Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

SPEAKERS OFFER HOPE, ENCOURAGEMENT

By Nathan Handley
Contributing Writer, B&R

During the Pastors Conference, Corey Cain, right, pastor of Maplewood Baptist Church, Paris, was elected president-elect. Scott Parkison, 2018 president-elect and senior pastor of Stevens Street Baptist Church, Cookeville, center will become president next year. Lee Bailey, executive pastor of Stevens Street Baptist, was elected secretary-treasurer.

JACKSON  — Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, said no matter what happens in the world, Christians have hope in the fact that Jesus is in control.

“Every day I wake up I know one thing that will never change,” Gaines said. “Jesus is Lord.”

Gaines was one of six speakers at the 2018 Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference Nov. 12 at West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson. Other speakers included Johnny Hunt, pastor of Woodstock Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.; Scott Parkison, pastor of Stevens Street Baptist Church, Cookeville; Robert Smith, professor of Christian preaching at Samford University, Birmingham, Ala.; Don Whitt, evangelist from Memphis; and Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewood Baptist Church, Lutz, Fla. The theme for the conference was “Until He Comes!” [Read more…]

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EASLEY: THERE IS INFINITE POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS

By Nathan Handley
Contributing Writer, B&R

Jordan Easley delivers the convention sermon in Jackson.

JACKSON  — Jordan Easley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Cleveland, said as long as there is power in the name of Jesus, the church has hope.

“We’ve been given access to the name of Jesus, the only name that brings power,” he said. “There is infinite power in His name.” [Read more…]

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LEAVELL: CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, HELL IS REAL

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

David Leavell, pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington, delivers the president’s address to attendees at the Tennessee Baptist Convention on Tuesday, Nov. 13. — Photo by James Wilson

JACKSON  — The book “Heaven is For Real” was hugely popular several years ago, and was eventually used as the basis for a movie of the same name.

But what if the book had been about hell? Chances are, it wouldn’t have been so widely embraced.

David Leavell, outgoing president of the TBC and pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington, spoke on the difficult — but urgent — topic of hell during his president’s address on Nov. 13 at the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. [Read more…]

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TBC MINISTERS EXPERIENCE JOYOUS REUNION AT SUMMIT

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Estriberto Britton, left, and Thi Mitsamphanh experienced a joyous reunion during Summit at West Jackson Baptist Church last week. Britton was the camp pastor when Mitsamphanh gave his life to Christ at the age of 13. Mitsamphanh was featured in a WinTN video during Summit. — Photo by Chris Turner

JACKSON — In 1995, 13-year-old Thi Mitsamphanh was attending All Nations Camp at Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center, sponsored by the Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

During the week, he heard a sermon from the camp pastor that literally changed his life, but all he could remember later was that the children at camp called him “Uncle Estri.” [Read more…]

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SUMMIT RECAP: TOGETHER ON OUR KNEES

SPIRIT OF UNITY ON DISPLAY AS TBC MESSENGERS FOCUS ON WinTN

Tennessee Baptists gather at the altar at West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson to pray for Tennessee’s spiritually lost. The call for prayer, which included name cards, came after the president’s address delivered by David Leavell, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington. — Photo by James Wilson

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

JACKSON — Tennessee Baptists gathered at West Jackson Baptist Church for the annual Summit with a focus on winning their state for Jesus Christ.

The meeting, held Nov. 11-14, drew 929 registered messengers from 409 churches, along with 160 guests. Among the business conducted, messengers elected a new set of officers by acclamation for the coming year.

“We had a strong turnout,” said Randy C. Davis president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. “But it wasn’t just the numbers. There was a strong sense of unity among the messengers. I believe Tennessee Baptists are recognizing that if we are to reach Tennessee for Christ we must do it together.” [Read more…]

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TENNESSEAN PAUL CHITWOOD ELECTED UNANIMOUSLY AS IMB PRESIDENT

By David Roach
Baptist Press

Paul Chitwood has been elected the International Mission Board’s 13th president by a unanimous vote of the IMB trustees. Photo by David Roach / Baptist Press

RICHMOND, Va. — About a decade ago, Paul Chitwood became convinced God was calling him to mobilize missions and missionaries, he told International Mission Board trustees. That call culminated today (Nov. 15), he said, with his election as IMB president.

“Being a member of this board for eight years changed my ministry and it changed my life, so much so that [my wife] Michelle and I questioned whether God had called us to overseas missions,” Chitwood, who served as an IMB trustee from 2002-10 and chaired the board from 2008-10, said upon his election. [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE BAPTIST MESSENGERS ELECT OFFICERS

Baptist and Reflector

JACKSON — Messengers to the Tennessee Baptist Convention elected its president and both vice presidents by acclamation during its opening business session Nov. 13 at West Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson.

David Green, pastor of First Baptist Church, Greeneville, was nominated for president by Danny Sinquefield, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett.  [Read more…]

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SUMMIT BEGINS WITH NIGHT OF PRAISE, WORSHIP

By Lonnie Wilkey and David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

The praise team from Korean Baptist Church, Jackson, sings prior to the start of the All Nations Worship Celebration held Nov. 11 in the chapel of Union University.

JACKSON — In the coming days, business will be discussed and decisions will be made. But Sunday night was all about praise and worship.

Two simultaneous services — one at West Jackson Baptist Church and the other at Union University — served as the “opening bell” for this year’s Tennessee Baptist Convention annual meeting.   [Read more…]

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FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE MISSION FIELD

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Marcus Reed has served the Lord in the military, behind the pulpit and on the mission field.

CHAPEL HILL — Walking into the living room inside Marcus Reed’s home is almost like walking into a museum.

The room includes a fascinating collection of keepsakes, each representing a time period that shaped the life of a man who might best be described as a combination of John Wayne and Billy Graham.

Born the day before Valentine’s Day in 1925, Reed’s remarkable life journey includes a stint in the Army, where he served in the 98th division under General George Patton during World War II. [Read more…]

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VETERANS DAY SIGNIFICANT FOR TULLAHOMA LAYMAN

Carden honors memory of father who served as ‘doughboy’ in WWI

Bill Carden, a member of First Baptist Church, Tullahoma, holds the diary and New Testament that belonged to his father, William Henry Carden Sr., who was serving in France on the day that World War I ended 100 years ago on Nov. 11.

Editor’s Note: Veterans Day will be observed on Nov. 11 as it has been since 1954. Prior to 1954, Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day and celebrated on Nov. 11 to commemorate the end of World War I.

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

TULLAHOMA — William Henry “Bill” Carden Jr. will be among thousands upon thousands of Americans who will observe Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

But for Carden, a member of First Baptist Church, Tullahoma, the day holds even more significance. Nov. 11 also is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I which was later dubbed “the war to end all wars.”

Carden’s father, William Henry Carden Sr., was a “doughboy,” a member of the 311 Machine Gun Battalion, Company B, when word was received that an armistice agreement had been signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

A doughboy was an informal term used for members of the Army or Marines during World War I.

The elder Carden’s son still has many mementos of his dad’s service in World War I, including his diary, military records and dog tag, and a New Testament he was given on his voyage from New York City to Liverpool, England, in 1918. [Read more…]

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