Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TENNESSEE CP GIVING TRENDING UPWARD

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

cplogoBRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptists’ giving through the Cooperative Program is trending upward.

For the first time in five years (since the 2010-11 budget year), Cooperative Program gifts from Tennessee Baptist Convention churches not only are up over the previous year, but they are above projected needs midway into the budget year which ends Oct. 31. The increase also is only the second increase since 2007.

After six months of the current fiscal year (which ended April 30) Tennessee Baptists have given $17,749,300, an increase of $672,460 or 3.9 percent over the previous year. The total also was $624,300 or 3.65 percent over projected budget needs. [Read more…]

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FREEMAN TO BE NOMINATED FOR TBC PRESIDENCY

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Steve Freeman

Steve Freeman

BRENTWOOD — Steve Freeman, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, will be nominated for the presidency of the Tennessee Baptist Convention at The Summit in November.

Freeman currently serves as chair of the Executive Board of the TBC. He is the only announced nominee to date.

Chattanooga-area pastor Eric Stitts of Bayside Baptist Church, Harrison, informed the Baptist and Reflector May 23 of his intention to nominate Freeman during the TBC’s annual meeting at Summit, scheduled for Nov. 13-17 in Sevierville.

Stitts noted that Freeman “has a deep and abiding love for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his church, and for the state of Tennessee. [Read more…]

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11 STATES SUE OBAMA ADMIN. OVER TRANSGENDER DIRECTIVE

By Bonnie Pritchett
Baptist Press

public restroom signs male female gender bathroom toiletAUSTIN, Texas (BP) — Eleven states and two school districts filed a lawsuit May 25 challenging President Barack Obama’s directive demanding all federally funded schools apply a controversial interpretation of Title IX requiring schools to define a student’s sexual identity based not on biological traits, but on feelings.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah, and Georgia; Governor of Maine Paul Lepage; the Arizona Department of Education; Harrold Independent School District (HISD) in Texas and Heber-Overgaard Unified School District in Arizona. [Read more…]

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PRIORITIES: CHRIST FIRST, THEN GOLF

By Bill Sorrell
Contributing Writer

Ben Reeves displays the form that made him an all-conference golfer at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Ben Reeves displays the form that made him an all-conference golfer at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

MARTIN — Driving down Interstate 40 toward Jackson, saw something that made him almost swerve off the road — a larger-than-life picture of himself  on a billboard advertising the University of Tennessee at Martin where he is a senior.

“I was looking around at the other cars. Do they know that this guy is in the car next to them?” laughed Reeves, who is captain of the golf team. “It was fun. A lot of guys gave me a hard time about it.”

UTM golf coach Jerry Carpenter has seen Reeves’ face value. [Read more…]

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BLENDING THE GENERATIONS IN CHURCH

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

160520Generations-Infographic1BRENTWOOD — The Greatest Generation. Baby Boomers. Generation X (Baby Busters). Generation Y (Millennials). Generation Z. Knowing the names assigned to the generations in today’s world can be confusing and hard to understand.

Only one thing is certain about each generation — they all need to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

An increasing emphasis is being placed on Millennials and Generation Z and rightfully so. Statistics reveal that Millennials are leaving the church in record numbers and that nine out of 10 children in Generation Z will likely grow to adulthood without knowing Christ.

These are sobering statistics and must be addressed. New churches are being started with Millennials and Generation Z as the focus. [Read more…]

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WALNUT HILL ‘HAD CHURCH IN THE COMMUNITY’

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Wendell Edmonds, youth pastor, Walnut Hill Baptist Church, Harriman, stands on April 21 near the site of the April 17 fire which killed Sandra Mills, a neighbor who attended Walnut Hill Baptist.

Wendell Edmonds, youth pastor, Walnut Hill Baptist Church, Harriman, stands on April 21 near the site of the April 17 fire which killed Sandra Mills, a neighbor who attended Walnut Hill Baptist.

HARRIMAN — “We didn’t have church inside the building, but we had church in the community,” explained Wendell Edmonds, youth pastor, Walnut Hill Baptist Church here, after the church canceled Sunday activities to respond to victims of a fatal fire.

On April 17, a Sunday, at about 3 a.m., Edmonds, who also is a Harriman Fire Department chaplain, was awakened by a notification on his smart phone from the Fire Department. Soon Edmonds, a retired fireman and policeman, arrived at the fire, which was blazing less than a block from the church. [Read more…]

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REACHING GENERATION Z IMPERATIVE: DAVIS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

160517genzBRENTWOOD — The projected photo in the meeting room was of 10 children though only one was spotlighted. The caption read — “If the trend continues, nine of 10 children born after 9/11 will reach adulthood without knowing Christ.”

“It takes something monumental to reverse a trend. You don’t reverse a trend just by changing your mind,” observed Randy C. Davis.

Even more alarming is that these children born after 9/11 (2001), who are known as Generation Z, make up what is predicted to be the largest generation ever, added Davis. The executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention spoke at the “Reaching Gen Z” luncheon held at Grace Community Church here and at six other locations across the state recently. The meetings drew a total of about 525 people. [Read more…]

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EZELL, RAINER APPOINT DISCIPLE-MAKING TASK FORCE

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, and Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, have appointed a task force on disciple-making.

Consisting of Southern Baptist pastors, the task force will recommend steps that churches can take to improve their disciple-making process and spark a disciple-making movement throughout the Southern Baptist Convention.

Robby Gallaty

Robby Gallaty

“This group will suggest a transferrable process that any church can use in any context,” Ezell said. “The priority will be leading people to the Gospel and then putting them on a pathway toward spiritual growth and maturity.”

Rainer is hopeful that the task force’s recommendations will help churches make the transition to more effective discipleship. [Read more…]

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CLARKSVILLE PASTOR STARTS PETITION DRIVE

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Franklin Graham's sermon in front of the Nashville Capitol (May 3) was one of 50 stops on his Decision America Tour 2016 with Franklin Graham. — Photo by Diana Chandler

Franklin Graham’s sermon in front of the Nashville Capitol (May 3) was one of 50 stops on his Decision America Tour 2016 with Franklin Graham.
— Photo by Diana Chandler

CLARKSVILLE — Like many Christians around the country today, Jerry Jeter is not pleased with the two likely presidential candidates (Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton) in the November election.

So, he launched an effort May 9 on ipetitions.com to ask evangelist Franklin Graham to consider running for president as an independent candidate. Graham is the eldest son of Billy and Ruth Graham and the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

On the website, Jeter wrote, “After wrestling with the current state of the 2016 presidential election, I have concluded that I cannot in good conscience vote for the lesser of two evils. [Read more…]

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FIRST BAPTIST, NEWBERN, REACHES MILESTONE

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Burning the note at FBC, Newbern, are, from left, Jeff Thomas, Bill Adcock, and Tom Foster.

Burning the note at FBC, Newbern, are, from left, Jeff Thomas, Bill Adcock, and Tom Foster.

NEWBERN – First Baptist Church here reached a milestone on April 3 as the congregation celebrated becoming debt free.

The church held a note-burning service on its new sanctuary. The church borrowed $1 million in 2011 to go along with the $1,032,923 in cash the church had raised before breaking ground for its new $2.3 million facility. The church moved into the new building on Aug. 5, 2012.

Pastor Danny Klutts chose the title “Milestones” based on Matthew 17:1-9 for his message on April 3. [Read more…]

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