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‘CIRCLE’ SURROUNDS WIDOWS WITH LOVE, STRENGTH

December 12, 2019

By Ken Carver
Special to the Baptist and Reflector

Members of the Circle of Friends at Collierville First Baptist Church join together for fellowship and a birthday celebration in November.
— Photo by Rita Baxter

COLLIERVILLE — They are a “Circle of Friends.” They have no organization chart. No elected leaders. No budgeted funding. They keep no minutes. Yet they minister mightily to the widows of Collierville First Baptist Church.

God has called these 20 women to serve the church’s widows in ways that the church’s deacons — who also have an active widows ministry — can never do. They complement the deacons’ ministry. Officially, they are an arm of the Woman’s Missionary Union.

In October the Circle of Friends celebrated their fifth anniversary of service with a luncheon that brought together many of the 135-plus ladies under their care. At the event, senior pastor Chuck Herring voiced his fondness for the Christ-centered ministry, noting that the idea did not come from a ministerial staff member, something he deeply admired. [Read more…]

BELMONT HONORS LEGACY OF HERBERT GABHART

December 11, 2019

Belmont University News Office

Herbert C. Gabhart

NASHVILLE — In the spirit of giving thanks, Belmont University today dedicated its chapel in honor of a man long deemed the “heart and soul” of the institution.

Herbert C. Gabhart died in September 2009, but the former chancellor and president left behind a 50-year legacy of impact on this campus and the surrounding community. The Herbert C. Gabhart Chapel will now bear his name in gratitude for his service to Belmont and in honor of the committed Christian example he set.

“Dr. Gabhart represented the heart and soul of Belmont, and we still miss him deeply,” said Belmont President Bob Fisher. “He led this institution through incredibly challenging seasons, forging relationships and casting a vision that set Belmont on a course to achieve what then seemed impossible. His guidance, compassion and dedication cannot be replaced, but by naming our chapel — a centerpiece of campus life — in his honor, we intend to keep his memory alive to nurture our future course.” [Read more…]

MOON’S LIGHT STILL SHINING

December 10, 2019

Lottie Moon offering still impacting lives

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

The Stormer family, members of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, are serving as missionaries in Brazil. In the photo above, Aaron Stormer (back row, third from left), his wife, Melissa (second from left) and their children Aiden (far left), Gavin (front row, left) and Astrid (front row, right), share a smile with some ministry partners in Brazil. — Submitted photo

CLARKSVILLE — There are trends that come and go in the Baptist culture, but the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions has remained a vital part of the Baptist fabric for more than 130 years.

The ministry has remained unchanged throughout its existence, holding steadfast to its exclusive purpose of supporting missionaries who serve abroad.

The continued significance of the LMCO, which started in 1888, can be seen in the faces of the Stormers — a five-member family from Clarksville who have been serving as missionaries in Brazil for the past two and a half years.

The Stormers, who are members of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, are stationed in São Paulo, a mega city of over 20 million people. [Read more…]

FAITH INSEPARABLE FROM WORK, GOV. LEE SAYS

December 9, 2019

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

Gov. Bill Lee (far left) is open about his faith. Lee is pictured here during a recent visit Linden Valley Conference Center, where he posed with Cole Campbell, manager of Linden Valley and his wife, Kazeray.

NASHVILLE — Bill Lee’s decision to run for governor of Tennessee and his work in that office cannot be explained without understanding the impact of his faith, the state’s highest office-holder told Christian leaders Dec. 3 at a Southern Baptist-sponsored event in Nashville.

“[T]he way that faith plays out most in my life is that I believe that we are called to serve people,” said Lee, who was elected governor in 2018. “The Lord calls us to serve the poor, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to use our lives to impact other people’s lives for good.

“[T]he whole reason that I ran for governor is to serve people.” [Read more…]

NEW REPORT SHOWS ABORTIONS CONTINUE TO DECLINE

December 5, 2019

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON — The latest statistics demonstrate once again reported abortions in the United States have continued to decline.

The number of abortions fell in one year by more than 13,000 to 623,471 in 2016, the latest year for which data is available, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a Nov. 29 report. That 2 percent drop matched a 2 percent decrease in the abortion rate to 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years, according to the CDC. The abortion ratio — the number of abortions per 1,000 live births — decreased by 1 percent to 188 in the same time period. [Read more…]

PASTOR HELPS CHURCH CREATE NEW IMAGE

December 5, 2019

By Lonnie Wilkey
Baptist and Reflector

HARRIMAN — When Taylor Phelps came to the pastorate of Caney Ford Baptist Church in the Midtown community of Roane County in 2014, the church had about 22 members, he recalled.

Phelps said it did not take long for him to discover that Caney Ford was known in the Midtown community as the “family chapel or family church.”

And, for some people in the community that reputation was negative because they felt they could never be a part of the church because they had not grown up in it. [Read more…]

CHRISTIAN, ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR CRISIS?

December 4, 2019

By Chris Turner
Director of communications, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
cturner@tnbaptist.org

There are two types of organizations in our world: Those who have had a crisis and those whose crisis hasn’t yet hit.

For years I’ve been leading crisis communications and media relations workshops for all types of organizations and I usually open those training sessions with that statement. The response is usually an uncomfortable laugh, especially since I don’t smile when I say it. I have been a reporter and organizational communicator for about 30 years and I’ve unfortunately seen – and experienced – the truth of that statement from both sides.

In my role as director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, I often counsel ministers, mostly pastors, how to communicate during a crisis in which they and their churches find themselves. Unfortunately, the frequency of such sessions has increased in the past 18 months. [Read more…]

CHINESE GOVERNMENT DESIGNATES LOTTIE MOON’S CHURCH AS HISTORICAL SITE

December 3, 2019

By Catherine Finch
Baptist Press

The Chinese government has designated Lottie Moon’s home church, Wulin Shenghui Church, a nationally protected historical and cultural site. — China Christian Daily photo

PENGLAI, China — The name, “Lottie Moon,” is known by Southern Baptists far and wide. From the Woman’s Missionary Union’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to movies, books and documentaries detailing her life of service, Lottie Moon is often hailed as a “missionary hero.”

Lottie Moon’s legacy will now be preserved beyond the Southern Baptist realm. Wulin Shenghui Church of Penglai in Shandong province, where Lottie Moon was a member during her time in Dengzhou, China, has been designated as a nationally protected historical and cultural site by The State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the China Christian daily reported Nov.14.

The announcement came just before Southern Baptists observe the Week of Prayer for the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions. This year’s offering goal is $165 million. The Week of Prayer is Dec. 1-8. [Read more…]

CHICK-FIL-A ANNOUNCES NEW APPROACH TO CHARITABLE GIVING

December 3, 2019

By Josh Wester
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — The popular U.S. fast food chain, Chick-fil-A, Inc., recently announced a new policy concerning its charitable giving. According to an online statement, the policy, which will take effect in 2020, will focus the company’s charitable donations on the areas of hunger, homelessness and education.

In 2019, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, donated to upwards of 300 charitable organizations. Under the new policy, the foundation will distribute $9 million dollars in pledged donations next year and will limit its partnerships to only one charity for each of its three initiatives. [Read more…]

GREEN’S CHALLENGE: EVANGELIZE, ENCOURAGE, EXTEND

December 2, 2019

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

David Green, pastor of First Baptist Church, Greeneville, and president of the TBC during the 2018-19 term, delivered the president’s sermon on Nov. 19. Green served the traditional one-year term as TBC president after being elected last November. Bruce Chesser, pastor of First Baptist, Hendersonville, was elected president for the 2019-2020 term.
— Photo by James Wilson

KNOXVILLE — As his term as president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention came to a close, David Green offered some words of excitement. He also issued a challenge.

Delivering the president’s message at the 145th annual meeting of Tennessee Baptists, Green reminded those in attendance that they have the ultimate reason to rejoice: Salvation. Green also challenged attendees to “evangelize the lost, encourage the saved and extend our borders.”

Green, pastor of First Baptist Church, Greeneville, delivered his year-ending president’s message during the Tuesday evening session of this year’s Summit, held at First Baptist Concord.

Green preached from Isaiah 54, and reminded attendees that they should “rejoice in the promises of God, respond to the plan of God, rely on the power of God and and remember our relationship with God.”

He also encouraged Christians to rejoice always, celebrating all that God has done for us. “The Lord inhabits our praise,” said Green. “So, if we want Him around, then why don’t we sing more than we cry? … We need to stop acting like God is dead. We need to stop acting like God didn’t promise us anything. We need to stop acting like Jesus didn’t die on the cross for our sins. We need to live our lives like free people.” [Read more…]

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