Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

BIVOCATIONAL PASTORS PLAY KEY ROLE: PARROTT

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

John Parrott

John Parrott

ROGERSVILLE — With a half year under his belt as interim bivocational ministries specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, John Parrott has confirmed what he already knew from his role as a director of missions — bivocational ministers are critical in helping to reach Tennessee Baptists with the gospel.

Statistics show that approximately 65 percent of churches in Tennessee are served by bivocational pastors — men who also hold another job, Parrott said.

Though they have other professions, bivocational ministers are not part-time, stressed Parrott, who retired last year as director of missions for Holston Valley Baptist Association, based in Rogersville. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

THE TENNESSEE BAPTIST CONVENTION – A YEAR IN REVIEW

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

fiveobjectivesBRENTWOOD — A highlight for Tennessee Baptists in 2015 was the news that baptisms increased in Tennessee Baptist Convention churches for the second year in a row. In 2014, 2,603 TBC churches reported 23,499 baptisms, the largest number of baptisms recorded since 2010. In 2013 churches reported 21,979 baptisms.

The year saw leadership changes with TBC entities. Vickie Anderson began serving Jan. 1 as the executive director/treasurer of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union. She was installed later in the year to that position during WMU’s annual meeting. Mark Anderson was elected in December to succeed Kenny Cooper as president of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes. Cooper will retire Dec. 31 after 20 years in the role while Anderson, a longtime staff member, will assume his new role on Jan. 1. Bryant Millsaps will retire Dec. 31 as president of Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes and will be succeeded by Greg McCoy who served throughout 2015 as president-elect. Several changes occurred on the TBC Executive Board staff, including the retirement of Bobby Welch as associate executive director. Welch, who served since 2011, was instrumental in helping to initiate the 1-5-1 Harvest Plants initiative geared toward sharing the gospel, starting churches, and discipling people. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

TDAC TO CEASE OPERATIONS

Baptist and Reflector

Roger Stacy

Roger Stacy

BRENTWOOD — The Tennessee Drug Awareness Council is closing its doors, effective Dec. 31.

Originally formed as the United Tennessee League to promote alcohol abstinence decades ago, the name was officially changed to Tennessee Drug Awareness Council about 15 years ago to promote drug awareness and drug prevention education, said Roger Stacy, chairman of the TDAC board of directors and director of missions for Gibson Baptist Association, based in Trenton.

Due to several factors, TDAC has come to the decision that it cannot continue to sustain its ministry, Stacy said. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

LIFEWAY STORE TO CLOSE IN NASHVILLE

LifeWay news office

Lifeway Christian Store, downtown Nashville. - photo, Wikimedia, Michael Rivera

Lifeway Christian Store, downtown Nashville. Photo – Wikimedia, Michael Rivera

NASHVILLE — LifeWay Christian Resources will close its retail store in downtown Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016.

The site of the LifeWay store at 10th Avenue and Broadway was included in last month’s sale of the organization’s 15-acre campus. Although LifeWay is leasing back office space until a new headquarters is built, the lease does not include the retail building. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

PASTOR LOSES 165 POUNDS IN 2015

Health issues, Chubby Challenge encourage pastor Ryan Culpepper to lose weight

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Pastor Ryan Culpepper of Mary’s Chapel Baptist Church, Ripley, embraced the Chubby Challenge made by TBC Executive Director Randy C. Davis and lost 165 pounds. — Photo by Corinne Williams

Pastor Ryan Culpepper of Mary’s Chapel Baptist Church, Ripley, embraced the Chubby Challenge made by TBC Executive Director Randy C. Davis and lost 165 pounds. — Photo by Corinne Williams

RIPLEY — As 2015 winds to a close, pastor Ryan Culpepper is not nearly the man he was when the year began. And, for that he is grateful to the God he worships and serves. At the start of 2015, the 6-foot, 7-inch former college football player, weighed 460 pounds. “I was miserable,” he recalled.

As of Dec. 17, Culpepper tipped the scales at 295 pounds. His goal is to lose at least 50 more pounds during 2016. “I’ve still got a ways to go,” acknowledged the pastor of Mary’s Chapel Baptist Church, Ripley. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

By Roc Collins
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention

151224christmas1Christmas is here!! In just a few days we will celebrate Christmas. It is one of my favorite times. Surely the songwriter had it right when he penned, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” What makes it so wonderful? Some will say it is the gifts and decorations, the shopping and parties, the food and fun, among other things that make Christmas enjoyable. Yes, Christmas can be enjoyable because of these things but they are not what makes Christmas wonderful. Christmas is wonderful because of Christ! You know you can’t spell Christmas without Christ so you surely can’t celebrate and understand Christmas without knowing Christ. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

NEWCOMB STILL LEADING SOULS TO CHRIST

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, visited with his former pastor Ray Newcomb at the Summit. Newcomb baptized Turner more than 30 years ago while serving as pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington. — Photo by Corinne Williams

Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, visited with his former pastor Ray Newcomb at the Summit. Newcomb baptized Turner more than 30 years ago while serving as pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington. — Photo by Corinne Williams

MILLINGTON — The recently concluded Summit at First Baptist Church, Millington, was a homecoming for Ray Newcomb who served as pastor of the Memphis area congregation from 1976 until his retirement in 2009.

He preached the annual convention sermon and a humorous episode during his message has gone viral. During a key point in the sermon, Newcomb grabbed the pulpit and it came apart. His response: “Lordy, I didn’t know I was going to tear up the pulpit.”

Since the video was posted on the Tennessee Baptist Convention Facebook page on Nov. 24 it has been shared more than 200 times and reached more than 32,000 people. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

MOTHER’S FAITH INSPIRES FILM MAKER

Tennessee native Gary Granstaff Produces Faith-Based ‘The Masked Saint’

The Masked Saint, portrayed by actor Brett Granstaff, is based on a book by the same name, written by Chris Whaley, a Baptist pastor who was a former wrestler.

The Masked Saint, portrayed by actor Brett Granstaff, is based on a book by the same name, written by Chris Whaley, a Baptist pastor who was a former wrestler.

FRANKLIN – After decades of living in Seattle, Wash., and Los Angeles, Tennessee native and movie producer Gary Granstaff returned to his roots. Granstaff was reared in the small community of Defeated in Smith County near Carthage.

He attended and became a member of First Baptist Church, Carthage, where his mother (Hazel Granstaff) was an icon in the church and in the community. She taught school and was a librarian for more than three decades in Smith County. Now in his 60s, Granstaff even recalls seeing the Baptist and Reflector as a child. “The Baptist and Reflector was one of the first publications I remember coming to our home,” he said. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

COUNSELOR PUTS ADVICE INTO PRACTICE

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Weslee Hill, right, in a happy moment with her mother, Susie Edwards, a longtime staff member of the Baptist and Reflector who died last March after a battle with cancer.

Weslee Hill, right, in a happy moment with her mother, Susie Edwards, a longtime staff member of the Baptist and Reflector who died last March after a battle with cancer.

MARTIN — Weslee Hill has counseled people through stressful times in their lives for the past 10 years as the counselor for Weakley County Baptist Association, based in Dresden. She is now putting into practice advice she has been giving to others for the past decade.

Hill has especially walked with despondent clients through holidays including Christmas.

The despondency quite often is dealing with the loss of a loved one, but it can involve a number of things including broken and fractured relationships, Hill said. [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

2022 © The Baptist and Reflector. All Right Reserved.