Our purpose for gathering each Sunday is both fellowship among friends and enhancing our faith as Christians through religious education.

Simply put, we have a class of wonderful friends who share a fellowship at Second Baptist and otherwise … and always have fun, whether it is during our fellowship time each Sunday with good refreshments (9:45-10:00 AM), our class discussions, class socials or simply socializing around town. This is a nice mix of folks generally 50+ years of age who enjoy life and our Christian friends.

We are fortunate to have six good Class members who are our teachers. They each teach in different ways, but all rely on teachings of the Bible and our Baptist beliefs. Some use our quarterly (Formations by Smyth & Helwys), while others do independent research and put together lessons on topics of interest to the Class. This variety of teachers and variety of personal approaches keeps the discussions fresh and interesting. They are each very informative, thought provoking and inspiring. No matter who is the teacher any Sunday, you will get a good lesson with a lot of good class discussion … with a more than little good natured kidding.

Our teachers are Bill Axselle, Barry Brigman, Bill Fernald, Bill Thurston, Pat Turner and Bill Young.

It is our pleasure to serve as leaders of the Class and to extend to you a warm invitation to give us a try. You will find it both enjoyable and informative.

Bill Sims
Joyce Turner

TEACHERS: (Left to right:) Bill Young, Barry Brigman, Bill Thurston, Bill Axselle, Pat Turner (not pictured, Bill Fernald)

Ralph L. “Bill” Axselle, Jr.: Bill is a practicing attorney with Williams Mullen, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and active in a number of civic and community activities. Since joining Second Baptist Church in 1973, Bill has served as Chairman of the Board of Deacons on a couple occasions and has taught The JOY Class since 1987. Anne and Bill raised three children at Second Baptist Church where the three children and spouses are also members.

Barry L. Brigman: Barry is a business owner and consultant on international business issues. He and his wife, Mary Lou, moved to Richmond in 1997 and both have been active at Second Baptist since joining in 1998. Barry previously served on the finance committee and currently serves on the hospitality and ESL committees and is a member of the Body of Deacons. He taught Sunday School regularly at the previous churches he attended and has been a substitute teacher for The JOY Class for the past several years. Barry and Mary Lou have three grown children and their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren are members at Second Baptist.

William W. Fernald: Bill retired as an engineer from NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., in 2003 after almost 42 years of service. He and his wife, Bunnie, moved to Goochland County from Williamsburg in 2004 to be closer to family. They joined Second Baptist a few months later. Bill has served with Vacation Bible School, the Clothes Closet, Communion Committee, been on several hurricane relief trips to Louisiana, and recently was elected to serve as a deacon. He taught Sunday School to both youth and adults at previous churches. Bill and Bunnie have one grown daughter, Jennifer Flinchum, and one granddaughter, Madison. Jennifer joined Second Baptist at the same time as Bill and Bunnie.

William L. Thurston: This Bill has been in the private practice of law until recently when he became the owner of a small business. He and his wife Page have been members at Second since 1995, and he has enjoyed helping to lead The JOY Class during a good part of that time. He is a Deacon at Second, and has served as president of the Virginia Baptist Ministers Relief Fund. Bill has very much enjoyed classes that he has taken as a part-time student at the Baptist Seminary here in Richmond, and likes to lead the class into spirited discussion of Bible passages as they have significance for our lives today.

Perry E. (Pat) Turner, Jr.:Pat is President of P.E. Turner & Co., a real estate appraisal and real estate consultant firm. He and Martha have three children, all of whom have been raised in Second Baptist Church where the Turners have been members since 1978. Pat has served on the Body of Deacons, Finance Committee and the Property Committee. Martha's father was a Baptist minister and her mother is currently living in Richmond where she is also a member of Second Baptist.

William A. Young, Jr.: Bill is a new member of Second Baptist, but his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren are longtime members. Bill is a retired trial lawyer who has begun a second career as a public speaker. He does first person impressions of Capt. John Paul Jones, Lt. George Finley (a Virginia soldier at Gettysburg), President Woodrow Wilson, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He is also a member of the casts of the Patrick Henry reenactment at St John's Church and the Parsons' Cause at Hanover Court House. He now teaches a literacy class in the ESL program, has sung in the Sanctuary Choir, and lectures at the Open University of The Shepherd's Center. He has been an adjunct professor of law at Mary Washington College, J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, and VCU.

A cross divides the shield into 4 parts. The cross is red because it represents the blood of Christ that was shed for us. The upper right hand quarter contains an anchor that forms a cross and an X that is the first letter of Christ's name in Greek (Xpictoc). Both are ancient Christian symbols. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The upper left hand quarter contains a silver Maltese cross on a black field. It is the coat of arms of John the Baptist. The lower right hand quarter contains a torch that burns brightly through the night. "Let your light so shine upon the world that men may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven."

The lower left hand quarter contains a beehive and several bees entering and leaving the hive. The beehive and its busy bees are among the most modern Christian symbols. Note that one bee has left the lower left hand quarter and is about to take off from the top of the red cross to scout the world and report back to the hive. The "Joy" wording on the cross has numerous meanings. When read left to right, it represents our class as "Just Older Youth." When read top to bottom, there is a Roman numeral I beneath the J, a Roman numeral II beneath the O, and the Greek letter omega beneath the Y. They mean Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Finally, it means the joy of being in Christ.

The shield and this explanation were prepared by one of our class teachers, Bill Young.