Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

PRAYER MADE A DIFFERENCE, BEARDEN AFFIRMS

May 20 is set as the second annual day of prayer for Tennessee Baptist Conference Centers

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — Tim Bearden said last year was a good start.

Now, he is hoping for even greater participation — and more impactful results — during the second annual Day of Prayer for the Tennessee Baptist Conference Centers.

Bearden, the TBMB’s conference centers senior manager, is encouraging churches across Tennessee to “pray with expectation” for the two conference centers — located in Carson Springs and Linden Valley — when the second installment of the Day of Prayer is held on Sunday, May 20.  [Read more…]

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PEW: CHRISTIAN WOMEN MORE DEVOUT THAN CHRISTIAN MEN

By Aaron Earls
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — Pew Research has found a significant gender gap concerning religious beliefs and practice among self-identified Christian men and women in America. More than 7 in 10 U.S. Christian women (72 percent) say religion is very important to them, compared to 62 percent of Christian men. [Read more…]

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BAPTISTS RALLY AROUND HISPANIC FAMILIES

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

David Williams, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Morristown, speaks during a prayer rally for Hispanic families affected by a recent raid at a Bean Station slaughterhouse.
— Photos by William Burton for the Baptist and Reflector

BEAN STATION — Tennessee Baptists are ministering to families affected by the raid on a Bean Station slaughterhouse on April 5.

Federal agents raided Southeastern Provisions, a cattle slaughterhouse in Grainger County, as part of a probe on allegations that the company was paying undocumented immigrants cash to avoid paying $2.5 million in payroll taxes over the past three years, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Of the more than 95 employees who were detained until their immigration status was verified, approximately 54 have been held for possible deportation due to their undocumented status, according to news reports. Those who have been released still face court dates and possible deportation, sources said. [Read more…]

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TRAGEDY LEADS PASTOR’S WIFE TO SHARE STORY

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Kim Harmon

GREENBRIER — By her own admission, Kim Harmon led a “fairy tale” life.

She was reared in a pastor’s home and later married and became a pastor’s wife.

And even though she had chosen a career in law enforcement which can have its “ups and downs,” Harmon had not experienced a true crisis in her life.

At least not until she received a phone call on Jan. 10, 2010 that would change not only her life, but the life of her family as well. [Read more…]

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WHY AREN’T CHURCHES HAVING REVIVALS?

Tennessee Baptist vocational evangelists offer their opinions on revivals and evangelism

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Tennessee Baptist evangelists, who were part of a meeting in Jackson recently to discuss the future of vocational evangelism, included, from left, Jerry Drace, Jackson; Ron Herrod, Sevierville; Keith Cook, Springfield; Phil Glisson, Memphis; and Richard Hamlet, Memphis.

JACKSON — In a day when the word “revival” is making a comeback, usually in the secular sense, fewer and fewer Southern Baptist churches are having multi-day revivals. And, even one-day “harvest revivals” aren’t as in demand as they once were. As a result, the number of vocational evangelists across the Southern Baptist Convention has dropped significantly over the past four decades.

The question is why?

Approximately 15 Southern Baptist vocational evangelists met in early March to discuss their profession and calling from God. Among them were five evangelists from Tennessee with a combined 173 years of experience in vocational evangelism — Phil Glisson, Memphis; Jerry Drace, Jackson; Keith Cook, Springfield; Ron Herrod, Sevierville; and Richard Hamlet, Memphis. [Read more…]

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RWANDA CLOSES THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES, ARRESTS 6 PASTORS

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

A March 21 worship service at the Foursquare Gospel Church, a Pentecostal congregation in Agatatu, Rwanda. The government has closed 6,000 churches in the nation of 12 million since March. (From BP / Screen capture from Foursquare Gospel Church YouTube video)

KIGALI, Rwanda — An estimated 6,000 churches have been closed across Rwanda and six pastors arrested in a government crackdown that began March 1 with 700 closures in the nation’s capital of Kigali, according to news reports. [Read more…]

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C-N RECEIVES $1 MILLION GIFT

Baptist and Reflector

JEFFERSON CITY —  An estate gift of more than $1 million to Carson-Newman University will allow the school to provide a first for future Carson-Newman students.

A gift from the late Anna Lee and Harrell Pendleton of Morristown endows a full scholarship for four years for one student. [Read more…]

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GIVING A PART OF PASTOR’S, CHURCH’S DNA

Editor’s Note: View the Cooperative Program video featuring David Green at the end of this article.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

David Green

GREENEVILLE — First Baptist Church, Greeneville, has been giving through the Cooperative Program since the Southern Baptist funding channel was established in 1926.

First Baptist currently gives 13 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program, said David Green, who has served as pastor of the East Tennessee congregation for 18 years.

“Giving is part of the DNA of our Baptist family here,” Green explained. “If there’s a need, we’re going to give to it. If there’s an opportunity to expand our missions reach, we’re going to give through that opportunity,” he continued. [Read more…]

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