DEATHS

Arp

Rev. Norman A. Arp, of Vonore, died Feb. 26 at home surrounded by his family. He was 92.

Norman served in the U.S. Army and ministered for 56 years. He was the oldest surviving member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Vonore. Norman loved his wife and family, but above all else he loved Jesus, and it was always his goal to lead others to Him.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Faye; great-grandson, Brody; parents, Alfred and Elizabeth Arp; and siblings Bert Arp, Harvey Arp, M.B. Arp, Jack Arp, Anna Mae Shirk, Janie Murr and Alma Strickland.

Rev. Arp was interred at Big Toqua Cemetery. Military honors were provided by V.F.W. Goldstar Post 5156 and American Legion Post 106.

Memorial donations may be made to Big Toqua Cemetery, c/o Roger Underwood, 121 Lackey Lane, Vonore, TN 37885.

Darden

Paul Maurice Darden, a lifelong Nashville resident and Korean War veteran, died March 4 at the age of 95.

Born Jan. 29, 1931, in Nashville, Paul was the son of Gilbert Marshall Darden Sr. and Martha Frances Cartwright. He grew up on Arthur Avenue in North Nashville with siblings Gilbert Marshall Darden Jr. and Betty Jean Darden Walker, both of whom he outlived.

Paul served in the U.S. Army from August 1953 to May 1955, with his final assignment in a hospital unit in Verdun, France. Military service was a family tradition: his father served in World War I, his brother Gilbert Jr. in World War II, and cousins including William Allen Darden Jr. and Sgt. Roy Darden Jr., who was killed in Korea in 1950.

A devoted member of First Baptist Church in Nashville, Paul served as a Sunday School teacher. Over his career, he worked at Nashville Electric Service, the Baptist Sunday School Board and the Southern Baptist Convention. He volunteered for 19 years as a reading instructor at Pennington Elementary School and at ARC in Lebanon, and he supported animal welfare and veteran organizations, including Tunnels to Towers.

Lloyd

Dr. Richard Raymond Lloyd Jr. died March 9, 2026, at the age of 97. He was born March 3, 1929, in Fort Edward, N.Y., the son of Rev. Richard Raymond Lloyd Sr. and Edith Evans Lloyd.

Richard began pastoring at age 20 and served five churches over his career. He pastored Caney Fork Baptist Church in Roane County (1948-52) while attending Carson-Newman College and Southern Seminary, then First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, Ill. (1952-58), First Baptist Church of Rockwood (1958-62), Ridgedale Baptist Church in Chattanooga (1962-72) and First Baptist Church of Starkville, Miss. (1972-94).

In retirement, he served as interim pastor in 30 churches across Mississippi, New York and East Tennessee — including First Baptist churches in Oak Ridge and Jefferson City — and internationally at Kowloon International Baptist Church in Hong Kong. He also taught at Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary and Nigerian Baptist Seminary in Ogbomosho, Nigeria. For more than 50 summers, he preached at Lakeside Chapel in Cleverdale, N.Y., on Lake George. He served on the board of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, as president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board and on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Religious and Ethics Committee and Executive Committee.

He and his wife, Gretta, were married 71 years and were parents to four children: Richard Raymond III, William Evan, Vicky May and Linda Lee.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ray and Gretta Lloyd Scholarship Fund for Ministerial Students at Carson-Newman University, CNU Advancement Office, P.O. Box 557, Jefferson City, TN 37760.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

On Sunday, March 8, Beulah Baptist Church, Kingsport, celebrated long-time pianist Joyce Hall in a surprise ceremony organized by the Wednesday night Children in Action class. The children honored Hall’s more than 60 years of dedicated service by presenting her with a thumbprint-bordered picture of “Thank You for Giving to the Lord,” a piano-themed jigsaw puzzle, and a bouquet of roses. Family members and neighbors — some traveling from afar — gathered to share in the celebration. The congregation expressed their heartfelt gratitude, telling Hall, “We Love You.”

Carson-Newman students help with landscaping at a home in Elizabethton. The service project was part of the university’s spring break mission trips, which led C-N mission teams to take part in ministry opportunities from Tennessee to Colorado to Hawaii.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Clay Hallmark, past president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and past chair of the TBMB recently released his second book, “The Leader is the Lesson: The Virtues of Spiritual Leadership.” The book deals with how who a leader is and what a leader does are more important than what a leader says. “True leadership is not about building a platform or a brand — it is about becoming the person God uses to shape others,” said Hallmark. This book is available at Amazon and at www.clayhallmark.com.

EDUATION

Union University is set to unveil the newly renovated home of its EDGE program.

The Union EDGE program provides a holistic, post-secondary education for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, encouraging increased independent skills that lead to a better quality of life and aligning with Union’s mission of providing Christ-centered education.

Located in the Penick Academic Complex in the area formerly occupied by the engineering department before its move to The Ethos Forum, the new multi-functional space was designed specifically to serve the needs of EDGE students. [Read more…]

The TBDR team pauses for a quick photo after completing work on the bridge.

WASHINGTON COUNTY — On Jan. 2, with God’s blessing, the impossible became a reality.

A team of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers completed a 100-foot bridge replacement over Roan Creek, reconnecting a homeowner to her property more than a year after Hurricane Helene destroyed the original structure.

The bridge, located between Butler and Mountain City, was swept away in September 2024 when more than 36 inches of rain fell in the Upper East Tennessee mountains during the hurricane.

Tennessee Baptist disaster relief volunteers work to complete a bridge in Washington County.

“This one is above our pay grade,” Don Owen, Nolachucky Baptist Association Disaster Relief director, said Tennessee Baptist leadership initially concluded. [Read more…]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Valley Grove calls Holbrook as pastor

Baptist and Reflector

KNOXVILLE — Valley Grove Baptist Church in South Knoxville announced the calling of Evan Holbrook as its 30th senior pastor. Holbrook will preach his first sermon Jan. 11, 2026, bringing fresh vision and energy to a congregation with deep roots.

Holbrook grew up in Livingston, Texas, before entering full-time ministry. Over the past 18 years, he has served in churches in Houston and Tennessee. Most recently, as lead student pastor at First Baptist, Cleveland, he oversaw a ministry building a culture where teenagers engaged with church and mission work.

“My family and I are humbled, thankful and blessed to be called to Valley Grove Baptist Church,” Holbrook said. “God is in the details, and I believe he has brought us here at such a time as this to share Jesus Christ in every home from Seymour to the ends of the earth.”

Holbrook holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and Christianity from Houston Baptist University and a Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He and his wife, Kristen, also a Liberty University graduate, have four children: Carden, Lincoln, Klaiborne and Carroway. The family is relocating to the Seymour/South Knoxville community.

Jordan Easley, Holbrook’s current senior pastor, praised his abilities. “Evan has demonstrated exceptional leadership and has grown tremendously as a preacher and communicator,” Easley said. “His ability to connect with students and congregants alike has fostered a vibrant and growing community within our church.” B&R