Ralph Starling loves his vocation! He is responsible for the ministry of “Christian Invitation” at Richmond’s First Baptist Church. His ministry is rooted in the practice of Christian hospitality and seeks to help people practice hospitality and live life with a spirit of hope and adventure! It has been said that the remarkable explosion of Christianity in the first century was due, in part, to the way the Christian community practiced hospitality in caring for strangers.
Ralph’s love for people and different cultures has helped him make friends throughout the world. He has led mission projects in countries such as Slovakia, Tanzania, Africa; the Caribbean Islands of St. Kitts and Montserrat, the Central American countries of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras.
In February of 2008, he traveled with a group of Christian ministers from Virginia to dedicate the Precious Childrens Orphanage in Kochin, India, built for 300 orphaned children, many who lost their parents in the tsunami of 2004. In 2009 he traveled to Nanjing, China, to teach baseball to 200 college students.
Before coming to Richmond’s First Baptist Church, Starling was a minister in northern California. While living in the San Francisco bay area he hosted a weekly cable talk show, ‘Evening Journal’, interviewing a variety of guests from around the bay area.
Ralph earned the Master of Divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, in Mill Valley, California. He did his undergraduate work at Valdosta State University, where he played college baseball. He continued playing baseball after graduation with the Valdosta Red Sox, a semi-professional baseball team made up outstanding college and professional ball players recruited from around the country.
In 2005 he completed a three-year program, “Becoming a Spiritual Director,” at San Francisco Theological Seminary. In addition to his interest in Christian Spirituality, he participates bi-annually in the Leadership in Ministry Workshops in Colorado Springs, studying family systems theory and how good leadership can impact the systems we live and work in.
His ministry at Richmond’s First Baptist Church includes helping those experiencing broken relationships through hosting Divorce Recovery Workshops. First Baptist Church offers one of the most helpful Divorce Recovery ministries in Virginia. It is led by over sixty volunteers and includes workshops for children and teenagers whose parents are experiencing the loss of their marriage relationship.
Ralph’s ministries also include assisting new Americans (Bhutanese/Nepalese refugees) in resettling here in Richmond. He is also involved in helping international students who come to Richmond to study at Virginia Commonwealth University. It has been estimated that 75% of all international students at Virginia Commonwealth University never have the opportunity to enter an American home during their stay in Richmond. Richmond’s First Baptist Church’s ‘Friends of Internationals’ seeks to practice hospitality by helping international students experience American culture through befriending students and welcoming them into their homes for dinner and holiday celebrations.
In October of 2012 Ralph is returning to Kochin, India to teach at a Christian seminary and visit the Precious Children’s Orphanage.
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