Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Kingston, Tenn. Photo Provided.

KINGSTON — Eight women sat around a table, their laughter filling Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Kingston, Tenn. Flour flew in all directions as Janice Poland instructed the group of 70- to 82-year-old women on how to make fried apple and peach pies. They have a hefty goal of making 2,000.

Technically, that’s just phase one of their overall goal to support and send International Mission Board missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission. After this, there’s selling the pies for 21 weeks in the local farmer’s market. Then, it will be time for the holiday craft bazaar. Everyone in the community knows all proceeds go to missions and the task of taking the gospel to places that might not know Jesus’ name.

“We aren’t going, so we need to be sending,” Poland said, explaining the reason the women’s group worked year-round to raise money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®. 

Mary Lane Moore added that many in their small church of 50 members cannot go to the mission field due to health or work, but that didn’t stop God from calling them to be a part of it in some capacity. 

“We all can’t serve the same way. This is where we are meant to be,” Moore said. “We can give, pray and send missionaries.” 

Pastor David Acres never imagined the impact the IMB’s Church Connections initiative would make on his congregation. The church has always given to missions, but they went from it being a line item in the annual budget to being actively engaged year-round. 

It started with an email from IMB missionaries Jon and Betty Loving. They described their ministry in Europe, introduced their family and asked the church to pray for specific requests. The small Tennessee church did not have a missionary sent directly from their congregation, so as part of IMB’s Church Connections, they were matched with the Lovings. The goal of Church Connections is for all 47,000 Southern Baptist churches to connect and engage on a personal level with the missionaries they cooperatively support. 

Acres read the Lovings’ email aloud to the small church and prayed for the family. Their requests went on the church’s prayer list. With each new ministry update, Acres followed the same procedure. As the church got to know the Lovings’ struggles and life highlights, like one of the Loving kids winning a soccer match or a refugee coming to faith in Jesus, a subtle shift happened. 

They regularly prayed for other missionaries. The Woman’s Missionary Union group that went dormant after the COVID years began meeting again as women’s ministry. The biggest shift, though, came when the church discussed the 2024 budget and their annual $750 gift to international missions. One church member stood up and proclaimed, “We can do better!” 

No one knew what that might look like, but the whole church got involved. The women’s group gathered donations from church members and prepared crafts for a holiday bazaar. Poland made fried pies to sell. Another woman made Italian cream cakes, while someone else made full-sized Christmas wreaths. A 13-year-old made bookmarks and other crafts. Even Moore’s 3-year-old grandson helped with simple projects. After months of work, the church hosted a holiday bazaar with people coming from as far as 50 miles away to help the cause. 

“I think it was us just stepping out in faith,” Moore said. “We never imagined the kind of results we’d get; we just knew God wanted us to do what we could.” 

When Poland and Moore tabulated the results of the church’s efforts, they increased their 2024 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering from $750 to $9,200. 

The church hasn’t stopped. The group of eight women meet every two weeks to make pies and plan out the 2025 bazaar. They know they can top last year. In fact, they are expanding their efforts to include the community food bank while increasing their Lottie Moon giving. 

The bottom line, Acres said, is because of getting to know the Loving family and praying for their work, the church took ownership of cooperatively supporting and sending missionaries. They discovered a small congregation is part of the big picture. 

“Thank you for your work,” Acres wrote back to their missionaries in Europe. “Thank you for inspiring us to do better. I pray this is only a beginning for our church to understand our partnership in missions.” 

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by the International Mission Board. 

NASHVILLE — Anthony Burdick, director of pastoral care at Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, delivered an update on the medical system’s operations during the April Board of Directors meeting for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Baptist Memorial Health Care is one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the United States. They operate 24 hospitals across Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas with 1,100 employed providers. The system manages 3,860 licensed beds and collaborates with 6,000 affiliated physicians and licensed providers, employing a total of 22,000 team members.

“I believe to date, we are the largest healthcare provider in the state of Mississippi,” Burdick noted. [Read more…]

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board directors approved a new collaborative ministry model, examined financial reports, and voted to maintain a two-day schedule for this year’s Summit during their spring meeting at Judson Baptist Church on April 29.

The board also celebrated several ministry milestones while addressing the implementation of organizational changes following a recent 13% staff reduction that has created financial flexibility for the new operational approach.

Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB, explained how the staffing changes support the new ministry direction. [Read more…]

BCM students from Tennessee spend spring break on mission field

COOKEVILLE — “All God needs from me is obedience and a willingness to serve,” said Hayden Giuttari, a Baptist Collegiate Ministry student from Tennessee Tech University.

Guittari joined other TTU BCM students to assist with disaster relief in East Tennessee during their spring break.

Across Tennessee, BCM Collegiate ministry specialists mobilized over 100 students to follow Jesus’ call to reach “Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” Students from Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, Cleveland State Community College, Lee University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, and University of Tennessee Chattanooga were sent out to serve on BCM spring break mission trips to East Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio, Argentina, England, and Puerto Rico.

The trips were a example of the gospel-sharing focus of the BCM, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025.

“One of the things we are passionate about is introducing college students to missions,” said Steven Johnston, collegiate ministry specialist at UTC. “This year, Baptist Collegiate Ministries of the Chattanooga region had the opportunity to offer four mission trips of various levels, costs, and types of work.”

Johnston’s approach creates valuable experiences for students to serve and to explore their potential call to missions.

The various mission projects “allowed students the opportunity to jump in at their own comfort zone,” Johnston added.

Reaching Judea: East Tennessee

Ben Maddox, collegiate ministry specialist at TTU, led one team to BeachReach in Panama City, Fla., while sending 23 students to assist with the Arise and Build disaster relief projects in East Tennessee.

“BCM students took their fifth trip during their spring break to help with rebuild efforts in northeast Tennessee. They helped families with insulation installation, installing steps to homes, and other rebuild efforts,” said Maddox.

Jacob Rambo, a TTU Agricultural Engineering major, was impacted from this experience. “It was hard to leave the disaster relief work to return home with so much more work to be done. I really saw God move on the trip after we finished a lady’s insulation and crawl space,” he said.

“Seeing how God was working through so many generous full-time volunteers showed me how doing things of eternal significance should be our goal,” said Callie Roper, a TTU Agribusiness major.

The BCMs from UTC and Cleveland State Community College partnered to mobilize more students for missions and prepare a team to serve with disaster relief in Elizabethton.

Elizabeth Head, a UTC Communications major, shared, “We were able to help at many more locations than we had planned, and we got to complete more assignments than we had expected.

“Our team built lifelong connections with one another and learned ways we can help lead each other towards Christ,” Head added.

Reaching Samaria: Missouri, Ohio

BCM leaders and students from Austin Peay and Belmont felt a great need to organize mission trips to cities not far from Tennessee.

APSU BCM partnered with First Baptist Church of Mt. Healthy near Cincinnati, Ohio, while Belmont BCM traveled to Ferguson, Mo., to aid a Send Relief “drop-in center” for the homeless.

“We built relationships with the homeless community through the drop-in center,” said Cole Rogers, collegiate ministry specialist associate at Belmont. “We helped process them so they could shower, wash clothes, and relax.”

They worked at the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Salvation Army, and various sites throughout Ferguson. Additionally, Rogers add they encouraged the missionaries that serve with Send Relief by giving them gift baskets and notes of encouragement.

APSU BCM’s work in Cincinnati also included reaching University of Cincinnati students.

“It was a blessing to connect with pastor Ken Dillard, who was also the Baptist campus minister at the University of Cincinnati for more than 30 years,” said Stacy Murphree, collegiate ministry specialist at APSU BCM. “We served with the church as they are working hard to be a gospel presence in the community.”

They provided block parties at local elementary schools, served in ministries offering meals and clothing, and prayer walked the University of Cincinnati campus, connecting students with a local SBC ministry called H2O.

Maddie Holt, a sophomore Communication Sciences and Disorders major, said, “Cincinnati was a special time as the Lord truly taught me the importance of doing all things with the love that comes from Him.

“I learned to lean on the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead the conversations. Even if the conversation didn’t go how I planned, it went how God wanted it to — which is the best way,” she said.

Every mission trip provides opportunities to grow.

Matthew Rollings, a junior Business Management major, shared, “I spoke with pastor Dillard about how we are all simply called to make ourselves available to God. By evangelizing in the community, working at food banks, and doing service projects around the church, the team was able to live out this call to availability.”

Reaching the Ends of the Earth: Argentina, London, Puerto Rico

Grace Johnson, collegiate ministry specialist associate at Cleveland State Community College, led a team of seven to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to support missionaries and local churches through encouragement, service, and evangelism.

The team focused on visiting churches, ministering to local believers, prayer walking, and conducting spiritual surveys while utilizing various ways to share Jesus with others.

“One of my favorite parts of the trip was watching my students use every opportunity to point others to Jesus, whether in an Uber ride or walking through a souvenir shop,” Johnson added.

Despite language and cultural barriers, Kate Brown, a junior elementary education major at Lee University and a campus missionary at BCM Cleveland, saw God’s work in Buenos Aires. “It was powerful to witness people from diverse nations and backgrounds united in proclaiming God’s greatness and advancing His kingdom,” she said.

Shelby Hall, collegiate ministry specialist associate at Middle Tennessee State University, took 12 BCM students to London, England, where they worked with IMB missionaries Scott and Dana Belmore engaging university students. This was the first international trip MTSU BCM had taken since January 2020.

“Our students engaged in conversations with many international students attending university, many of whom had never heard of Jesus or the gospel,” Hall explained. The team also prayer walked campuses the missionaries hadn’t yet reached.

“The students were challenged in new ways with the diversity in religious views present, but they met these challenges with a resilient attitude of completing the mission without discouragement,” Hall explained.

College provides an ideal time for mission opportunities. Students often come home with motivation to see their own campus as their mission field.

“I love when students return from a mission trip excited to put into practice what they learned while serving on the mission field,” said Johnston. B&R

Mayor W.B. “Buddy” Frazier, left, and Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency director Odell Poyner, right, have been leading the City of Waverly in public service for decades.

WAVERLY — W.B. “Buddy” Frazier and Odell Poyner don’t hunt, fish, or golf.

“And if you don’t do one of those three things in our county, there’s not a lot of hobbies for you, is there?” said Frazier with a chuckle.

Instead, these two men have dedicated their lives to serving the town of Waverly:  Frazier as mayor for the past decade and Poyner as Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency director. Their commitment has been tested repeatedly by historic disasters that have shaped both the town and their own lives.

“Most of my life has been work and church, work and church,” said Poyner, reflecting on decades of service to his community. [Read more…]

Stephanie Edwards touches the world through Jubilee Trading Co.’s faith-centered mission

Stephanie Edwards stands in the stock room at Jubilee Trading Co., which operates with the mission of creating “life-transforming employment globally and locally, offering a fresh start for many,” says Edwards.

LAWRENCEBURG — Stephanie Edwards navigates rows of tall, unfinished wooden shelves, touching the world with each reach into one of the hundreds of cardboard boxes filled with exotic goods.

Quality-stitched leather purses from North Africa, decorative canvas banners from East Africa, handmade slippers from West Asia, cotton towels from Turkey, and ornate artisan jewelry from East Asia line the shelves.

Lawrenceburg, a quaint town in Middle Tennessee just north of the Alabama state line, may seem distant from the global stage. Yet, stepping into Jubilee Trading Company’s cozy retail storefront, a few blocks from the historic town square, feels like a stroll around the globe. [Read more…]

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University has partnered with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to launch a new Worship Arts Camp for high school students, scheduled for June 8 – 11.

The four-day residential camp aims to develop the next generation of church worship leaders and technical support staff by offering specialized training for students who currently lead worship in youth groups or feel called to serve in music or technology ministries.

“Whether a student sings, plays an instrument, or has a passion for sound, video, lighting or projection, this camp offers hands-on training, mentorship, and spiritual growth in a Christ-centered environment,” said Wayne Causey, Worship and Music Specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

The program offers two dedicated tracks: Music and Audio/Visual (AV). The Music Track provides instrumental and vocal instruction from university faculty and experienced church worship leaders, with specialized coaching for guitar, keyboard, percussion, and voice. The AV Track focuses on technical production skills, with participants working alongside professional worship tech staff in live worship settings.

“Camp participants can expect professional instruction with experienced worship leaders, musicians, and tech professionals,” said Dr. Chris Headley, Department Chair and Program Director for Worship Leadership at Carson-Newman University. “The evenings will include activities, worship and opportunities to build community with like-minded students.”

The camp concludes with a student-led worship service on Wednesday afternoon that showcases skills developed during the program.

Open to students entering grades 9 through 12, the camp offers both residential and commuter options. The residential fee of $350 includes lodging, meals, and instruction, while the commuter option costs $250 and includes instruction with lunch and dinner. Residential campers will stay in university dormitories under supervision of trained counselors and dine in campus facilities.

For more information or to register, visit www.tnbaptist.org/event/worship-arts-camp.

SEVIERVILLE — Two years ago, God gave lead pastor Anthony Kendall and Connect Church in Sevierville a heart for prison ministry in Sevier County.

The church began by buying a Recovery Bible for every prisoner in the county, Kendall said, adding that the Bibles were in response to a need and request from inmates and jail officials.

“That was just the beginning of a great relationship with the sheriff and the chief of the jail who is a deacon at Connect Church,” Kendall said.

About two months ago, the church began conducting Bible studies at the Sevier County Jail on Monday nights for men, the pastor continued. In addition, classes for women inmates are slated to begin soon, he added. [Read more…]

Eastview Baptist Church in Huntingdon celebrates new sanctuary, church growth

Eastview Baptist Church had its first worship in their new sanctuary last month on March 9.

HUNTINGDON — Twenty people and $1.67 in the bank. This is all Eastview Baptist in Huntingdon had 11 years ago when Hunter Jones became their full-time pastor.

“God has continued to bless and grow the church miraculously, faithfully, financially — in every way you can imagine,” said Jones.

From those humble beginnings, Eastview has grown to a 500-person congregation. Since 2014, they’ve remodeled the church completely, hired staff members, and last month celebrated a significant milestone: their first worship service in a new sanctuary that seats 600 people. [Read more…]