Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

MUSLIMS DO BECOME CHRISTIANS, SAYS ARAB PASTOR

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Editor’s note: You can hear William Burton discuss ethnic ministries during Episode 4 of Radio B&R,the  official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Arabic and ethnic Baptist leaders in Tennessee pause during a leadership conference for Arabic Baptist churches in Middle Tennessee on Jan. 21 in Murfreesboro. From left are Maged Boles, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro; Anderow Shafik, member, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist, Nashville; William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board; and Nathan Awad, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist.

Arabic and ethnic Baptist leaders in Tennessee pause during a leadership conference for Arabic Baptist churches in Middle Tennessee on Jan. 21 in Murfreesboro. From left are Maged Boles, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro; Anderow Shafik, member, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist, Nashville; William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board; and Nathan Awad, pastor, Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist.

MURFREESBORO — Muslims do become Christians, said Maged Boles, pastor of the Arabic Baptist Church here. He should know. He lived in Egypt all of his life until four years ago when he immigrated to the United States. Egypt has a majority of Muslim residents. Boles was a Christian missionary there.

William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, agreed, noting this is occurring in Tennessee mainly because of Arab Baptists.

“These guys are very, very evangelistic,” said Burton. [Read more…]

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TENNESCENE FEB. 8-21

LEADERS

Bobby Rushing was called as pastor, First Baptist Church, Gleason, effective Jan. 15.

First Baptist Church, Lafayette, called Waylon Eddings of Texas as senior pastor, effective Jan. 8.

Larry Fields, retired senior pastor, Central Baptist Church, Bearden, Knoxville, has been called as interim pastor, Smithwood Baptist Church, Knoxville. He served Central Baptist, Bearden, for 23 years. He also was interim pastor, First Baptist Church, Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

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TN BAPTIST JOINS ERLC

Baptist Press

Brent Leatherwood

Brent Leatherwood

NASHVILLE — Former Tennessee GOP Executive Director Brent Leatherwood has been appointed as the new director of strategic partnerships for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

In this role, Leatherwood will work to further the organization’s reach in the public square through coalition building and mobilizing, and by serving as an advisor on both state-level and national policy goals. [Read more…]

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CP, GOTM GIFTS INCREASE

Baptist and Reflector

Objective_4_CP_ICON_cpBRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,870,821 through the Cooperative Program in January.

For the year-to-date, Tennessee Baptists have given $9,029,537. The amount is $69,675 or 0.8 percent over the amount given during the same time frame last year.

After the first quarter of the fiscal year, Cooperative Program gifts are $279,537 or 3.19 percent over current budget needs. [Read more…]

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MOSQUE CASE PROMPTS IMB POLICY TWEAK

Baptist Press

mosque-dome-towerNASHVILLE — Ongoing discussion of a federal court case concerning religious liberty for Muslims has prompted the resignation of an International Mission Board trustee and a revision of the IMB’s process for submitting friend of the court briefs.

Dean Haun, pastor of First Baptist Church in Morristown, resigned from the IMB trustee board in November based on his conviction the IMB should not have joined a friend of the court brief last May supporting the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, N.J., (ISBR) in its religious discrimination lawsuit against a local planning board. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission also joined the brief. [Read more…]

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ETHNIC CHURCHES DOUBLE IN TENNESSEE

Learn about, consider fervent evangelism of ethnics: William Burton

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Editor’s note: You can hear William Burton discuss ethnic ministries during Episode 4 of Radio B&R, the  official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

 

Jana Guy of the Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, participates in an activity of a children’s Sunday School training conference on Jan. 21 in Murfreesboro. The conference was led by Vicki Hulsey, right, of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff. Looking on is Amira Abdul-Sayed of the Arabic Baptist Church of Tusculum Hills Baptist, Nashville.

BRENTWOOD — Ethnic Baptist churches associated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention have nearly doubled in number — to about 200 — in the last 18 months.

One of the most important groups being reached by the new churches are Arabic speakers, said William Burton, ethnic evangelism/church planting specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Currently there are five Arabic Baptist churches in Tennessee.

“For me, that’s one of the most exciting things that we’re doing because that’s a group that’s obviously in the news. There’s a lot of fear, concern.” [Read more…]

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WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA DECLINING, BUT STILL PACKS PUNCH

By Jeff Brumley
Baptist News Global

bible-american-flagConservative evangelicals have lost their cultural and political clout as their numbers and vitality wane, author Robert Jones argues in his book The End of White Christian America.

The book was published in the summer of 2016 — just a few months before Donald Trump rode the support of fearful Caucasian Christians all the way to the White House.

As a result, Jones said he received a slew of post-election social media messages, many of them tongue-in-cheek suggestions that he re-title his book. [Read more…]

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DR LEADERS MARK 50 YEARS OF MINISTRY, EYE FUTURE

Baptist Press

170202dr-anniv

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders celebrated the ministry’s 50th anniversary during their annual conference, Jan. 23-27. -Photo by Jane Rodgers/Southern Baptist TEXAN

DENTON, Texas (BP) — Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders throughout North America met for their annual “Round Table” meeting and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of SBDR.

Representatives from nearly all the state Baptist conventions participated in the Jan. 23-27 event at Camp Copass in Denton, Texas. Portions of the week focused on celebrating five decades of ministry efforts, looking at the present state of the ministry and preparing for the future.

“Fifty years represents a significant event for us,” said Mickey Caison, the executive director of SBDR at the North American Mission Board. [Read more…]

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FAKE NEWS HARD TO AVOID, EVEN HARDER TO ERADICATE

By Jeff Brumley
Baptist News Global

crumpled-newspapersFake news is big news these days, and many want to know how not to be duped by it.

On one level, the solutions are a matter of common sense.

“First, you look for verification,” said James Black, assistant director of the Center for Collaborative Journalism and professor of writing in the media at Mercer University.

Christianity Today published more tips, including not posting items whose authenticity is disproven or that cannot be verified. [Read more…]

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SBC CHILD CARE, CHILDREN, YOUTH REG. OPENS FEB. 1

Baptist Press

-Screen shot from www.thegiantcow.com

-Screen shot from www.thegiantcow.com

PHOENIX (BP) — Registration opens Feb. 1 for preschool child care, Giant Cow Children’s Ministries and Youth on Mission in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2017 annual meeting June 13-14 in Phoenix.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) child care volunteers will care for preschoolers; while Giant Cow Children’s Ministries will lead the 5- to 12-year-olds, and Woman’s Missionary Union will guide the Youth on Mission curricula and activities.

All activities for children and youth will be housed at the Phoenix Convention Center, the annual meeting site. Youth who have completed grades 7-12 will begin their days at the convention center with worship before going into the community for hands-on mission projects. [Read more…]

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