Joining TBMB staff as prayer catalyst, Duggin ready to help ‘lay the foundation’

Nancy Duggin

FRANKLIN — What is a prayer catalyst?

Primarily, it’s a person who is helping the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board bathe everything it does in prayer. But Nancy Duggin will also tell you it’s a person who is ready at-hand to help a church start a revival at the sound of an ‘amen.’

“It’s going to cover anything and everything you can think of when it comes to prayer and helping Tennesseans,” said Duggin. “I know the big goal is that we will not stop until every Tennessean hears the gospel. There’s no revival in all of history that I’m aware of where the foundation wasn’t laid with prayer.”

The TBMB hasn’t had a designated person focused on prayer in about a decade. But with the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s two rails of vision consisting of collaboration and prayer, the need became apparent. [Read more…]

A missions team from Carson-Newman visits with children at a school in Honduras. Pictured left to right are Courtenay Folk, director of C-N’s Center for Community Engagement; Lucas Triplett, Alyssa Abbott, Eva El Helou, Reagan Garrett, and Sophia Folk.

JEFFERSON CITY — Dozens of Carson-Newman students recently returned from a spring break week that was anything but traditional. Grouped in teams, students took part in multiple mission trips around the globe — helping others, gaining real-world experience, and showing the love of Christ.

Students boarded planes traveling to Los Angeles, Hawaii and Honduras, while a team of nursing students took part in a medical mission trip to Ecuador. Carson-Newman also partnered with Morristown’s Arrowhead Church to send a team to southeast Asia. [Read more…]

Andy Prock, back, and her sister, Carson, stand in a soon-to-be-filled pantry at The Grace House. The two sisters raised $500 for the organization at their birthday party.

COLUMBIA — Carson and Andy Prock celebrated their birthdays with a huge party that included cake, candles, games and laughter.

There was, however, one element that was noticeably absent from the festivities.

There were no presents for the two young sisters.

Instead, Andy, who turned 10, and Carson, 7, used their big day as a means of giving, not receiving.

They did so by asking the party’s attendees to make donations to Grace House — an organization that provides housing and other essential needs for displaced families.

“We felt like this was a way that we could really teach the girls the importance of helping others,” said the girls’ mom, Kyle Anne Prock. [Read more…]

By Zoë Watkins

zwatkins@tnbaptist.org

A family of six stands outside the trailer that was purchased using Connie Kurbis’ donation.

CLEVELAND — “And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42

This verse comes to mind amid the generosity that’s been poured into the disaster relief efforts for East Tennessee. For those who have donated, they know it’s not how much you give, but rather how you give.

“If you have something and you can help somebody, it’s better to lay your treasures up in heaven than to lay them here,” said Connie Kurbis of Cleveland.

After seeing the need in East Tennessee, Kurbis prayed and asked the Lord what she should do with the resources she had been left with. Then she knew. [Read more…]