Hi

My name is Ron Cassell. I live in southwest Virginia. I joined this site for two reasons. First, I look forward to interesting, informative discussions where I might grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, I am interested to see if there are any brethren in the southwest Virginia area of like faith so that I might fellowship with them.

I look forward to meeting and fellowshipping with the group.

I am unfamiliar with the site at this point. Where would I go to try to meet people and find churches in my geographic area?

 

Thanks Jon-Marc

Hi Jon-Marc

Thanks. I have done some searches online, but have not had any hits yet. I am not a dispensationalist, and am looking for a church that is either a-mil or historic pre-mil. And I am looking for a church where the pastor preaches expositorily through books of the Bible. I am guessing that there are some Baptist churches out there that fit the bill. But, I haven't found them yet. But, you have made me realize that I need to do some more web searching.
Also, thanks for the greeting. I apolgize for the slow response. But, I did not get home until late the last two nights and did not get a chance to get on the site. I look forward to corresponding with you and the other brethren here, and getting to know everyone. Thanks again for the hospitality and the help.

Have a nice evening,

Ron

 

Hi Tom Butler

Thank you for the greeting. Yes, I realize that a Baptist attending a Presbyterian church is a strange combination. There are a lot of factors. But I will try to condense them to a couple of the most critical.

The Presbyterian church that I attend is a PCA church that is not very "Reformed." My pastor doesn't talk about "covenant children," Sabbath keeeping, etc. So, the church isn't legalistic, at least not overly. However, they do practice infant "baptism." They are totally inconsistent on the matter. But, the pastor is a very good Bible teacher, who teaches expositorily through books of the Bible. And, to put icing on the cake, the teaches with some depth. And third, he is a godly man who has a compassionate heart. I have attended many Baptist churches and have only encountered a couple of pastors with comparable gifts and walk. But, with all that said, the church is Presbyterian and I am a Baptist. So, I would like to go a Baptist church. Finally, I would prefer a church that is not dispensational. I like John MacArthur a lot, and would gladly attend a church that preaches the brand of dispensationalism that he espouses. But, all of the churches that I know of teach the Tim Lahaye / Hal Lindsey brand of dispensationalism. I couldn't take that week in, week out.

I have had no luck in finding a Baptist church within an hour of my home that teaches expositorily or that is either historic pre-mil or a-mil.

Have a nice evening,

Ron

 

Hi Thousand Hills

Thanks for the greeting.

Yes, this is a beautiful place to live. And it is a peaceful place to live, apart from travelling on the interstate highway. I moved here about 12 years ago, and hope to never leave.

Have a nice evening,

Ron

 

Hi Salty

Thanks for the greeting.

Actually, I moved to Marion in 1999. And, I attended Draper Valley Baptist for 7 or 8 years. It was the closest thing that I could find to a Baptist church teaching with any depth. But, the pastor is very self centered and boisterous. I finally got tired of travelling 45 minutes three times a week to listen to someone preach who I did not respect as a Christian elder.

I am a "Calvinistic" Baptist, I guess you would say. (But I don't like the title because I definitely am not a Reformed Baptist. They are way too legalistic for me, as most Presbyterian churches are.) My favorite preacher is John MacArthur. I listen to his sermons constantly. But, the church that I attend would not have to be Calvinistic. I would just prefer that they not be militant against the doctrines of Grace. I like the writings of non-Calvinistic men, like Millard Erickson and George Eldon Ladd. They both just taught the Bible, and didn't really get into the theological battles. And, in reality, that is what I would really prefer.

Thanks for your help.

have a nice evening,

Ron

 

Hi Salty

I forgot to ask. If you don't mind me asking, where did you move to?

 

Hi Salty

Thanks for the response. I didn't notice the other thread until tonight. I am not familiar with the way that boards function. So, I am trying to learn how to navigate around.

You are probably thinking of Draper Valley Pentecostal Holiness church, which sits just off of interstate 81 (somewhere around exit 86, I think.) But, that is very close to DV Baptist. DV Baptist is at exit 89, and is approximately 1/2 mile off of the interstate. It is possible that you might be able to see the church from the interstate in the winter, when the leaves are gone.

While this is a nice area to live in, jobs are extremely scarce. The Pulaski / Dublin area job market has died out largely over the past few years. The Volvo plant is still going fairly strong. They lay off a few hundred people every couple of years, and then bring some of them back. And then do it again. But, they are the best employer in the area, by far, when it comes to pay rates and benefits.

All of the furniture factories have closed. No jobs have come in to take their place.

I live in Marion, which is about 40 miles west. I drove that 80 mile round trip three times a week for seven years. But, my spiritual health was slipping, at least partly because the pastor got old, and retired on the job. Unfortunately, he pretty much quit studying, but he won't leave the pulpit. He continually took a 15 minute message and drug it out to 50 or 60 minutes. I love good preaching, and don't minute an hour message. But, it gets old when there is a lot of blabbing and repetition involved. We heard the same stories so many times that you could recite them from memory when he started telling them again. So, fortunately by God's grace, I found the PCA church where the pastor does study and teach the Bible diligently. I wish I had left years earlier. But, it is hard to break the comfort zone.

Have a nice evening,

Ron