Approximately 40 Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers served in South Carolina last week. Teams provided mud-out or flood recovery to residents who experienced damage to their homes from the massive flooding caused recently by Hurricane Joaquin. DR teams are based out of First Baptist Church, Manning. Additional teams will arrive this week and more will be needed. People interested in helping the relief efforts can give to the South Carolina Flooding Disaster Relief Fund at www.tndisasterrelief.org or to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, P.O. Box 728, Brentwood, TN 37027, designated for the fund. Prospective volunteers can contact Wes Jones, TBC disaster relief specialist at wjones@tnbaptist.org. B&R Editor Lonnie Wilkey is scheduled to travel to Manning this week for more extensive coverage. In top photo, Scott McGill of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, does clean up work while volunteers in bottom photo remove debris from a home. [Read more…]
101-year-old’s salvation caps wife’s 24-year prayer
By Baptist Press
ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) — Lou Warshaw prayed for 24 years that her husband George would accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.
After years of refusing to give up on the hope that he would become a Christian, God answered her prayers when, at the age of 101, George made that decision and followed through with believer’s baptism.
“The devil kept telling me it wouldn’t happen,” Lou said, admitting to times when her faith was tested. “But I kept believing God would let it happen. I think I’m still on cloud nine.”
George’s conversion story began on July 24, 1991, when he and Lou became husband and wife. The two were of different faiths; George was a Jewish non-believer; Lou was a Christian.
Even so, George attended Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, La., most Sundays with Lou, where she was a member. They sat in the same pew every Sunday for worship and then attended a Bible study class.
Lou and other friends never pushed their faith on George through the years but showed him Christian love and prayed that he would come to know Christ. [Read more…]
Church’s decision to call woman pastor leads to action by Lawrence County Baptists
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
LEOMA – The Lawrence County Association of Baptists voted during its annual meeting Oct. 12 to withdraw fellowship from Greater Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg.
The African-American congregation, which was a church plant of Faith Baptist Church in Loretto in 1992, recently called a non-Baptist woman as pastor (Shonda Reynolds-Christian).
The association voted 73-4 to remove Greater Tabernacle Baptist Church immediately from its list of cooperating Baptist churches, according to Mike Kemper, director of missions of the association. [Read more…]
Counseling homosexuals involves ‘speaking truth in love,’ leaders say
By Andrew J.W. Smith
SBTS News Office
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Christian counselors should be able to speak lovingly and winsomely to people struggling with homosexual attraction, said evangelical leaders at the Oct. 5-7 homosexuality conference at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The conference, titled “Homosexuality: Compassion, Care, and Counseling for Struggling People,” was sponsored by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
“The integrity of our message is at stake in this, brothers and sisters. If we believe that the Bible teaches homosexuality to be a sin, and if we believe that Jesus Christ changes people, but we don’t know how to help them, then … we will make a mockery of the Word of God,” said Heath Lambert, executive director of ACBC and associate professor of biblical counseling at Southern Seminary and Boyce College. “If we don’t know how to lay hold of the grace of Jesus, we will slander the Word of God and the grace of Jesus.”
Using Ephesians 4:15 as his text, Lambert argued believers should pay close attention to the way Christ himself modeled “speaking the truth in love,” because without him they will speak truth without love. Any help Christians want to give should be motivated by genuine love for homosexuals, Lambert said, which does not apologize for biblical standards. The Bible has not changed, and neither should the convictions of believers, he said. [Read more…]
Layman Comes to Aid of Fellow Veterans
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
SHELBYVILLE — A few years ago Air Force veteran Robert Woolbright had to spend three days in intensive care at the Veterans Administration hospital in Murfreesboro.
After being moved to his room, Woolbright discovered the room had no personal hygiene items such as toothpaste or shampoo. The only thing in the bathroom was a dispenser with liquid soap.
Woolbright learned during his stay there that the hospital had only a certain allotment of hygiene items and if they were used up, the hospital staff had to wait on the next allotment.
Woolbright called his wife who had gone home to rest and asked her to bring enough items for himself and the rest of his floor at the VA hospital. [Read more…]
Tennessee Baptist DR to Help S.C. Flood Victims
STORY UPDATED UPDATED 10/12/15
MOUNT JULIET —Three Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief have responded to the historic flooding in South Carolina, reported Wes Jones, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief specialist.
Though Tennessee is not in the region organized by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to be the first responders to disasters in South Carolina, Tennessee was asked for help by North Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief, explained Jones. North Carolina Baptist DR is leading efforts in the northeast part of South Carolina, he explained.
“It’s important to help our sister states when they need us whether we’re in the region or not,” said Jones. [Read more…]
Security for Missions Volunteers
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
More dangerous world requires travelers to be ‘wise as serpents,’ says security expert
MOUNT JULIET — Missions volunteers and missionaries must be as wise as serpents as they travel, advised John Tallman of a personal protection training company which trains missionaries for the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board and missions volunteers of Baptist state conventions.
Tallman led “Faith-focused Travel Security” for the Tennessee Baptist Convention Sept. 17. The event was held at the Missions Mobilization Center of the TBC in Mount Juliet. [Read more…]
Executive Board Adopts Budget
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Elects new officers, approves Church Support Center design
BRENTWOOD — Members of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention approved for recommendation to the messengers of the TBC annual meeting a budget of $34,250,000 for 2015-16. [Read more…]
IMB Announces Budget Shortfall; 600 to 800 Positions to Be Eliminated
Editor’s Note: For additional information, see Frequently Asked Questions released by the IMB following this article.
RICHMOND —International Mission Board leaders have outlined a plan to address IMB’s revenue shortfalls and complete a reset of the organization in order to move forward into the future with innovative vision, wise stewardship and high accountability. [Read more…]
Would You Pay You What You Pay Your Pastor?
By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director
New Hope Baptist Church in Leakesville, Miss., knew they were overpaying their 20-year-old preacher. He knew it too. At $125 a week, neither was real sure of what they were getting into. However, those sweet people were patient, kind, nurturing, and at every turn looked for ways to take care of their preacher boy and his new bride. For instance, there was the Christmas they gave his wife an oak coffee table and matching end tables, and gave him a Remington 1100 vent ribbed shotgun. Why? Just to tell that young couple, “We love you and appreciate you and your ministry to us.” [Read more…]