Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504030010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
When he preached on ``The Secret Ingredient of Success'' last Sunday, Burton might well have been speaking of himself as he described really successful people as the ones who know what their God-given gift is and work to develop it,
He's a positive-thinking person who knows at least minimally, he said, everyone in his congregation of about 325. He can call a toddler by name, affirm the greeting of a white-haired woman at the door and banter with Baptist Student Union members from nearby Radford University.
As for where the church stands in the national controversy between the convention's more and less doctrinally conservative members, Burton said he just tries to stay in the middle. As a partner in Highlands Association of regional Southern Baptists and the Virginia Baptist General Association, First Baptist continues to support the national convention - at least at present. Burton, however, is aware that many of his members are behind the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a group which takes a ``moderate'' stand on Scripture interpretation and such issues as personal behavior, and separation of church and state.
Burton did not deal with politics in any way last Sunday. His theme, taken from the Luke 13 passage of a barren fig tree, was more a motivational effort for believers to allow Jesus to help them bring out the best in themselves.
Christ asks no more than that each one use the gifts bestowed. People who have succeeded - including such notables as Ludwig van Beethoven, Enrico Caruso, Louisa May Alcott, F.W. Woolworth and Walt Disney, all of whom were told in youth that they were stupid - have discovered their gift and worked to perfect it, Burton said.
So did tiny baseball star Brett Butler of the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, said the preacher, playing on the interest of the many young adult fans in his congregation.
At the close of the service, when an invitation to Christian commitment is extended in most Baptist churches, the pastor greeted with a hug a man who came forward to join the church.
Music by the 15-member choir, directed by Kay Ellerman, followed a pre-Easter theme.
The staff, all of whom have been part of First Baptist's leadership for seven or more years, offers a stability many in the university town seem to appreciate, Burton said. Last Sunday's congregation included a large contingent of college-age worshipers.
Burton also offered a children's sermon on ``Our Roots,'' which he based on a thriving plant in his study. For the four-minute message, he came down from his pulpit to the children's eye level.
First Baptist on Third Avenue at Downey Street, whose building dates from 70 years ago, has been remodeled and enlarged several times. Its nave has a distinctive stained-glass window of Jesus in a crown of thorns knocking at the door. The nave has a spacious balcony on three sides, which in last Sunday's bright spring. sunshine offered inviting warmth.
Though the size of the church - the only Southern Baptist congregation in Radford - makes for a lot of coming and going and requires effort to stay in touch with everyone, Burton said he tries to keep its family atmosphere. Its weekly news sheet reveals ecumenical support of the Radford Food Pantry and a wide variety of programs for every age group.
Sunday Sojourner appears monthly in the New River Current. Its purpose is not to promote a particular point of view but to inform readers of a variety of worship styles.
by CNB