Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

PLATT ASKS STATE PAPERS TO ENCOURAGE UNITY

Baptist Press

160219platt-imb

IMB president David Platt, during a Feb. 16 meeting in Puerto Rico, asked Baptist state paper leaders for their “help in encouraging the churches.” -Photo by Shawn Hendricks.

PONCE, Puerto Rico (BP) — International Mission Board President David Platt has asked Baptist state papers to encourage unity among Southern Baptists following the announcement next week of how many IMB personnel have left the board through a series of voluntary resignation programs.

Addressing a gathering of Baptist state paper leaders Feb. 16 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Platt also detailed what he deemed some of the most exciting work God is doing through IMB missionaries across the globe. [Read more…]

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DR TEAMS CONTINUE WORK AMID FLINT WATER CRISIS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

dr-disaster-relief-logoMOUNT JULIET — Nineteen Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers will be serving in Flint, Mich., Feb. 21-28, responding to the city’s water crisis, reported Wes Jones, Tennessee Baptist DR specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

The volunteers will be installing water filters in homes and providing encouragement and prayer, he added. The project is being coordinated by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board and the Flint-area emergency management office. [Read more…]

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YOUTH CURRICULUM DEBUTS: 6-YEAR FREE RESOURCE

Baptist Press

Richard Ross

Richard Ross

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — Richard Ross has spent most of his life leading youth to a deeper relationship with Christ, so he didn’t hesitate when he felt God’s call to develop a small group curriculum for teens and young adults.

But even Ross, a former Tennessee Baptist youth minister at Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory, was surprised at the result: a six-year free curriculum for grades 7-12 encompassing a multi-year journey to learn everything from apologetics and ethics to evangelism and missions.

The online “Disciple6” curriculum, written by 60-plus faculty and students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, includes learner and leader guides spanning core doctrines of the faith to train disciples for Christ. [Read more…]

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EZELL URGES UNION STUDENTS TO ORDER LIVES AROUND OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST

By Nathan Handley
Union University News Office

160216ezell-chapelJACKSON — Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, encouraged Union University students to be obedient in their mission as Christians at a chapel service Feb. 10 in the G. M. Savage Memorial Chapel.

“The Bible tells us very clearly that, as believers we’re to be on mission,” Ezell said. “That means as a teacher, as an engineer, whatever it is — you can be on mission.”

Ezell, a 1985 graduate of Union, said North America needs more people on mission. He said the Southeast is full of churches, but there is great need in other regions. He said Americans tend to take things for granted and assume that the way things are where they live is the way things are everywhere. [Read more…]

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BACKPACKS AID TENNESSEE CHILDREN

Baptist Press

160215backpacksALPHARETTA, Ga. — Since 2001, Appalachian Regional Ministries, a ministry of the North American Mission Board, has collected and distributed more than 140,000 Christmas backpacks and boxes filled with toys, clothing, school supplies, food, and hygiene items and a Bible.

As the ministry has expanded over the years, backpacks were distributed in the 2015 outreach to more than 46,000 children affected by poverty in Appalachia as well as the Mississippi Delta and beyond.

NAMB’s Appalachian ministry has seen more than 4,000 decisions for Christ over the years as a result of the yearly initiative. [Read more…]

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LMCO ENGENDERS SACRIFICE, CREATIVITY

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Quilters of West Hills Baptist Church, Lebanon, pause in front of the quilt they made to be auctioned for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. From left are, first row, Kaitlyn Rodriguez, April Everett, Olivia Kelly, and Kyra Guess; middle row, Linda Nixon, Carol Pharris, Donna Lowery, and Cindy Gibbs; and back row, Deanna Rogers and Jenifer Goode.

Quilters of West Hills Baptist Church, Lebanon, pause in front of the quilt they made to be auctioned for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. From left are, first row, Kaitlyn Rodriguez, April Everett, Olivia Kelly, and Kyra Guess; middle row, Linda Nixon, Carol Pharris, Donna Lowery, and Cindy Gibbs; and back row, Deanna Rogers and Jenifer Goode.

BRENTWOOD — Giving by Tennessee Baptists to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions is up from last year about 5 percent — from $6 million to about $6.3 million as of Jan. 31.

Early reports are that giving has been both sacrificial and creative.

Some Tennessee Baptists intentionally sought to increase LMCO gifts this year due to the financial situation of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention that receives the offering.

In August 2015, the IMB announced the need to reduce personnel and offered a voluntary retirement incentive to missionary and stateside workers. [Read more…]

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COOKEVILLE PASTOR UNDERSTANDS ADDICTIONS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Jimmie Simpson

Jimmie Simpson

COOKEVILLE — Jimmie Simpson can relate to folks who have addictions or life controlling issues. For about 15 years, he struggled with alcoholism.

People might understand his drinking and taking drugs. When he was 2 years old his father would give him alcohol to drink. When he was 15 years old, he began drinking steadily.

After high school Simpson enlisted in the U.S. Navy and he quickly found that drinking and taking drugs were accepted. [Read more…]

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‘UNDECIDED’ MOST PREFERRED BY PASTORS

By Bob Smietana
Lifeway News Office

160210prezNASHVILLE — Ted Cruz is the favorite presidential candidate of Protestant pastors who lean Republican. Hillary Clinton leads among Democratic pastors. And Donald Trump is near the back of the pack.

But “Undecided” is by far the most popular choice of America’s pastors according to a new telephone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. The survey found nearly half of those planning to vote (48 percent) don’t know whom they would vote for if the presidential election were held today.

“One of the most surprising findings of our survey was the poor showing of Donald Trump,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research. “When it comes to Mr. Trump, there seems to be a huge gap between the pulpit and the pew.” [Read more…]

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PORN USE INCREASING AMONG TEENS

Tennessee Baptist youth ministers offer pointers on how to combat problem

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

160210infographicBRENTWOOD — The number of searches for Internet pornography exponentially increases every second. If the rapidly changing online “porn ticker” represented increasing stock value, there would be thousands — possibly millions — of overnight millionaires. Instead, the ticker reveals an insatiable appetite for sexually explicit content, and a high percentage of those searching are teenagers.

There have been nearly 2.5 billion searches for pornography since the beginning of 2015, according to CovenantEyes, a company that specializes in Internet accountability and filtering software. The real-time counter can be found at covenanteyes.com/pornstats. The counter is part of the organization’s report titled, “Pornography Statistics: 250+ Facts, Quotes and Statistics About Pornography Use (2015 Edition).” The full report is available for free download from the site. [Read more…]

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TRUSTEES: NEW LIFEWAY LOCATION AUTHORIZED

Baptist Press

Artist's rendering of LifeWay Christian Resources' proposed new building near Nashville's central business district.

Artist’s rendering of LifeWay Christian Resources’ proposed new building near Nashville’s central business district.

NASHVILLE (BP) — Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources authorized the purchase of land and construction of a new corporate headquarters in Nashville and elected new board officers.

In their semiannual meeting, trustees approved a resolution to authorize LifeWay’s administration to purchase property in downtown Nashville for its future headquarters.

“This property is not just a location — it’s a new community in which we can invest ourselves for the future,” President and CEO Thom S. Rainer told trustees during Feb. 1-2 meetings in Nashville. [Read more…]

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