Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TBDR RESPONDS AFTER DEADLY EXPLOSION

By Baptist and Reflector

Editor’s note: A full story on Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief efforts in Bucksnort can be found HERE.

Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers unload items for the mass feeding unit to minister to the community after Friday’s explosion.

BUCKSNORT — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams are responding to Friday’s deadly explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant, located near McEwen. TBDR sent a mass feeding unit to the area Friday night, and the team began ministering to the community and feeding first responders.

The deadly explosion resulted in at least 16 deaths, according to multiple news outlets, and left behind only remnants of the plant. The cause of the blast is under investigation.

The manufacturing plant sits on 1,300 acres in Bucksnort, Tenn. News outlets are reporting that the explosion could be felt several miles away.

Check back later at baptistandreflector.org for more coverage. 

Facebooktwittermail

UNION MCMINN CELEBRATES 200 YEARS OF SERVICE

Baptist and Reflector

NIOTA — Union McMinn Baptist Church celebrated its bicentennial on Aug. 10, with members gathering for a homecoming service led by Pastor Gabe Brannon and featuring a message from the Rev. Tony Rutherford, director of missions for Sweetwater Baptist Association.

“This is a special place that God has blessed throughout the years with wonderful pastors, teachers, and godly men and women who have sought to serve Jesus,” said Brannon.

The church, which is located in Niota (outside of Athens in McMinn County) traces its origins to 1825, when members first met in a one-room log schoolhouse on the Garrison farm. The building was made of logs with a rough pine floor and seats made of split logs. Early records show the congregation had 25 members in 1829. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

COWELL TO BE NOMINATED FOR TBC WTN REGIONAL VP

Baptist and Reflector

Cowell

FRANKLIN — Ben Cowell, pastor of Brownsville Baptist Church in Brownsville, will be nominated as the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s West Tennessee regional vice president at the annual meeting on Nov. 10-11 at West Jackson Baptist Church.

Chris Garner, lead pastor of Holly Grove Baptist Church in Bells, Tennessee, will nominate Cowell.

“Ben is already representing West Tennessee well,” Garner said. “As senior pastor of the historic Brownsville Baptist Church, he is strategically positioned to serve our Grand Region and lead as a voice from the BlueOval splash zone. He is committed to the work of our TBC network of churches and actively participates in various cohorts for the Acts 2:17 Initiative.

“Ben has a heart for pastors. It’s common to see him praying with or listening to a struggling pastor during gatherings.” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

MARKING MAJOR MILESTONES

By Chris Turner
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — The annual gathering of Tennessee Baptists is about one month away and, like last year, will celebrate significant historical milestones.

The Summit, titled “All Aboard: Advancing Together,” will take place Nov. 9-11 at West Jackson Baptist Church, starting with the Sunday evening Tennessee Homecoming worship service and concluding Tuesday night.

Last year, Tennessee Baptists celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. This year focuses on two centennial celebrations. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

FINDING FIRM FOOTING

By Zoë Watkins
Communications specialist

Ladies strengthen their walk on Appalachian Trail

From left, Emily Terrell, Zoë Watkins, Kate Henard, Crystal Brown, and Cheryl Burns gather for a photo on the Appalachian Trail. Watkins, who is the communications specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, provided coverage of the trip for the B&R.

HOT SPRINGS, N.C. — Five wives trudged the final steps into Hot Springs, physically exhausted but spiritually renewed after three days and 16 miles on the Appalachian Trail.

The Sept. 8-10 trek, which began outside Newport, Tenn., marked one of the annual women’s backpacking trips for Off the Grid, a ministry that takes ministers and their families into the outdoors for multi-day experiences designed to provide respite and connection far from the pressures of church life.

“I think sometimes it’s hard to break away from our ministry, marriage and our children at home,” said Emily Terrell. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

AMERICANS ARE DIVIDED ON RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

By Aaron Earls
Lifeway Christian Resources

NASHVILLE — U.S. adults are nearly equally divided on how much of a role religion should play in public schools, according to a YouGov poll.

A third (34%) say it doesn’t play enough of a role, a quarter (26%) say it’s involved about the right amount, and a quarter (26%) say religion plays too much of a role.

Christians (45%), those who say religion is very important for them (56%) and Republicans (60%) are most likely to say that religion doesn’t play enough of a role in public schools. Religiously unaffiliated (45%), those who say religion is not at all important to them (56%) and Democrats (48%) are the most likely to say religion plays too much of a role.

Americans are also divided over what religions should be taught or emphasized in schools. Almost 2 in 5 (38%) say schools should teach about all religions equally. More than a quarter (28%) think they shouldn’t teach about any religions. Around 1 in 10 say schools should teach about all religions but give more emphasis to Christianity (12%) or only teach about Christianity (9%). [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

GOD’S WAREHOUSE LAUNCHES THREE-DAY GATLINBURG FURNITURE COLLECTION DRIVE

Baptist and Reflector

Since the first load of supplies entered the warehouse, David Baines and his team have worked to supply the needs of others. They recently filled and shipped their 800th load of supplies to families affected by Hurricane Helene.

MORRISTOWN — God’s Warehouse will conduct a three-day furniture and appliance collection project in Gatlinburg beginning Monday, with volunteers needed to help clear a 29-unit condominium facility.

The project runs Oct. 13-15, according to Doug Derreberry, director of God’s Warehouse Services. Volunteers will remove mattresses, appliances and furniture from multiple floors to load onto semi-trailers.

“One of our great partners in Gatlinburg has already blessed God’s Warehouse with mattress, appliances, and furniture on a select basis,” Derreberry said. “Now we have been given the option of receiving all items in a 29-unit facility.” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ‘CONVERSION THERAPY’ BAN CASE

By Scott Barkley
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (BP) – The case of a Colorado counselor’s right to express her faith values while discussing issues such as same-sex attraction and gender identity with adolescents will appear before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor, argues that the state’s 2019 Minor Conversion Therapy Law infringes on her free speech as a practicing Christian when minors approach her with concerns over living in a manner “inconsistent with their faith and values.”

Central to both sides’ argument is the level of scrutiny to which the law should be applied. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

DOOLEY NOTED: PREACHING THE HARD VERSES

By Adam Dooley
Pastor • Englewood Baptist Church • Jackson

Dooley

I have preached a lot of sermons over the years. From the very beginning, I settled on an expository method with the goal of preaching through every book, chapter, and verse of the Bible. In my view, doing so keeps a pastor accountable to say what God says about all matters, rather than simply choosing the easiest, most popular subjects to share. I am not suggesting that this is the only way to preach, but I do believe it is the best way to preach.

The Bible accurately predicted a time, which I believe has come, when most would not endure sound doctrine but would accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their sinful desires, wanting to have their ears tickled (2 Timothy 4:3). Apart from the robust accountability of walking through the Bible consecutively, pastors may unknowingly fall into the trap of preaching for likes and reposts on social media rather than standing as prophets to the people assigned to them. Admittedly, I do not trust the whims of my disposition or my need for approval as an accurate measuring stick of biblical fidelity.

Recently, while walking verse-by-verse through 1 Corinthians, I found myself wrestling with texts that, frankly, I would have never chosen to preach if my only concern was what people wanted to hear. Yet, in moments such as these, the preacher must decide if he sincerely believes that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and whether he is firmly committed to preach the word in season and out season (2 Timothy 4:2). [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

UNION OFFERING FREE ACCESS TO WELLNESS CENTER TO TENNESSEE BAPTIST PASTORS AND WIVES

Baptist and Reflector

JACKSON — Union University is extending a new benefit to Tennessee Baptist pastors, offering them free membership at the university’s Wellness Center, with discounted rates for their wives.

Ray Van Neste, Union’s vice president for university ministries and dean for the School of Theology and Missions, said the benefit connects with Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s initiatives emphasizing pastoral wellness.

“Our Tennessee Baptist pastors are men who are faithful shepherds, and we are thankful for them,” Van Neste said. “At Union, we want to be a helpful partner, both with pastors and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board as a whole. This benefit is one way for us to do that.” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

Address

4017 Rural Plains Circle
Franklin, TN 37064

Contact Information

Mail: Baptist & Reflector, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin, TN 37068
Physical Address: 4017 Rural Plains Circle, Franklin, TN 37064
Email: bandr@tnbaptist.org
Phone: 615-371-2003

2025 © The Baptist and Reflector. All Right Reserved.