Virginia VOICE December 2015
Released: Sunday, January 03, 2016
Dear Friend,
The Virginia Voice is usually sent to supporting churches. However, this letter is being sent to all the independent Baptist churches in Virginia to announce our next yearly meeting and to give a review of the year. If your church does not support VAIB, will you prayerfully consider doing so?
Preparing for the 2016 General Assembly Session
With the expectation of over 2,700 pieces of legislation being introduced, there will be much to do as the start of the General Assembly session rolls around on January 13. To date, several hundred bills have been reviewed. It is clear that efforts are under way to remove or change good laws. You can view bills being covered by VAIB on our web site under “Legislative Update” which can be found at http://vaib.org/education/legislative-update/.
I have been in meetings related to school choice and protecting religious liberties to determine if legislation is needed to help in these areas. Pray for VAIB’s success as “your voice for Christian liberties” both at the General Assembly and in other government venues.
CapitolALERTS
Pastor, if you have not yet done so, please ask your people to sign up for our email alert system. To date, we have over 1,400 people signed up for CapitolALERTS. Help us reach our goal of 14,000!!!
Ask your people to go to our website, www.vaib.org, to sign up online today!
2015 in Review Stay up to date as a VOICE for Christian liberties, like us on Facebook.com/VAIB.ORG.
As we look back over 2015, we rejoice to see how good God has been. We were able to schedule many non-supporting churches, as well as several one-on-one meetings with pastors.
- How thankful we are for six new churches that see the value of VAIB and began support!
- How thankful we are for improved finances this year!
- How thankful we are for those willing to be involved through CapitolALERTS!
- How thankful we are for those who pray for VAIB!
- How thankful we are that God has used VAIB since 1977 to be an influence for godly values and religious liberties in the General Assembly and other government venues!
During the 2015 General Assembly session, we were, for the most part, pleased with the results. Out of the 2,700 pieces of legislation introduced:
- We supported twenty-three bills, and eight passed.
- We opposed forty bills, and only two passed!
In the coming year, we again expect much of our work to be in preventing passage of bad legislation. Thanks to recent elections, we believe there is a majority of legislators who stand for the same values as VAIB. We’ll know better as legislators cast votes on upcoming bills.
No matter the circumstances, we can always trust God to be our help.
Personal Notes
We have settled in well into our new home and look forward to having our entire family here during Christmas! Also, Carol and I want to express our humble appreciation for the many churches which have sent us Christmas gifts and offerings. “Thank you!”
If you wish to send mail to Eddy and Carol personally, our address is: 11108 Old Farmhouse Ln, Glen Allen, VA 23059. All VAIB mail should be sent to: PO Box 6686, Ashland, VA 23005.
2016 VAIB Schedule in Development
We have already begun lining up churches for 2016. If you want to schedule Eddy to present the ministry or bring an update to your church, contact the VAIB office, at 804-299-3986 or at ealiff@vaib.org.
Pray for us as we continue to be “your voice for Christian liberties.”
Sincerely,
Rev. Eddy Aliff
Executive Director
Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists