Sam Leslie, minister of music at South Harriman Baptist Church, leads a combined associational choir during Big Emory’s recent “Night of Worship” following simultaneous revivals from 34 of the association’s 51 churches.
HARRIMAN — Approximately two-thirds of the 51 churches in Big Emory Baptist Association joined together Aug. 25-28 to plant gospel seeds in their communities.
The 34 churches that participated were divided into 10 different groups, said Matt Cannon, director of missions for the association.
From Sunday through Wednesday nights, each group held a revival service at one of the churches in the group with a pastor from a different church bringing the message, Cannon explained.
On Thursday night, all the groups gathered at South Harriman Baptist Church for an association-wide “Night of Worship” led by Roc Collins, director of strategic objectives for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and a combined choir from members of the association’s churches.
An estimated 700-750 people attended the service, Cannon said.
“The services were a tremendous blessing,” he observed, adding that there was good worship and fellowship among the churches.
“We heard reports of several salvations and rededications with numerous people praying at the altars.”
Collins agreed. “The Big Emory associational revival was a beautiful picture of a network of churches working and worshipping in an effort to reach their community for Jesus,” he said.
“God blessed the work of these churches and they experienced a genuine work of God,” he continued. “The final night of the revival was a glorious time of worship among the churches of the Association. There was wonderful worship, sweet fellowship and we saw a soul saved.”
The Thursday night service was especially meaningful to Cannon and his family because the person who accepted Christ was one of his sons.
Cannon said the association began planning the revivals in February under the auspices of the association’s evangelism committee, comprised of pastors Robbie Leach, Beech Park Baptist Church, Oliver Springs; Mike Hammonds, First Baptist Church, Sunbright; and David Williams, Trenton Street Baptist Church, Harriman.
“As we planned it, we prayed,” Cannon said. “We set the sail but we prayed for the wind to blow and the Holy Spirit moved.”
The DOM said the association-wide revivals have taken place for about 10 years, but the 2024 events were the largest with the most churches participating.
“It’s a big deal to have 34 churches come together,” Cannon said.
Cannon said that everyone who took part said it was wonderful to see “churches fellowship and worship together and see we are all on the same team, praising the same Savior.”
The association plans to do the simultaneous revivals every other year, but churches who were in groups together this year are already talking about finding other events to work together on in 2025,” Cannon said. B&R
