Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

RESTORING HOPE

Tennessee Baptists answer the call after flooding leaves trail of destruction throughout Humphreys County

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

A house located near the campus of FBC Waverly shows the destruction caused by recent flooding in the area. The floodwaters resulted in many homes, like this one, being pulled off their foundations and spun in different directions. Also, numerous cars were swept up in the flood and crashed into houses and buildings. — Photo by Lonnie Wilkey

WAVERLY — Walking through certain parts of the flood-ravaged city of Waverly feels almost like navigating through a war zone. Houses, cars, fences and furniture are mangled and mashed. Random pieces of brick and wood are strewn along the streets and sidewalks.        

But in the heart of the choas stands First Baptist Church, Waverly, where help and hope are being distributed.

The church campus features a perpetual buzz of activity in every direction, with people (of all ages) rushing about, moving from room to room on the lower level of the main building. Boxes and crates are being transferred from Point A to Point B. There is a constant flow of cars, coming and going, from the parking lot. Food, clothes and other items are being collected — and given away — simultaneously. 

The scene is intense and energetic. And yet, it is also organized and effective, with smiling faces penetrating the heavy emotions that hang in the atmosphere.

Welcome to “Ground Zero” — the cornerstone of the recovery efforts for the Waverly community after floodwaters tore through parts of Humphreys County, Dickson County and surrounding areas.  [Read more…]

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DISASTER RELIEF TEAMS PREPARE FOR RESPONSE TO HURRICANE IDA

By Carrie Brown McWhorter
The Baptist Paper

Flooding and wind damage were reported in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida’s landfall on Aug. 29 as a Category 4 hurricane.
(Screenshot/Fox46 Charlotte Facebook video)

PORT FOURCHON, La — Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams in several states are on alert for likely deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm.

Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, La., around noon Sunday as a high-end Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The strong winds downed trees and power lines, and heavy rains caused localized flooding in New Orleans and other cities in the storm’s path. At least one death has been attributed to Ida in Louisiana.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in an early Monday morning tweet asked residents to remain in place due to “many hazards across Louisiana including flooded roadways, debris & downed powerlines.” [Read more…]

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ARDMORE CHURCH JOURNEYS FROM COVID-19 TO CHAOS TO SALVATIONS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Pastor Michael Cothren prepares to baptize his daughter, Laken. She was one of 18 people baptized at Kelly’s Creek Baptist Church in Elkton in August. The baptisms were held in the Elk River.

ARDMORE — A small country church “in the middle of nowhere” is doing quite well as it continues to rebound from an off year due to COVID-19, says pastor Michael Cothren of Kelly’s Creek Baptist Church.

This summer, Kelly’s Creek held camps for youth and children and the result was 11 decisions for Christ at camp and three more who made decisions in the aftermath of camp.

As a result of some other salvations, Kelly’s Creek recently baptized 18 new believers in the Elk River, Cothren said. Among the believers was his daughter, Laken, and some of the family who own the land adjoining the river where the baptisms were held. [Read more…]

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PREGNANCY CRISIS CENTER DIRECTOR HAS PASSION FOR MINISTRY

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Lanette Breeden, left, and Carrie Rodgers are shown in the clothes room of the Pregnancy Crisis Center in Morristown. Breeden has served as the director for 20 years while Rodgers has served as assistant director for 10 years. Both women are members of First Baptist Church, Morristown.

MORRISTOWN — Lanette Breeden was a stay-at-home mom with a small child and a baby on the way when she became a volunteer at the Pregnancy Crisis Center in Morristown.

Two years later, she became interim director and within a few months, she was the director. Twenty years later, Breeden is as passionate about the ministry to help mothers with unplanned pregnancies as she was in the beginning.

Breeden was basically a new Christian when she began volunteering at the center. She accepted Christ as an adult at the church where she was raised, Highland Baptist in Whitesburg. While attending her first business meeting, she saw a list of ministries offered by Nolachucky Baptist Association and the Pregnancy Crisis Center caught her attention.

She recalled that at that time volunteers basically worked one day a month. She felt she was having to relearn what she was to do every month, so she decided she would work once a week. 

With the support of the association, which began the center in 1988, and the director, Breeden helped establish “Promise,” a class designed to have an ongoing relationship with the girls and young women who utilized the resources of the center. [Read more…]

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FACING THE FUTURE

BCM leaders cautiously optimistic about ‘returning to normal’ for 2021-22 year

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Members of the BCM at Austin Peay University gather for a photo during an outreach project in which the BCM students passed out snow cones to other students. Pictured are, back from left: Danyel Rowe, Leah Kennedy, Stacy Murphree, Sarah Tracy, LilyAnne Miller, Heather Franks; Front row, from left, Madison McConnell, Ashlyn Mayberry, Chelsey Murphy, Candice Trice, Jillian Bell.

FRANKLIN — Given all that they’ve been through over the past 18 months, Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) leaders are beginning to think that strange is the new normal. 

Last fall, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, BCM leaders were sent scrambling when most college campuses became almost desolate. Classes were mostly held in online platforms, and virtually all activities were canceled — or, at the least, altered — in keeping with COVID protocols and procedures. 

Now, one year later, the landscape is still muddled for BCM leaders and students. With the effects of the pandemic very much still part of everyday life, there remains a thick air of uncertainty regarding the coming months. Even as college students begin moving into their dorms, they are well aware that major changes could be right around the corner.  

So, where has this left BCM directors and leaders? Exhausted, for one thing. But also, believe it or not, encouraged. Many of the BCM leaders say they have seen God work in amazing ways during these challenging days — and they have been awed by the way that students have grown stronger in their walks with the Lord in this time.  [Read more…]

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LEE SHOWED LOVE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Legendary Tennessee pastor was known to send letters of encouragement 

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Lee

TULLAHOMA — Most Southern Baptists have heard of Robert G. Lee, the longtime former pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. 

He was a past president of both the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention and may be best known for his sermon, “Payday Someday.”

Not many people, however, may be aware of his love for and ministry to college students.

Bill Carden, a member of First Baptist Church, Tullahoma, grew up in Bellevue Baptist Church during Lee’s ministry there and has firsthand knowledge.  [Read more…]

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PROTECTING THE INTERESTS OF SOUTHERN BAPTISTS

Nashville attorney has spent lifetime helping entities preserve stewardship integrity

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Jim Guenther was honored for his service to the Southern Baptist Convention in 2006. He began serving as general counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention in 1966. Shown with him were, from left, former SBC president Bobby Welch, Augie Boto, formerly of the SBC Executive Committee staff, and Guenther’s late wife, Patsy Guenther. — Photo courtesy of the Southern Baptist Convention Historical Library and Archives

FRANKLIN — Mention the name Jim Guenther to any Southern Baptist who sits on the pew of an average Southern Baptist church across the nation and you will probably get a blank look.

Few people know the name of the Nashville attorney who has spent the better part of seven decades protecting the interests of Southern Baptists. And, what’s more, he prefers it that way. “Southern Baptists don’t need to remember me. Our work is primarily done in the wings,” he said.

Guenther laughs about an encounter he had at an annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention more than 30 years ago. He was standing in line for food behind a couple and the lady asked if he was a minister. Guenther replied that he was a lawyer. 

The lady asked why a lawyer was attending the annual meeting and he replied that he was the attorney for the SBC. He remembers that she turned to her husband and said, “What has the convention come to that it has to have a lawyer?” [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE DR TO PROVIDE FLOOD RELIEF

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Images on this page depict the damage from this weekend’s storms in Humphreys County.

WAVERLY — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief has set up an incident command post, recovery, chaplains and shower trailer at Trace Creek Baptist Church in New Johnsonville to assist flood victims in Humphreys County while First Baptist Church, Waverly, and other congregations also are responding to those devastated by the flooding that occurred over the weekend. 

More than 17 inches of rain fell in areas of the county on Saturday, Aug. 21. Two of the hardest hit towns were Waverly and McEwen, said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. As of Sunday, Aug. 22, there were 22 reported deaths and at one point, up to 50 people missing. The number of missing has now decreased to the mid-20s, according to most news reports.

“The damage caused by yesterday’s rains in the Waverly, Dickson, McEwen and surrounding areas is tremendous,” Jones said. “The waters rose extremely fast and were swift. At least three of those who died were swept out of their parent’s arms. I cannot even begin to imagine the heartbreak that would cause,” he added. [Read more…]

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GEN Z WANTS TO SPREAD GOSPEL BY EXAMPLE AND UNDERSTAND OTHERS, STUDY SAYS

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

CHICAGO — Gen Z Christians prefer to share their faith by example rather than exhortation, according to a new Barna Research study in conjunction with Alpha USA, an evangelism program popular among many churches including Southern Baptists.

More than half of Gen Z Christians, 53 percent, have a very positive view of letting the way they live be the primary witness of their faith to non-Christians, compared to 40 percent who have a very positive view of sharing their faith by testimony, Barna said Aug. 17 in the online study of 1,342 teenagers in 13-18 years old. Non-Christian members of Gen Z also prefer to see Christians share their faith by example, Barna said.

Still, the majority of Christians in Gen Z, 78 percent, told Barna they had a conversation in the past year to share their faith with a non-Christian, and those teens typically conducted some type of follow-up with those they spoke with. [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE DR TO HANDLE RESPONSES IN THE CARIBBEAN

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Aug. 18.

Baptist and Reflector

MOUNT JULIET —When international disasters need a response, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams will minister and meet needs in the Caribbean.

“Now that BGR (Baptist Global Response) has been rolled into what is now Send Relief International, they have asked state conventions to adopt different sections of the world to participate in humanitarian need projects and be the first to respond to that area when a disaster strikes,” said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

“Tennessee Baptists have chosen the Caribbean region,” he said. “While other states will still respond in this area due to current and long-term relationships that some of them have, Tennessee will also be taking a lead role when disaster hits this area of the world,” Jones added.

The Caribbean area includes Haiti which was rocked by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the early morning hours of Aug. 14. The earthquake struck near the center of the country and has experienced aftershocks, Jones said. 

News reports estimated the death count has climbed above 1,200 with thousands of others injured.

As of Aug. 18, Tennessee Baptists have not been called out due to unstable conditions in Haiti, Jones said. Teams may be needed for rebuild efforts later as conditions improve, he added. 

“Tennessee Baptists have provided funds to provide financial assistance to personnel already in Haiti to help with emergency needs,” Jones said.

Jones said Send Relief International personnel are in touch with missionaries in Haiti. One complication is that a tropical storm (Grace) also is expected to strike the country soon.

Jones encouraged Tennessee Baptists “to keep the people of Haiti in your prayers as this will bring up many memories of the large earthquake in 2010 and for the issues that would be created should the tropical storm strike the island. 

“Pray also that through this disaster God will be glorified and many will come to know Him as Savior,” he added.

The Baptist and Reflector will provide updates on response to the Haiti earthquake as decisions are made by Send Relief International.

In a response unrelated to Haiti, Tennessee Baptists have been asked to send teams to Kingstown, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines in the Caribbean to assist the Saint Vincent Baptist Convention in ministering to people who were displaced by a volcano eruption in April, Jones said.

Teams are needed from now until the end of October,” Jones said. Currently, all persons will have had to have their COVID vaccinations at least two weeks before going and have proof of vaccination.  Even with that, you will have to quarantine for two days when you get to the island before you can start work, he added. 

Volunteers must provide for their own expenses, Jones continued. “Taking the high side numbers that are given on the request, my estimation for a nine-day trip is that the cost will be (from Nashville) about $2,000.00 per person. Currently with advance purchase you can make it down in one day through Miami on American Airlines and the same on the way back,” he added.

Because this is an IMB/SR related project and it is part of a long-term response, Tennessee volunteers will need to go through their process when going, Jones said.

The process includes: completing an online application, having a background check ($20 per person), providing three personal references, interviewing with the team leader and completing a child safety training and video.

For more information, contact Jones at wjones@tnbaptist.org. 

To donate, go to, www.tndisasterrelief.org/contributions. Contributions for “Caribbean Disaster Relief” can also be sent to the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin,TN 37068. B&R

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