Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

THREE NASHVILLE CHURCHES HIT BY BURGLARY, ARSON

Baptist and Reflector staff 

NASHVILLE — Nashville police are searching for a man who is suspected of breaking into three churches late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. The suspect stole several items and set small fires during the break-ins, which occurred at Priest Lake Community Baptist, Crievewood Baptist and St. Ignatius Catholic churches, according to multiple news outlets. Both Priest Lake Community and Crievewood are Tennessee Baptist churches. 

WKRN reported that the first break-in happened at Crievewood Baptist Church, on Hogan Road, around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Metro police said the back door of the church was forced open by the suspect, who then went into a classroom and set fire to a cabinet with papers inside, according to WKRN’s report. [Read more…]

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JESUS TENT: HOW IT STARTED

Baptist and Reflector

Bonnaroo concert-goers line up outside Jesus Tent.
-Photo by Dan Ferrell

MANCHESTER — In the summer of 2001, when the Bonnaroo Music Festival experienced its first significant attendance boom, the city of Manchester was ill-prepared for the influx of visitors.

The result was gridlock in the streets of Manchester, and traffic tie-ups spilled over onto the highways.

Brenton Cox, the lead pastor at First Baptist, Manchester, felt moved to reach out to the stranded drivers, many of whom were trapped on the roads for hours. [Read more…]

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IDEAS AVAILABLE FOR SERVANT EVANGELISM

Baptist and Reflector

MANCHESTER — David Evans, director of evangelism at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said Jesus Tent is just one example of the impact that can be made through servant evangelism — a means of sharing the gospel while also performing acts of service.

“Every local church in Tennessee and across the world can do a servant evangelism project,” said Evans. “And you’ll be amazed by how effective it can be in reaching people for Jesus.” [Read more…]

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TENT REVIVAL — WITH A TWIST

Jesus Tent offers ‘servant evangelism’ to Bonnaroo attendees

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Bonnaroo attendees take advantage of the phone-charging stations and free snacks inside Jesus Tent.
— Photos by Dan Ferrell

MANCHESTER — Although the final numbers are still being calculated, the final assessment can already be made: Jesus Tent was a massive success. Again.

“It was phenomenal,” said David Evans, director of evangelism for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Located amid the sprawling campgrounds at the Bonnaroo music festival at Great Stage Park, Jesus Tent is an outreach ministry of First Baptist Church, Manchester, and is supported through a team of churches from Duck River Baptist Association and several other associations. [Read more…]

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NORED RETIRING AFTER FOUR DECADES OF BCM SERVICE

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Charles Nored, seen here with his wife, Ann, is retiring after nearly 40 years with the BCM.

FRANKLIN — As Charles Nored’s retirement approaches, it would be difficult to succinctly sum up the enormous impact that he has made in his nearly 40 years of ministry.

But Jeff Jones, the BCM director at Memphis, was recently able to capture the essence of Nored’s ministry — which has included tenures at Walter State, MTSU and Motlow State — in one simple statement.

“Students love Charles,” Jones said, “and he loves them.”

Indeed, that’s what Nored has always been about: Investing in the lives of college students, building meaningful relationships and friendships with them, and helping them strengthen — or in some cases, start — their walk with Jesus. [Read more…]

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LOOKING BACK ON BIRMINGHAM

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

SBC president J.D. Greear adresses the crowd at the 2019 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham.
— Photo by Kathleen Murray

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee Baptists were well represented among the 8,183 messengers who registered for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, held June 11-12, in Birmingham.

The Tennessee Baptist Convention ranked third among Baptist state conventions with 738 messengers. The Alabama Baptist Convention had 1,366 messengers while the Georgia Baptist Convention was represented with 834 messengers.

Prior to the start of the annual meeting, Southern Baptists knocked on the doors of 10,409 homes, had 1,817 gospel conversations, prayed with 2,251 people and saw 364 people place their faith in Jesus, according to organizers of the annual Crossover evangelism outreach. [Read more…]

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MANDRELL ANNOUNCED AS CANDIDATE FOR LIFEWAY PRESIDENT AND CEO

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay Christian Resources

Ben Mandrell, 42, will be nominated by LifeWay Christian Resources trustees’ presidential search committee as the entity’s 10th president. The vote is scheduled for a June 28, 2019 board meeting in Atlanta. —Photo courtesy of Storyline Fellowship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The presidential search committee of LifeWay Christian Resources’ trustees has unanimously recommended Ben Mandrell become the entity’s next president and CEO. LifeWay’s board of trustees will vote on the recommendation during a special-called session Friday, June 28, in Atlanta. Mandrell is a former Tennessee Baptist pastor. 

If elected, Mandrell will become the 10th president of the 128-year-old organization.

Mandrell, 42, serves as lead pastor of Storyline Fellowship in Arvada, Colo. He and his family moved to the Denver area in 2014 to plant Storyline Fellowship in partnership with the North American Mission Board and First Baptist Church Orlando. The church launched in February 2015 with 250 people and has grown to 1,600 in weekly attendance, with over 2,800 this past Easter.  [Read more…]

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SENSELESS TRAGEDY

By Lonnie Wilkey

Before it Hits the PressSierra Cahoon, her 2-year-old son Nolan and her unborn child all died Monday, June 17, in a senseless tragedy.

Why them? They apparently were in the wrong place at the wrong time. See story.

There’s no other reason to explain why a 33-year-old Jefferson City man tried to run over a pedestrian before going less than a mile and intentionally ramming into Cahoon who was pushing her son in a stroller. Police investigating the case believe that the driver, who was identified as William David Phillips, did not know any of his victims. [Read more…]

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DONNA GAINES HONORED AT MINISTERS’ WIVES LUNCHEON

By Shannon Baker
Baptist Press

Donna Gaines, a pastor’s wife, author and Bible teacher, receives the Willie Turner Dawson Award June 11 at the Ministers’ Wives Luncheon during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. — Photo by Adam Covington

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Donna Gaines was honored with the 2019 Willie Turner Dawson Award during the June 11 Ministers’ Wives Luncheon at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala.

In presenting the award to Gaines, wife of Bellevue Baptist Church senior pastor Steve Gaines, Mary Cox described what the award represents: “It’s about a woman who has godly character, who has served the Lord alongside her husband, and has been a great example as a minister’s wife.” Cox is the wife of Frank Cox, pastor of North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. [Read more…]

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DON’T BE ONE OF “THOSE BAPTISTS”

By Lonnie Wilkey

Before it Hits the PressI’ve been a Southern Baptist all my life. I have always taken great pride in being a Southern Baptist. We’re not perfect, by any means, but for the most part, true Southern Baptists believe that the Bible is the infallible, inspired Word of God, that the only way to heaven is through confession of sins, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ and that Jesus died on the cross so that “whosoever” believes in Him will have everlasting life

That should be the end of the story, but, sadly, it’s not. [Read more…]

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