Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Joe Sorah
Compassion Ministries Specialist, TBMB
If there was a way to share the gospel with Tennessee’s impoverished children, would you be interested in joining the effort? If so, keep reading!
In 2001, a Georgia GA group wanted to do something for children in Appalachia for Christmas. They filled 300 shoe boxes with gifts for needy children. From that humble beginning, the Christmas Backpack Ministry was launched. [Read more…]
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org
FRANKLIN — This Christmas, hundreds of underprivileged children in Tennessee will be receiving Barbie dolls and board games, matchbox cars and model planes.
More importantly, they will be receiving hope through the good news of Jesus.
All across the state, Tennessee Baptists are participating in “Christmas Backpacks for Children and Teens” — a ministry that originally started in 2001 with a group of GAs (Girls in Action) in Georgia. The ministry, which has grown dramatically since its inception, provides children with brand-new backpacks, filled with toys, card games, hygiene products and more. [Read more…]
By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman
A few months ago, one of our deacons approached me about participating in the Oliver Springs Christmas Parade. The church had not been in a parade during his 10 years at the church. After a little research, we decided to jump in and see what God would do. Our church is in a transition period of young unchurched families coming in, and we are financially strapped right now. So, we went into this outreach with basically no budget. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus at Christmas in Silver Point are Phoebe, left, and Winnie MacNaught.
— Photos by Lonnie Wilkey.
SILVER POINT — What began as a youth Sunday School class project 17 years ago has developed into an annual tradition at Silver Point Baptist Church, a rural congregation of about 75 people in Putnam County.
Christmas in Silver Point is now looked forward to every year by both the congregation and residents of the community, according to church leaders.
Christmas in Silver Point has continued to grow, said Pastor Tony Crow, who has been in that role for 11 years. He was a deacon and member of the church before being called as pastor. “We want to open our doors to the community and let them see Christ in us,” he said. [Read more…]
By David Roach
Baptist Press
NASHVILLE — As worship pastor Andrew Lucius selects songs for Christmas worship, he is considering specific needs in the Georgia congregation he serves. Among his conclusions: singing only the first verse of familiar carols could leave worshipers spiritually malnourished.
The widow “who’s going through the Christmas season the first time this year without her husband … needs more than the first verse of ‘Joy to the World!’” said Lucius, associate pastor of music and worship at Bull Street Baptist Church in Savannah, Ga. “She needs to sing, ‘No more let sin and sorrow grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.’
“When she’s feeling the power of the curse and its application in death, I want her to be singing and believing that,” Lucius said. [Read more…]
By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R
Dad was grateful for gifts he received and liked and he would let you know it. But Dad was never a man of pretense, and that often resulted in awkward responses he would make when he received a gift that neither suited him or pleased him.
At Christmas or other occasions — with our family of gift-givers and receivers around — Dad often opened a gift and said aloud, “I wonder whatever made anyone think I would want one of these!” Instead of our being offended at such a response, we all learned to laugh and know it was Dad being Dad. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Carolyn Demonbreun of Shelby Avenue Baptist Church welcomes shoppers to the Nashville Baptist Toy Store.
— Photo by Tammy Drolsum
NASHVILLE — When you mention the Nashville Baptist Association Toy Store, it’s hard not to think about Carolyn Demonbreun.
The NBA Toy Store has existed for 66 years and Carolyn Demonbreun has been there for 58 of those years, serving the community and sharing the love of Christ.
Demonbreun served as director of the Toy Store from 1973-97. She has been a volunteer for the last 20 years, still giving countless time to the ministry which is held at her home church, Shelby Avenue Baptist. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Last year the Baptist and Reflector told the story of Tiffany Bowen, a pastor’s wife in West Tennessee, who was a self-described “atheist, feminist bartender.” Tiffany candidly shared her story of her journey from someone who denied God to becoming the wife of Jason Bowen, who would later become pastor of First Baptist Church, Trenton.
At the conclusion of the story, Tiffany said she was willing to share her story anywhere, anytime. “If it brings God glory, then I’m an open book,” she stated. A year later, the book is still open. [Read more…]
By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director
Aren’t you glad it is Christmas? You can settle into your favorite chair by the fire, watch the twinkling lights on the tree, and sip hot chocolate from your favorite Christmas mug. Finally, you can breathe, just breathe, as you enjoy a quiet reflective moment in the stillness of your own home.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure you just chuckled when you read that and grunted, “Sure must be nice.” To be honest, that’s not really the way it is around my house either. For most of us, it seems life’s accelerator gets stuck to the floor the week of Thanksgiving and stays wide open until we coast into the first week of the new year, running on the fumes of exhaustion. It takes a couple weeks of January just to recover from the holidays! [Read more…]
By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (BP) — Most Americans believe society is increasingly abandoning the religious aspects of Christmas, according to new Pew Research Center findings, but most Americans are not troubled by the trend.
Only 32 percent of Americans find the trend troubling, Pew found in the study released Dec. 12. While 56 percent of U.S. adults identified such a trend, a quarter of that group said the trend doesn’t bother them. [Read more…]
