The Farmville Baptist Church Podcast

Holy Week showcases the story of Jesus' final week in Jerusalem with his disciples, and many of the parts of that story are familiar. Yet one group of characters is often overlooked or pushed to the side: the women of Holy Week. Throughout this week, we will hear their stories and ponder what they reveal to us about the great love of God as shown in Christ's death and resurrection. On this Monday...

In worship this week, we were thrilled to host Cesar Sotomayor, a pastor and church planter in Graz, Austria. Cesar is connected to Farmville Baptist through the work of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the European Baptist Fellowship. In worship, Cesar brought news of his work with refugees and congregational ministry. He also brought a word of encouragement: God's gospel is shared...

For this week's episode of worship, we come to the end of Matthew 5 with what may be Jesus' most controversial (and, frankly, offensive) teaching: love our enemies. Pastor Adam walks us through the passage, and gets to tell one of his favorite stories from history at the same time. Ultimately, we are invited to choose the most disproportionate of responses - to love our enemies - because we are be...

In this episode, we hear Jesus’ teaching about turning the other cheek, giving up more than what’s required, and going the extra mile – all incredibly disproportionate responses to those who may hurt us or try to exploit us. Yet they are not disproportionate responses of violence; rather, they are disproportionate responses of love. The choir also shares this week’s anthem, “Lonesome Valley.” Let...

We are thrilled to share in this episode a conversation Pastor Adam had with friend of Farmville Baptist Dr. Erica Brown-Meredith. Dr. Brown-Meredith is Assistant Professor of Social Work at Longwood University and the advisor for Collaborating with Lancers for Academic Success (CLASP), an on-campus program to help first-gen, racial/ethnic minority, transfer, and low-income students succeed in the...

This episode's sermon covers a lot of ground in Matthew 5: adultery, divorce, and oath-taking. Yet Pastor Adam helps us see the ways they are connected. Jesus invites us to be people who seek to do more than live within the guardrails of life. Instead, we are to be committed to faithfulness and the truth. Our choir concludes the episode with the reflective anthem "Bread of Sorrows, Wine of Tears."...

Growing our faith involves more than participating in worship, as important as that is; it also means learning more about Jesus, the Bible, and how to live as a follower of Christ. At Farmville Baptist, we try to grow in Christ together by studying the Bible and talking with one another about how to live faithful lives in small groups and Sunday School classes. Pastor Adam sits down with Ken Copel...

As we enter the season of Lent, we return to our study of how Jesus calls us to grow up in Matthew 5. This week, the Sermon on the Mount enters into the realm of the practical: how do we actually live, day-to-day, as followers of Jesus? The first instance of real-world application is when Jesus calls us to reject malice and avoid anger, because anger causes great harm for both the holder of that a...

In worship this week, we paused in our exploration of Matthew 5 to observe Transfiguration Sunday. As we read reports of revival in the news, Pastor Adam invites us to consider the encounter Peter, James, and John had in Matthew 17. How did they understand what they saw? Why did they need to be reminded not to fear? And why did Jesus tell them not to talk about it with anyone...yet? If you are int...

In this special episode of the Farmville Baptist Podcast, Pastor Adam invites his friends Rev. Martha Kearse (Peakland Baptist Church) and Rev. Todd Blake (Park View Community Mission) to discuss two stories about Christianity in the media right now: a possible outbreak of revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY, and the multimillion dollar He Gets Us ad campaign. Adam, Martha, and Todd talk a...

Feeding hungry people has been part of the work of Jesus and the people of God from the very beginning. Here in Farmville, many churches and people of goodwill feed hungry people through the work of FACES, our Farmville-area food pantry. Pastor Adam had the chance to sit down with Paul Baker, co-president of FACES, to learn more about what FACES does and how we can help. One immediate way to help...

God gives us a mission, and then we develop methods to fulfill that mission. But what happens when God calls us to a new season that requires new methods for the same mission? Jesus shows us how we can remain true to the core of the mission of God while innovating and adapting our methods to the needs of the day. This didn't please everyone who heard him teach - but it did open up new possibilitie...

Salt and light - there are few things in life more basic, and more essential, to existence than these two. Jesus uses the images of salt and light to help his disciples understand the posture he wanted them to adopt in the world. Join Pastor Adam and the congregation at Farmville Baptist this week and wrestle with what our identity is as salt and light, and ponder what it means for you to be salty...

What do we need to know - REALLY know - to follow Jesus? And who is it that can have access to the kingdom Jesus talked about? Pastor Adam starts a new sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount with a look at the Beatitudes, inviting us to align our perspective with the perspective of Jesus, who says that there is no one who is excluded from the love of God, no one who cannot enter the kingdom of h...

For 187 years, Farmville Baptist Church has partnered with the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV). Not only is the partnership long, it also is involved; Bill Wilson, Gene Watson, and Adam Tyler have all served as presidents of the BGAV. As the BGAV approaches its 200th anniversary, it is helping churches adapt to a challenging and moving in new directions itself. Pastor Adam sat down...

Jesus invites people to follow him - but what does that mean? And how does following Jesus affect, or disrupt, our lives? Pastor Adam leads us in a reflection on how Jesus proclaims a message that does lead in a different way than "life as we know it," and challenges us to ponder how much really want Jesus to disrupt our lives and call us to discipleship. If you are interested in more of what Farm...

Every one of us is different, and we look for meaning and purpose in life, not to mention salvation, in many different ways.  Jesus understood this, and it's why he asked two disciples wondering about him, "What are you looking for?"  They came to find, along with many others Jesus encountered, that whatever their concern or need was, he could provide salvation.  Join Pastor Adam and the worshippi...

Farmville Baptist Church has a long history with the Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) for Longwood and Hampden-Sydney.  In January, Pastor Adam visited the BCM to check in with Rev. Austin Williams, the director of the BCM.  Listen in as they chat about the ways BCM is serving the college community, Austin's new ministry role, and more.  Adam and Austin even connect over their new dogs and new...

In this episode of worship, Pastor Adam invites us to consider the meaning of Jesus' baptism. Jesus didn't need repentance, the main purpose of John's baptism, but he did want to publicly embrace his identity in God. This identity included God's deep passion for and commitment to justice. How does Jesus reflect this focus of God's kingdom?  And how does a pursuit of justice define us as followers...

The CBF of Virginia is one of the ministry partners of Farmville Baptist Church. In December, Pastor Adam had the chance to sit down and chat with the new coordinator for CBF of Virginia, Rev. Mark Snipes. Adam and Mark got to know each other, discussed the mission and purpose of the CBFVA, and even talked about their favorite Christmas movies. Pull up a chair and listen in! You can connect more w...

Happy New Year from Farmville Baptist Church and the Farmville Baptist Podcast! In this episode, recorded on New Year's Day 2023, Pastor Adam leads a contemplation of the stories of the Magi, Herod, and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. He suggests that this is the point in the story where Christmas gets real. Herod understands this - do we? And what part do we play in making Christmas real...

Merry Christmas from the Farmville Baptist Podcast and everyone at Farmville Baptist Church! In worship on Christmas Day, Pastor Adam explores one of the most fundamental metaphors in human existence - dark and light - and encourages us to choose the light embodied by Jesus Christ. Jordan Whiley invites us to reflect on the birth of Jesus with the anthem, "Mary, Did You Know?" If you are intereste...

In this special episode, join the Farmville Baptist Podcast family as we worship our Lord Jesus on Christmas Eve. Pastor Adam shares some thoughts about how God works amid all sorts of folks, drawing inspiration from Luke 2:1-20. Then Jordan Whiley sings "O Holy Night" as a time of reflection on the birth of Jesus. If you are interested in more of what Farmville Baptist Church is doing in the hear...

One of the exciting new partnerships Farmville Baptist Church is celebrating is the Farmville Youth Collective (FYC).  This is a collaborative effort with Farmville United Methodist Church and Johns Memorial Episcopal Church to create a safe and spiritually-engaging space for teenagers in the Farmville community and the surrounding area.  Rev. Cadance Tyler is the pastor for the FYC, and she and R...

For the fourth Sunday of Advent, we look at the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew to discover the power of God being with us in the midst of our darkest days. Pastor Adam explores the hope and comfort that was given to the besieged residents of Jerusalem, wonders how Joseph heard the angel's promise of Jesus being Immanuel (God with us), and encourages us to find the love of God in his pres...