Hope Pregnancy Center in Clarksville dedicated its new ultrasound machine in August. The machine was made possible by the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s Psalm 139 Project and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.  Training for the machine was funded by the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions. Participating in the dedication service were, from left, Bobby Reed, chief financial officer, ERLC; Beth Moore, compassion ministries specialist, TBMB; Rachel Wiles, director of Psalm 139 Placement, ERLC project manager; and nurses Emily Cotton (front) and Adrianne Smith.

While dealing with a brain tumor that occurred when he was 10 years old, Easton Reeder, front right, now 11, has had the full support of his family, from left, Jessica, Elam, Emma-Grace and Jason Reeder.

BRENTWOOD — No child should have to face serious health problems alone. That’s why Easton Reeder is using his fight against a brain tumor to show others how to win their own battles.

Easton attends Sunset Elementary School in Brentwood. His favorite things in life are his faith, family, the University of Tennessee football, baseball and triathlons. His story is an encouragement to all.

During the summer of 2021, Easton was involved in a minor accident which left him with a concussion. When the headaches continued, he was sent to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. After multiple scans, doctors discovered a brain tumor.

Easton’s dad, Jason, said: “The results were not even close to what we were anticipating. We were told that the tumor had been there for at least a year — if not more. The tumor was in the middle of his brain, and we were all scared. But the doctors and staff at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital were amazing. They were surprised that we found the tumor in the way that we did! We’re beyond grateful.” [Read more…]

Paul Stouder, left, was ordained by First Baptist Church, Carthage, during a service on Aug. 14. Stouder, who serves as associate pastor, is joined in the photo by his wife, Maura, along with FBC senior pastor Tim Frank, and his wife, Fran.

COOKEVILLE — The story of Paul Stouder is one that comes full circle through the Tennessee Tech Baptist Collegiate Ministry, said Ben Maddox, Tech BCM minister.

As a freshman, Stouder visited the BCM for an outdoor worship service. He thought it would be a way to blend into the crowd while still learning about Christianity.

After that service, Stouder found community with other students who connected him with Stevens Street Baptist Church. There — and at the BCM — Stouder heard the gospel. In 2014, he was saved and baptized.

While at the BCM from 2013-2017, Stouder had opportunities to serve. He was student president and worship leader. He also interned at local churches.

Stouder’s experiences led to him feeling a call to ministry — a call that God uniquely aligned with the needs of another Tech BCM alum, pastor Tim Frank of First Baptist Church, Carthage. [Read more…]

A Knox County Baptist Association disaster relief team cleans out a basement that was flooded in Carrie, Ky.

CARRIE, Ky. — Dwayne Slone summed up the feelings of many homeowners in Carrie, Ky., about the disaster relief teams from Tennessee who have provided flood recovery assistance since torrential floods struck the area in late July. “They were God-sent,” he said.

Slone’s home is one of more than 150-plus homes that have received help or are still awaiting teams to clean out their homes which were affected by the flooding in July and early August.

Another homeowner, Pam Bates, said her family was overwhelmed after the flooding.

 “We didn’t know what to do and we could not get any help.” Bates heard about the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers who were staying at Montgomery Baptist Church and contacted them for help. “I know it was God. To Him be the glory,” she said.

Brent Smith, pastor of Montgomery Baptist Church, agreed with the local residents. The volunteers have been “an absolute blessing” to the church and the community,” he said. [Read more…]

Eric McLemore, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Milan, writes in his journal during a recent “Off the Grid” hike on the Appalachian Trail. The group was led by Kevin Perrigan, manager of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center.

NEWPORT — According to recent findings from Lifeway Research, of all the mental challenges faced by pastors, stress tops the list (see article in Aug. 3 issue of the Baptist and Reflector).

Joe Sorah, harvest field ministry team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said pastors talk about the stress they are under, but he does not hear many people talk about solutions.

“Ministry is all encompassing,” Sorah observed. “You must find an outlet that works for you or you probably won’t last long in ministry,” he said.

Sorah encouraged ministers to participate in physical exercise of some kind because it helps release pressure and benefits the body. “Many of us say we just don’t have time to exercise, but just getting in a 30-minute walk in the morning or evening can relieve a load of stress and clear the mind.” [Read more…]

An artist’s rendering of the to-be-constructed Ford plant, which will be called Blue Oval City, in Stanton.

HAYWOOD — “There’s not much between Jackson and Memphis, but there’s about to be.”

That observation was from Danny Sinquefield, coordinator of the Blue Oval City Partnership with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, who emphasized that thousands of people will soon be moving to the area.

By 2025, Ford Motor Company is planning to open Blue Oval City, a 3,600-acre campus in Haywood County. The campus will create over 5,000 plant jobs in addition to tens of thousands of construction jobs. 

Already, construction workers, many of them from South Korea, are building temporary homes in the region and preparing to start work.

“Blue Oval City coming to West Tennessee and to the state of Tennessee is one of the biggest opportunities God has ever given Tennessee Baptists,” said Clay Hallmark, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lexington. [Read more…]