Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
I have some words of advice for members of Faith in America, a North Carolina-based advocacy organization. Don’t hold your breath. And, if you really want to do yourself a favor, don’t waste your time and money.
Members of this organization plan to picket the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention next week in Phoenix, seeking to persuade messengers and leaders to remove LGBT individuals from their “sin list.” [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Don Owen, third from right, director of disaster relief, Nolachucky Baptist Association, based in Morristown, presents the keys to a newly purchased truck for the association DR ministries which include God’s Warehouse. From left are Larry Burnett; Nonnie Owen; Dean Haun, pastor, First Baptist Church, Morristown, which leads the Harvest of Israel project supported by the association DR; Doug Derreberry, God’s Warehouse director; Don Owen; and Cindy and Tom Jenkins. Not pictured is David Hawkins, director of missions, Nolachucky Association.
MORRISTOWN — Most people would assume that Don Owen experiences few surprises in ministry. Owen, a semi-retired businessman, has served for 13 years as a Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer and in other ministries.
But during the past several years Owen has seen God do some things that are hard to explain and unusual, he said. In fact he resisted them, he admitted.
In about 2011, 18 families in this area lost their homes to fire. During that time a friend called Owen, who is disaster relief director for Nolachucky Baptist Association based here, and asked if he wanted some furniture no longer needed by a Gatlinburg hotel.
Owen hesitated. He didn’t really want to become involved in the used furniture business. But he was aware of an empty auto repair garage and its owner through his many contacts here. Owen has lived here all of his life. The owner agreed to let the Nolachucky Association use it for storage. The space had about 1,500 square feet. [Read more…]
By David Roach
Baptist Press
NASHVILLE — A Gallup poll indicating Americans are more “left-leaning” than ever on 10 of 19 moral issues has been called “humbling” and “chastening” by a Southern Baptist Convention seminary president. A Fordham University ethicist critiqued the poll as “deeply misleading” for suggesting moral permissiveness is limited to liberals.
In its annual Values and Beliefs survey, the Gallup polling organization found that record percentages of U.S. adults believe it is morally acceptable to use birth control (91 percent), get divorced (73 percent), engage in opposite-sex sexual acts outside of marriage (69 percent), engage in same-sex sexual acts (63 percent), have a baby outside of marriage (62 percent), commit physician-assisted suicide (57 percent), view pornography (36 percent), and practice polygamy (17 percent). [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Vonore Baptist Church, Vonore, held a special worship service on Easter Sunday with missions teams around the world viewing via Skype.
VONORE – Former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Doug Sager is the first to admit that he has never been a person to “stay inside the box.”
And neither have most of the churches he served during his 62-year ministry.
Upon retiring as pastor of First Baptist Church, Concord, in Knoxville in April of 2013, Sager began later that year as interim pastor of Vonore Baptist Church, a rural church in Monroe County. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
— Photos by Corinne Williams
FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB) has relocated to Franklin and will cut a ribbon in the front of the Church Support Center June 3, marking the beginning of a new era in the organization’s long history.
TBMB employees officially moved into the building May 23, and guests are invited to the June 3 ribbon cutting and open house at 10:30 am. A number of special guests will participate in the program and the building will be open for tours after the ceremony. [Read more…]
By Jane Rodgers
Southern Baptist Texan
EDITOR’S NOTE: May 29 is Memorial Day.
Doug Brinson
SAN ANTONIO (BP) — As an Air Force pararescueman in Vietnam, Doug Brinson often faced death to save downed pilots, including a treacherous three-week stretch of missions in 1972 that shaped his life in ways he will never forget.
“I probably aged a few years in those three weeks,” Brinson said.
Brinson’s parents urged him to follow his brother by enlisting in the Air Force, thinking it the safest branch of the military. The southern Louisiana native found himself drawn to the allure of dangerous USAF pararescue. [Read more…]
by David Roach
Baptist Press
EDITOR’S NOTE: The full text of SBC President Steve Gaines’ call to prayer is printed below.
PHOENIX (BP) — Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines has called Southern Baptists to 21 days of prayer and fasting leading up to the SBC annual meeting in Phoenix.
The fast will begin May 23 and end June 12, the day preceding the June 13-14 SBC annual meeting, Gaines announced today (May 18) in a written call to prayer. He defined fasting as “doing without something in order to focus more attention on the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom,” adding that “prayer and fasting are essentials in the Christian life.”
Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., urged all Southern Baptists to participate in the fast. Some may feel called to “go without food for 21 days and just drink liquids,” he wrote. Others may opt to “eat less than normal and drink only water,” skip one meal per day for 21 days or fast from a technology like television. [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist churches are adding contemporary style worship services in various ways. Despite issues — will the new service divide the church, who will speak, when will it be held, and where will it be held — the outcome usually is good, reported pastors.
Three Tennessee Baptist churches which range in size reported on their experiences — Grace Baptist Church, Elizabethton; First Baptist Church, Manchester; and First Baptist Church, Kingsport. [Read more…]
By Mike Stover
Camp Pastor, Journey Camp
Mike Stover
On the last day of Journey Camp 2016 at Linden Valley I was serving food to our campers during the first lunch serving. There are two serving times for each meal of the day, both with four lines, and camp staff serve the campers as they come through the line. As you can imagine, there is usually a steady stream of boys and girls coming through to get their meal, and it is an extremely busy time. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Enjoying the setting at Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center is a group from Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Bradford. From left are Theresa Kay Stone, Annalee Bratton, Macy Johnstone, Ava Anglin, Emma Cook (standing), and Alyssa Anglin.
BRENTWOOD — Sunday, May 28, will be observed as a day of prayer for the conference centers owned and operated by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
The day of prayer is for both Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center in Linden and Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center in Newport. The theme for the day is “Pray For Them All,” taken from I Timothy 2:1, NKJV.
“We have had days of prayer for both camps from time to time,” said Tim Bearden, senior manager of the conference centers for the TBMB. [Read more…]
