Ralph Starling is responsible for the ministry of “Christian Invitation 360”. This ministry is rooted in the practice of Christian hospitality and is an invitation to the Christian spiritual life. The spirit of Christian hospitality is primarily an expression of love and is not only practiced within the church but to the world around us. It has been said that the remarkable explosion of Christianity in the first century was due not only to the proclamation of the gospel, but to the extraordinary quality of Christian hospitality.
His
ministry has taken him throughout the world. He has led mission projects in
countries such as Tanzania, Africa; the Caribbean Islands of St. Kitts and
Montserrat, the Central American countries of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and
Honduras. This summer (2009) marks the tenth anniversary of his involvement
in leading English Camp in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. Each summer over 200
Slovakian children along with 40 adults participate in English Camp, taught
by approximately 25 American volunteers from Richmond’s First Baptist
Church.
In
February of 2008, he traveled with a group of Christian ministers from
Virginia to dedicate the new Precious Children’s Orphanage in Kochin, India,
built for 300 orphaned children, many who lost their parents in the tsunami
of 2004. In December 2008 he traveled to Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi’an,
China, exploring opportunities for future projects related to helping the
poor in China.
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 the San Francisco 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
leadership.
Ralph recently returned from Nanjing, China, where he hosted a baseball clinic for over 200 students. In July he will be attending the the Baptist World Alliance in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is currently assisting new Americans (Bhutanese refugee families) who have lived in refugee camps in Nepal for the last 15 years. Many are now being resettled in the United States. Over 200 have been resettled in Richmond, Virginia, during the last two years. Ralph has upcoming trips this
fall to Malaysia to host a leadership training workshop equipping leaders to lead Divorce Recovery Ministry. He also plans to return to China in the
fall to continue teaching the game of baseball to Chinese students. In October he will lead the spiritual formation series, Companions in Christ, a small group series designed to help transform community and become the presence of Christ in the world. Being led formationally includes spending time together in community, practicing daily habits such as listening to God, and creating space to listen to God together that would move us to action.
