Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

KINGSPORT PASTOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF TENNESSEE BAPTIST CONVENTION

Editor’s Note: This is the final version of the officer’s story.

By Lonnie Wilkey, editor
Baptist and Reflector

ROC COLLINS

ROC COLLINS

MILLINGTON – Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention unanimously elected Roc Collins, pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, as president.

Allan Lovelace, pastor of Waterville Baptist Church, Cleveland, nominated Collins for the position.

He noted that during the 10 years Collins has served as pastor of Indian Springs the church has doubled in almost every statistical category. The church gives 10 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. Last year the church baptized 82 people, Lovelace reported.

Collins has served as president of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference, vice president of the TBC, and served as chair of the TBC Executive Board this past year. [Read more…]

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PASTORS CONFERENCE ELECTS OFFICERS

Baptist and Reflector

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Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention recognized new and outgoing officers during the final session of the 2015 Pastors Conference held Nov. 9 at First Baptist Church, Millington. From left are Jim Collier, Kirby Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, 2017 president-elect; Todd Stinnett, Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, 2016 president; Michael Crandall, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg, secretary-treasurer; Steve Gaines, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova outgoing president; and Davis. -Photo by Corinne Williams

MILLINGTON – Todd Stinnett, senior pastor of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, will serve as president of the 2016 Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference.

Stinnett served this past year as president-elect with 2015 Pastors Conference president Steve Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova. [Read more…]

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BCMS ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF STATE JOIN FORCES

Baptist Collegiate Ministries students from UTK and UofM stand at a station they offered at the University of Memphis. From left are Mason Thornton, Miranda Smith, Catherine Sharp, Katlyn Luthi, Vincent Nutt, Alex Rosas, Joe Drummer, associate pastor – college, Calvary Baptist Church, Knoxville, and Rebekah Luebbe.

Baptist Collegiate Ministries students from UTK and UofM stand at a station they offered at the University of Memphis. From left are Mason Thornton, Miranda Smith, Catherine Sharp, Katlyn Luthi, Vincent Nutt, Alex Rosas, Joe Drummer, associate pastor – college, Calvary Baptist Church, Knoxville, and Rebekah Luebbe.

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

MEMPHIS — A Baptist Collegiate Ministries group in the state recently served “in partnership,” as one BCM director put it, with another BCM group in Tennessee. The BCM at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, served with the BCM at the University of Memphis on the UofM campus as part of the fall missions trip of UTK BCM.

State BCM groups from several schools have worked together before, but this cooperative effort was very unusual in that one group considered the campus as a missions field and ministered there, said Bill Choate, collegiate ministries director for the Tennessee Baptist Convention. [Read more…]

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FBC MORRISTOWN WELCOMES HELP FROM TENNESSEANS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Volunteers from First Baptist Church, Morristown, circle to pray for a container of supplies that will be sent to the Holy Land as part of the church’s Harvest of Israel Missions Initiative. The church has sent seven 40-foot containers to Israel over the last four years.

Volunteers from First Baptist Church, Morristown, circle to pray for a container of supplies that will be sent to the Holy Land as part of the church’s Harvest of Israel Missions Initiative. The church has sent seven 40-foot containers to Israel over the last four years.

BRENTWOOD — In September the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention approved a two-year volunteer missions initiative with First Baptist Church, Morristown.

Tennessee Baptist churches and associations are invited to join forces with First Baptist Church for the Harvest of Israel Missions Initiative. A partnership initiative involves the convention partnering with a TBC church to help them with a specific work, said Kim Margrave, volunteer missions specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

“The partnership initiative with First Baptist Church, Morristown, working with the Harvest of Israel Ministry, will give our churches an opportunity to be involved with on-the-ground ministry through the filling of containers that will be shipped to help ministry partners share the gospel,” Margrave said. [Read more…]

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COUPLE MAKES LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

Dale & Frances Matthews provide home, long-term care to 10 special needs children

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

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Dale and Frances Matthews stand outside their home in Rutherford with 10 of their 11 adopted children and a friend who is staying with them. From left are, seated, Olivia, 17; Leah, 20; Elizabeth, 24; and Jesse, 22; standing, Tucker, 20; Joshua, 21; Dale; Kimberly, 33; Frances; Nicholas, 23; Emily, 21; Josh Baum, 18; and McKenna, 14.

RUTHERFORD — Dale Matthews admits that he was “drug kicking and screaming” into his current situation, which is being a father to 11 special needs children, including 10 who are still in their home.

With a smile, he blames Frances, his wife, who sheepishly agrees that she was the instigator. She has always been drawn to children and wanted a big family, she explained.

Frances operated a day care and they fostered over 100 children before they adopted their first special needs child in 1991. Many of the children they had fostered were challenges because they were teenagers so in that way they had some preparation, explained Frances. At that time, Dale was still in the U.S. Air Force. He retired after 21 years. They also have two other children who aren’t special needs. [Read more…]

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CHURCHES CROSS RACIAL BARRIERS

Churches in Columbia more concerned about winning people for Christ than racial issues

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Members of a multicultural church in Columbia, Immanuel Baptist Church, include, from left, Jeanne and Francisco De La Rosa; their daughter-in-law Stephanie De La Rosa; Sam Seagraves; and Dwight Church, pastor.

Members of a multicultural church in Columbia, Immanuel Baptist Church, include, from left, Jeanne and Francisco De La Rosa; their daughter-in-law Stephanie De La Rosa; Sam Seagraves; and Dwight Church, pastor.

COLUMBIA — Race relations often are tense across the United States, but in Columbia, especially in several Baptist churches, “we work together,” reported Dale Ledbetter, director of missions, Maury Baptist Association, based here.

During his 15-year tenure as DOM, racial tensions here have always been minimal, but recently, some great things have occurred which should encourage and be refreshing to all Tennessee Baptists, he said.

“Others should see God’s work in our little corner of the world to counteract all the negative we see and hear,” Ledbetter reported recently.

African-American and Anglo Baptist congregations in Columbia are crossing the racial divide, he noted.

Two players in these instances agreed. [Read more…]

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VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE HELP, HOPE

Tennessee Baptist DR volunteers continue to help South Carolina flood victims

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

A disaster relief team from First Baptist Church, Sevierville, gathers around to pray for Joe Ashley McClary Jr., and his friend Gail Hill. The team provided flood recovery for a home located on the banks of the Black River owned by McClary’s mother.

A disaster relief team from First Baptist Church, Sevierville, gathers around to pray for Joe Ashley McClary Jr., and his friend Gail Hill. The team provided flood recovery for a home located on the banks of the Black River owned by McClary’s mother.

MANNING, S.C. — Driving past homes in the low country region of South Carolina between Columbia and the coast, one might not suspect that less than a month ago many roads were impassable.

And, unless there was the obvious sign of water-logged furniture piled across the front yard awaiting trash pickup, one might not suspect that as much as 24 inches of rain fell upon the area in a three-day period between Oct. 3-5.

Yet, looks can be deceiving. Just ask the owners of those homes whose furniture and belongings have not been removed and the stench of mold and mildew fill the air.

Unfortunately, a month following the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin, there are many homes still untouched. And, numerous others that have been cleaned out still face massive rebuilding efforts. Some residents have insurance to handle the cost of remodeling/rebuilding. The majority of them do not. [Read more…]

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THREAT OF DIVORCE HARD TO SPOT AMONG CHURCHGOING COUPLES

By Lisa Cannon Green
LifeWay News

church divorce survey 3NASHVILLE – Before a divorce, churchgoers in troubled marriages look a lot like their happily married counterparts at church—participating, serving, and leading at similar rates.

After a divorce, the differences can be stark. Twenty percent have dropped out of church entirely. In many cases, their children have stopped attending too. A third give less to the church than they did before. Their churches report leadership voids and fractured relationships.

Yet pastors may have difficulty helping couples save their marriages, because churchgoers on the brink of separation often keep quiet at church about their marital woes.

Those are among the findings of new research by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. The study, sponsored by Focus on the Family, surveyed Protestant pastors, churchgoing Americans in healthy marriages, and churchgoing Americans who divorced in the past five years. [Read more…]

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MOST AMERICANS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN: LIFEWAY RESEARCH

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay News Office

151028Avoiding-HalloweenNASHVILLE — When it comes to Halloween, most Americans don¹t have a problem celebrating the spooky holiday. Yet, one-third say they avoid Halloween or its pagan elements.

Although three in five Americans told LifeWay Research Halloween is “all in good fun,” 21 percent avoid the holiday completely and another 14 percent avoid the pagan elements.

Halloween has been known in North America since colonial days. But it wasn’t until Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs to America in the 1840s the festival grew in popularity. Since then, it has been woven into the fabric of American culture. By the 1950s, Halloween was mostly considered a children’s holiday celebrated with costumes and candy. [Read more…]

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EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE TENNESSEE BAPTIST CONVENTION CLOSES ON NEW PROPERTY

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

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Randy C. Davis, left, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, signs the closing documents on the new property that will house the convention’s Church Support Center. Looking on is Wes Turner, real estate attorney and former Executive Board member from First Baptist Church, Nashville.

BRENTWOOD — The Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention signed the closing documents on property in Franklin Oct. 26, preparing the way for construction to begin on a permanent location for the convention’s Church Support Center.

“We are thankful to have this step behind us and can now turn our attention to the construction,” said Randy C. Davis, executive director of the Executive Board. “This is a momentous day in the life of Tennessee Baptists and the future of our ministry to those in our state and around the world.”

The 2.3-acre mixed-use property is located in the Berry Farms business development located adjacent to I-65 and near the Goose Creek Bypass (State Route 248), just north of State Route 840. Construction on the 32,000-square-foot building is scheduled to begin March 1, 2016 with a completion date slated by March 1, 2017. The Executive Board Ministries will move into the location as soon as construction is completed. [Read more…]

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