FRANKLIN  — The communications team of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board captured seven awards in the 60th annual Wilmer C. Fields Awards Competition held during the Baptist Communicators Association’s awards banquet April 24 in Richmond.

In the design division, Trish Dubes, senior graphic designer, won first place for the TBMB benefits brochure in the Print Collateral — Brochure category and second place for the Mobile Dental Clinic in the Substantial Projects — Special Display category.

In the feature writing division, Chris Turner, director of communications, won first place for “To All the Fathers for Plugging Away” in the First Person Column/Blog: Single entry category, and Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, won second place for “Burnout Is Real But So Is Healing” in the Single Article, More than 1,500 Words category. [Read more…]

Jeff Perkins, right, chairman of Union University’s board of trustees, presents a model swing to Dub and Susie Oliver during an April 4 dinner. Trustees will place 10 swings across the Union campus by the end of the summer in honor of the Olivers and their 10 years of service to Union. — Photo by Karley Hathcock

JACKSON — Union University trustees during their April 5 meeting celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Union president Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, granted tenure and promotions to several professors, approved a $94.8 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year and voted to discontinue a few low-enrollment programs. 

At an April 4 dinner in the Carl Grant Events Center, trustee and student leaders spoke about Oliver and what he has meant to them personally and to Union University. Oliver became Union’s 16th president upon his election to the position in 2014. 

“The expressions of gratitude tonight are a testament to God’s goodness to this university through sending us Dr. Dub and Susie Oliver,” said Jeff Perkins, chairman of Union’s board of trustees and member of Bethel Baptist Church, Greenfield.  [Read more…]

Pressnell

TAZEWELL — Tazewell and Claiborne County native Randy Pressnell will retire as Harvest Field 6 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board on May 2.

Pressnell has served in the harvest field role for the past four years. When he joined the TBMB staff he also served as bivocational ministries specialist for eight months before assuming the harvest field assignment full time.

Pressnell surrendered to the ministry in 1975 and has served as a pastor in the state for most of that time.

His vocational pastorates include Haynes Flat Baptist Church, Speedwell; First Baptist Church, New Tazewell; Oak Grove Baptist Church, Mount Carmel; and First Baptist Church, Oneida. He also served in bivocational pastorates in early ministry and more recently in interim pastorates since assuming his role at TBMB. [Read more…]

SHELBYVILLE — Beginning this year, First Baptist Church, Shelbyville, is launching an effort to start five ethnic churches in Bedford County over the next 15 years.

For a number of years, First Baptist has owned a building adjacent to the church that they rented to a Hispanic grocery store, said pastor Jeff Rasnick.

Rasnick, who has been on staff at the church for 14 years, including the last 10 as senior pastor, said he became “unsettled” in June of 2022 about being a “rent taker” of the Lord’s resources.

“When you begin to seek the Lord, He will tell you what He wants you to do,” Rasnick affirmed, adding that he was burdened “about how to best use the property.” [Read more…]

Editor’s note: Administrative Professionals Day is being observed on April 24. Take time to thank your church secretary/ministry assistant in a tangible way on this day. Their contributions are invaluable to our churches.

Officers of the Tennessee Baptist Secretaries Association for 2024-26 are, from left, and Janet Robinson, West Tennessee representative; Tammy Hammitt, East Tennessee representative, Amanda Anderson, vice president; and Julia Binford, president. Not pictured is Pat Poindexter, Middle Tennessee representative.

SEVIERVILLE — Church secretaries/ministry assistants make invaluable contributions “behind the scenes,” affirmed Julia Binford, president of the Tennessee Baptist Secretaries Association.

TBSA, which meets every other year, met April 8-10 at First Baptist Church in Sevierville with approximately 85 ministry assistants from across the state in attendance.

In her welcome to those in attendance, Binford encouraged them that “your dedication and hard work are not unnoticed.

“In the fast-paced world we navigate, it’s easy for the efforts of those working diligently behind the scenes to be overshadowed,” said Binford who is the ministry assistant at Leawood East Baptist Church in Memphis. [Read more…]

Dan Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, will be nominated for SBC president at the annual meeting in June.

SEYMOUR — Dan Spencer, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, has become the sixth nominee for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention at the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis.

Chris Kendall, senior pastor of Oak City Baptist Church, Seymour, informed the Baptist and Reflector on April 11 of his intention to nominate Spencer, who has been the pastor at First Baptist since 2011.

Kendall said he is a Southern Baptist by choice and he loves the Southern Baptist Convention for two primary reasons — the autonomy of the local church and the spirit of cooperation.

“Over the past several years, our Southern Baptist network has been marked by controversy and contention. I believe that Dan Spencer is the unifier that would benefit our collective to refocus on what matters most. It’s the people that God has put before us to reach with the gospel and make disciples,” he said. [Read more…]