Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

STAYING TO HELP, LONG AFTER THE WINDS DIE

Baptist and Reflector

Some of the men from Westside Baptist help to load supplies for disaster relief in East Tennessee and North Carolina. According to pastor Dwight Torbettt, the church has allotted donations and other financial resources from as far away as Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.

By Zoë Watkins

zwatkins@tnbaptist.org

MADISONVILLE — Even long after Hurricane Helene’s devastating winds subsided, Tennessee Baptist volunteers can still be found restoring hope in East Tennessee.

Westside Baptist Church in Madisonville is one of those churches serving as a beacon of sustained commitment.

“When the hurricane hit up there, I called off services that Sunday night and we went to our mission building — which we built two years ago — just to start boxing up what we had, food, clothes, whatever we had to take up there,” pastor Dwight Torbett explained.

As a congregation of around 100 people, the church has placed 45 campers with families — many of whom are still living in tents — as well as delivered 33 trailer loads of supplies (like food, clothes, and hygiene products).

Located about halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga, Westside’s reach has been felt hundreds of miles  away. Torbett said they’ve logged over 60,000 driving miles over four months. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

USING WHAT YOU HAVE

Baptist and Reflector

By Zoë Watkins

zwatkins@tnbaptist.org

A family of six stands outside the trailer that was purchased using Connie Kurbis’ donation.

CLEVELAND — “And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42

This verse comes to mind amid the generosity that’s been poured into the disaster relief efforts for East Tennessee. For those who have donated, they know it’s not how much you give, but rather how you give.

“If you have something and you can help somebody, it’s better to lay your treasures up in heaven than to lay them here,” said Connie Kurbis of Cleveland.

After seeing the need in East Tennessee, Kurbis prayed and asked the Lord what she should do with the resources she had been left with. Then she knew. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

TENNESSEE’S FIRST LADY SERVES WITH TBDR

Baptist and Reflector

NEWPORT — Working alongside non-profits serving those affected by Hurricane Helene is a priority of Tennessee Serves, an initiative headed by Tennessee’s First Lady Maria Lee.

Lee and a team of volunteers worked alongside a Knox County Association of Baptists Disaster Relief team to help restore a house damaged by flooding when the French Broad River overflowed its banks and covered more than 600 feet of floodplain last September.

article continues after video

“I’ve lived here 54 years,” said homeowner H.C. Southerland. “I’ve never seen the water anywhere close to my house until the afternoon Helene hit. By the time it was done, that water covered all that distance and got high enough in my house to cover all the electrical outlets.

The DR team, along with Lee’s volunteers, hung sheetrock, laid flooring and removed debris.

“I think just bringing attention to what nonprofits are doing, like Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, brings encouragement,” said Lee, the wife of governor Bill Lee, about the Tennessee Serves initiative. “I believe if we’re going to follow Jesus, we’re going to serve. That’s what He did. And getting out and partnering with nonprofits, getting out and serving by example, reminds our neighbors they are not alone.”

Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have invested 6,671 service hours since Jan. 1 and have completed more than 110 jobs in East Tennessee as part of the Arise and Build initiative.

“There is still so much to do in the coming months,” said Wes Jones, state TBDR director. “There are plenty of opportunities to serve and those interested can visit TNDisasterRelief.org/AriseandBuild for more information or to financially contribute to the recovery effort.” B&R

Facebooktwittermail

UNION TO DEDICATE THE ETHOS FORUM MARCH 21

Union University news room

Union University photo

JACKSON — Union University will dedicate its newest academic building, The Ethos Forum, at a March 21 ceremony.

The Ethos Forum will house Union’s McAfee School of Business and the computer science and engineering departments. Located between White Hall and Pleasant Plains Extension on the Great Lawn, the building is part of the campus master plan that Union trustees approved in 2019.

The 40,204-square-foot facility will feature a makerspace, a business incubator and numerous learning spaces designed to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and academic excellence. The Ethos Forum includes 171 computers, 19 classrooms and labs, 39 offices and five study rooms.

“With The Ethos Forum, we are dedicated to fostering a community where ideas flourish and innovation thrives,” Union University President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “This space is designed to be a hub for collaboration, creativity and the exchange of ideas, reflecting our commitment to living out our Christ-centered values in every aspect of our work.”

The building will open for use the week after dedication. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. and is open to the public. The Ethos Forum will be open for tours following the dedication.

Facebooktwittermail

GOD’S WAREHOUSE MOBILIZES RAPID RESPONSE TO AID FLOOD VICTIMS

By Baptist and Reflector

Floodwaters in West Virginia caused massive damage.

MORRISTOWN — In the wake of the floods that struck Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, God’s Warehouse Ministries has mobilized a rapid response effort to deliver critical supplies to affected communities. 

The multi-state flood hit on the weekend of Feb. 15, leaving at least 14 dead. 

This disaster not only comes after the region’s recent recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene but also amid severe winter weather conditions including snow and ice. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

CONFERENCE CENTER MINISTRIES SURVEY

Baptist and Reflector

Your voice is vital as we continue our shared commitment to being faithful stewards of the blessings entrusted to us.

Through this brief survey, we hope to evaluate the effectiveness of Linden Valley and Carson Springs Baptist Conference Centers in advancing our mission and serving your churches.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts with us by completing the brief survey. It should take approximately five minutes. All responses are anonymous. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

SIX CHURCHES, ONE VOICE

By Zoë Watkins
Communications specialist, TBMB

Members from six congregations gathered at Seymour First Baptist Church for a night of joint worship. — Photos submitted by Seymour FBC

SEYMOUR — In a display of unity that went beyond individual church walls, Seymour First Baptist Church and five neighboring congregations joined together for a worship night on Feb. 23 that drew more than 600 attendees.

Seymour FBC pastor Corey Cain described the event as a vivid reminder that local churches stand as partners, not competitors.

“We get to celebrate the unique personality, style, and feel of each church and pastor, while appreciating that we all respect each other and work together toward something greater than growing our individual churches — expanding God’s kingdom,” said Cain.  [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

BEING ‘NO. 2’: EXECUTIVE PASTORS GATHER FOR MINISTRY ESSENTIALS TRAINING

The Baptist Paper

FBC Hendersonville senior pastor Bruce Chesser (right) shares from his experience during an informal question-and-answer session with his executive pastor Bruce Raley (left) during a special training for executive pastors March 3–5 at the church.
(Photo by Shawn Hendricks/The Baptist Paper)

Trust, integrity, passing along key information, and “no surprises,” which basically means the senior pastor can go on vacation without the church “blowing up.”

These were just a few of the characteristics needed for a pastor’s “No. 2” leader in ministry, noted Bruce Chesser, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Hendersonville, Tenn. That executive pastor position at FBC is filled by Bruce Raley — also affectionately referred to by many members as “Bruce No. 2.” But Raley’s official title is senior associate pastor.

While Chesser works more in the spotlight, Raley says he’s “called to be a No. 2” and happy to be behind the scenes. But this doesn’t exempt him from being in the middle of almost everything going on at the church, which averages a weekly attendance of around 3,500. It’s that calling that helped inspire the church’s Ministry Essentials for Executive Pastors training — held March 3–5 — that drew a couple dozen executive pastors from 15 different states. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

CHURCH PLANTS BEGINNING TO BLOOM

By Lonnie Wilkey
Contributing writer, Baptist and Reflector

Joint effort helps launch Hispanic churches in Gibson Co.

Luis Bruneau, far right, leads a Bible study at The Church at Sugar Creek in Humboldt. The Bible study is part of the outreach effort to Hispanic believers in the area.

HUMBOLDT — It took longer than originally intended but a joint effort to plant Hispanic churches in Gibson County by The Church at Sugar Creek in Humboldt, Gibson Baptist Association and Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is now underway with the help of a missionary couple from Panama.

The three entities began the process in 2021 but it stalled, said Mike Kemper, who joined the association as director of missions a year later.

The three partners tried again after Kemper arrived. “The demographics continued to indicate many Hispanics coming to live and work in Gibson County,” he recalled.

“Our churches wanted to have an outreach, but the language difference was a barrier.  We continued to search for a native Spanish speaker to lead,” Kemper said. [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

BRUNEAUS ARE DEEP ROOTED IN EVANGELISM

By Lonnie Wilkey
Contributing writer, Baptist and Reflector

Luis and Jessynet Bruneau stand with their daughter, Pamela, far left, a college student in Panama.

HUMBOLDT — As they relocate to Gibson County to help plant Hispanic churches, Panama missionaries Luis and Jessynet Bruneau come to Tennessee with strong Southern Baptist roots.

Bruneau’s maternal and paternal grandmothers both came to faith in Jesus Christ in the 1940s in Colombia under the influence of missionaries from the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board).

Bruneau’s parents, Roberto and Aida Bruneau, met and were married in Colombia.

“My father traveled from Panama to study law,” Luis said. “He accepted Jesus in an evangelistic campaign, then he met my mother.” [Read more…]

Facebooktwittermail

Address

4017 Rural Plains Circle
Franklin, TN 37064

Contact Information

Mail: Baptist & Reflector, P.O. Box 682789, Franklin, TN 37068
Physical Address: 4017 Rural Plains Circle, Franklin, TN 37064
Email: bandr@tnbaptist.org
Phone: 615-371-2003

2025 © The Baptist and Reflector. All Right Reserved.