Next ONE Voice for Liberties Conference will be September 26-27, 2019!

Future conference dates: Sep. 24-25, 2020   Sep. 23-24, 2021   Sep. 29-30, 2022

Strengthen

The 2019 General Assembly begins at noon on January 9 and ends on February 23. This is the time of year when my work will involve building and renewing relationships with the one hundred delegates and forty senators in Richmond. A few bills have already been introduced. I expect about two hundred will be introduced before January 9. As expected, bills seeking special protections for sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) have been introduced. With liberal groups pouring in money in support of this issue, I expect fierce attacks against VAIB and others who hold to traditional values. Last year ended with extreme vitriol. I expect this year to be a continuation of that hostility. 

VAIB will continue to work for churches and religious liberties. Currently, one bill has been introduced by Senator Dick Black to remove restrictions on churches as it relates to allowing guns for protection. This would help to remove any current confusion in this area. 

Educate

If you missed the ONE Voice for Liberties Conference, you missed a blessing! I was encouraged by the many positive comments regarding the speakers and music. Attorney Jeremy Dys (First Liberty Institute) provided crucial information for pastors and churches. The Darren Myers family (Freedom Focus Ministry) provided such uplifting music, and Darren gave a wonderful challenge to close out the conference. I want to extend my thanks to the outgoing moderator, Pastor Todd McClure, for his leadership on the steering committee and support for VAIB. Please pray for the new moderator, Pastor John Godfrey Jr, in leading VAIB to continue expanding its work.

As I mentioned last month, VAIB will be launching legal seminars across the state in April of 2019. David Gibbs III of the NCLL (National Center for Life and Liberty) will be teaching the legal seminars for us, and the NCLL will provide a legal hotline to churches that financially support VAIB. The tentative seminar schedule is:

• April 5 (Friday) in Richmond
• April 8 (Monday) in Virginia Beach
• April 9 (Tuesday) in Fredericksburg
• April 11 (Thursday) in Harrisonburg
• April 12 (Friday) in Roanoke

The tentative time frame for each seminar is 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch and materials will be provided.
The cost is $50 per person. If your church financially supports VAIB, you can attend for a discounted price of $35. Pastors and other church leaders will greatly enhance their understanding of legal issues facing church ministries. 

Involve

Our “14K Voices” campaign continues to add more folks to VAIB’s email list. Pastor, will you help VAIB? With elections occurring in November, this month is a great time to highlight VAIB by announcing to your congregation how they can sign up for emails and pray for our work at the General Assembly. You can put our website in the bulletin (www.vaib.org) and ask people to sign up online! If you need additional material to promote VAIB, please contact me at ealiff@vaib.org or call the office at 804-299-3986. Thank you! 

In Conclusion

There are probably over five hundred independent Baptist churches in the Commonwealth. Pastor, I believe your investment in VAIB is prudent. It’s better to be proactive than reactive. Preventing a problem is better than trying to fix a disaster. In spite of any differences, let’s be willing to work together so that we can maintain our independence.

Sincerely,
Eddy Aliff
Executive Director

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