From Humble Beginnings

The year is 1847, the fledgling, yet successfully thriving, experiment in democracy called the United States of America is a mere 71 years old. On the world stage, Queen Victoria, granddaughter of King George, III from whom America won its independence, has been on the British throne for a decade at the ripe old age of 28. The territory of Iowa has just become a state adding a 29^th star to the flag of our country.  Its President is James K. Polk, the twenty-ninth Congress is ending and its thirtieth will convene in March of the same year.  The Commonwealth of Virginia, still encompassing the future state of West Virginia, is administrated by Governor William “Extra Billy” Smith. Disputes over slavery placed the American Methodist church in difficulty in the first half of the 19^th century, with the northern church leaders fearful of a split with the South, and reluctant to take a stand.  Finally, in a much larger split, in 1845 at Louisville, the churches of the slaveholding states left the Methodist Episcopal Church and formed The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

In the town of Hicksford in Greensville County, Virginia in 1847, Alexander T.B. Merrit and his wife Jane S. Merritt, conveyed for the sum of one dollar to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, a piece of property.  The property was conveyed “in trust that they [the trustees] shall build a house of worship thereon for the use of the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.”  From this humble beginning, people who lived where we now live, believed in God.  Desiring to grow in their faith and to pass that faith on to their children and others they did what was necessary to make this vision a reality.  Upon doing so, thus has been created the oldest community of faith in present day Emporia.

The Methodists, with Rev. Thomas Jones as their minister, proceeded to build, on their newly acquired lot, a small wooden church building.  The church was known as Hicksford Methodist Church and was part of the Greensville Circuit in the Randolph Macon District.  The total membership of the Greensville Circuit in 1847 was 251 whites, and 38 blacks, a total of 289 souls.  The congregation worshiped in that building until it was destroyed forty-seven years later by a fire in 1894.

In 1887 the communities of Hicksford and Belfield became the town of Emporia.  The church in Hicksford was then renamed, Main Street Methodist Church.  By then it was part of the Petersburg District, along with Round Hill, Forest Chapel, Independence, Corinth, and Saint Andrews Methodist churches.  “AND ARE WE YET Alive?” – Charles Wesley

There is more to come! This is the first installment of several in recognition of the 175^th Anniversary Celebration of Main Street United Methodist Church, 500 South Main Street, Emporia.  The celebration will culminate with an exciting worship service on Sunday, October 9, 2022 with special music and a surprise visitor as well as historic displays and presentations.  A potluck lunch will be served on the lawn.  Please make plans to join in the celebration, catch up with old friends and greet new ones!  If you should have items of history related to Main Street United Methodist Church (wedding pictures, Sunday School or Bible Zone memories, hymnals, Bibles, articles, or other memorabilia and would like to share those please contact the church at 434.634.3724).  Grace and Peace!

Parts of the above history are based on the history compiled by Jane Prince for the Sesquicentennial Celebration. 

Post Card of Bishop Francis Asbury having known to travel the Circuits throughout Southern Virginia and northern North Carolina.

After serving as an assistant for the past 14 years, Vincent Brown, an Associate Professor of Industrial Technology at Southside Virginia Community College, was recently named as the head coach of the SVCC men’s basketball team.

Brown previously served with Dennis Smith, who stepped down after 18 years at the helm, to help guide the Panthers to four USA National Prep Postgrad titles with the most recent coming in March when SVCC topped Tennessee Prep 65-52 in the West National Collegiate Prep title game in Myrtle Beach, SC.

The other national championships for the Panthers came in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Brown also helped guide SVCC to Virginia Community College System state titles in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.  He said he looks forward to the new challenge.

“I’m excited,” Brown said. “We have some good returning players and I am looking forward to continuing the success we’ve had.”

The Panthers will kick off the 2022-23 campaign on November 5th when they play host to VCCS foe Mountain Gateway Community College.

Brunswick Academy was happy to celebrate one of its most time-honored traditions on Friday August 19th, the Senior-First Grade March. It was a beautiful morning as the Class of 2023 ushered in a brand new group of first graders-- the future Class of 2034. The school gym was filled with parents, grandparents and friends sharing in the excitement. The Big & Little Vikes provided one another with a sweet memento that they can hold on to for years to come. We can't wait to see how these new Big Vike/Little Vike bonds grow this year!

by Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury
September 6, 2022

Virginia’s tax revenues from sports betting jumped 63% between June and July after state lawmakers ended what some described as a loophole that let betting apps deduct free-bet promos from their profits.

According to Virginia Lottery reports, sports betting revenues rose from $1.87 million in June to $3.06 million in July, the first month the new tax policy was in effect.

The stronger tax revenues came despite a summertime dip in wagering on sports, with about $266 million wagered in July compared to $295 million in June.

When Virginia legalized sports betting in 2020, the legislation approved by the General Assembly allowed betting apps to essentially write off money they spent on free-bet promotions to attract new bettors. In other words, the more free bets the companies were offering to grow their business, the less they would have to pay to the state in taxes.

After learning some betting platforms were producing little to no tax revenue, Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, pushed to end the exemption. The change was part of the state budget approved early this summer and took effect July 1.

“It’s just turning out great,” Sickles said in an interview Friday.

The increase wasn’t solely attributable to the tax change. Some of it was a result of the apps having to pay out less in winning bets. But lottery data show sports betting platforms deducted about $8 million from their June revenues for free-bet promos. In July, that fell significantly to $0.4 million.

At the start of the year, only four of 11 sports betting operators reported positive gross revenues subject to taxation. In July, eight of 14 operators reported positive revenues, which Sickles called “a big improvement.”

“People enjoy it,” Sickles said. “It’s a different kind of bettor. People that do this don’t do any other type of gambling. A lot of them.”

The tax change drew some pushback from the sports betting industry, which argued the hastily approved provision would create confusion and limit growth.

In a statement, Bea Gonzalez, a lobbyist for the Virginia Sports Betting Alliance, criticized the change for being passed “with no public debate or discussion” and no hearing in a legislative committee. She called the change “a shortcut to slightly higher revenues” that will come at a cost to future revenues for the state from a stronger sports betting market.

“The short-term benefit to the state is at the cost of long-term revenue,” Gonzalez said. “Operators won’t offer as many promos as they have in the past, and the ultimate size of the legal market will be smaller than it otherwise would be.”

The change doesn’t prevent the platforms from doing free bet promos, but it makes it more costly for the companies to offer them.

Under Virginia’s sports betting law, the state taxes 15% of each betting platform’s adjusted gross revenues, essentially the amount left over after paying out winning bets. Most of that tax money goes into the state’s general fund, with 2.5% set aside for a fund meant to help people addicted to gambling.

Though most of the state’s sports betting operators are online-only, Virginia’s first brick-and-mortar sportsbook recently opened as part of Bristol’s Hard Rock Casino & Resort.

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