Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

CHURCH SECURITY NEEDS TO BE IN FOREFRONT

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Mark LeMay, left, and Ken Alexandrow look over the latest statistics regarding church security.

FRANKLIN — In light of the church shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch a few weeks ago, churches need to take a look at their security plan or, sadly in many cases, lack of plan.

“Hope is not a strategy anymore,” says Ken Alexandrow, founder of Agape Tactical in Franklin, a business that focuses on helping churches and businesses avoid situations such as what occurred at Burnette Chapel.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, a man drove into the parking lot of Burnette Chapel and shot and killed a woman leaving the church before entering the church and opening fire. Seven people were shot and injured including the shooter who was stopped by an usher.  [Read more…]

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CHURCH PLANS TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE CP GIFTS

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

JACKSON — Jordan Easley, the senior pastor at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, has a simple philosophy when it comes to missions: Teamwork makes the dream work.

Guided by that belief, Easley is leading his church into a new era in regard to its commitment to giving through the Cooperative Program. He plans to exponentially increase the church’s yearly Cooperative Program giving over the next several years, and he hopes to reach this goal with large incremental increases each year.   [Read more…]

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UNION TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS

Union University news office

GERMANTOWN — Union University trustees celebrated the 20th anniversary of Union’s Germantown campus during their Sept. 7-8 meeting, with President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver sharing a number of success stories of Germantown graduates over the past two decades.

Oliver also reported to trustees on the school’s fall enrollment, and the board adopted a new tuition rate for 2017-2018.  [Read more…]

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MURRAY MATHIS STILL HONORING GOD’S CALL

By Ralph Vaughn
Contributing Writer, Baptist and Reflector

MURFREESBORO — F. Murray Mathis of Murfreesboro, like most in ministry, has seen and experienced mountaintops and valleys in his nearly 60 years of preaching the gospel.

His eyes well up with tears when describing how a country boy from Fayetteville has made friends throughout America and in foreign countries.

Recently, Mathis and his wife of 54 years, Loretta, were involved in what could have been a fatal traffic accident in Atlanta. The couple was broadsided at an intersection on a busy thoroughfare on May 18. [Read more…]

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VEGAS SHOOTING IMPACTS WEST TENNESSEE CHURCH

By Chris Turner
Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN –A small West Tennessee Baptist church felt the blow of Sunday night’s mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert when it learned one of the victims was a native son.

Sonny Melton, 29, who grew up in Big Sandy and attended Ramble Creek Baptist Church (Western District Association), was killed when he was struck by gun fire while shielding his wife, Heather Melton. [Read more…]

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NASHVILLE-AREA CHURCHES PARTNER FOR MINISTRY

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

NASHVILLE — With hopes of harvesting the mission field that exists in their own backyard, the congregations from First Baptist Church, Joelton, and New Season Church recently joined together to host a community-wide gathering in which the two churches provided a free meal for those who live in the underprivileged neighborhood in north Nashville.

The event — called “Time for a change” — was held on Aug. 27 on an open lawn on Buchanan Street.

“It was a very effective outreach,” said David Royalty, the pastor of First Baptist. “We gave away clothes, shoes, and the meal. Anyone on Buchanan was invited to come and eat.” [Read more…]

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MTSU GRAD “FINDS HIS PLACE” AT ETSU

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

JOHNSON CITY — Cole Rogers needed a job and a place to stay. Jonathan Chapman had an open position and an empty room.

It was a perfect fit. Symmetrical and symbiotic.

“I had been praying about it and praying for the right person to come along,” said Chapman, the BCM director at ETSU. “So, it was great when God really lined everything up for us. Cole was searching for something, and I was searching for something.” [Read more…]

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APOLOGETICS MIXES SCIENCE WITH THE BIBLE

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector

Jonah Dawson, 7, left, and Leeland Macintire, 7, take in the sights at the Adventure Science Center during the 2017 Apologetics Conference in downtown Nashville. Attendees enjoyed an hour inside the “tower” and also watched the movie “The Created Cosmos” at the Planetarium.

NASHVILLE — With his arm raised high and his inquisitive mind racing, a 7-year-old boy was eager to ask a question to a real-life scientist.

“How big is the Earth?” the boy asked when he was called on.

The reply came from astronomer and author Danny Faulkner, who was the featured guest at this year’s Apologetics Conference at the Adventure Science Center in downtown Nashville on Sept. 19.  [Read more…]

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‘LIFE CHANGES FAST IN THE DR WORLD’

Baptist and Reflector

Andrew Frazier of Waterville Baptist Church, Cleveland, cuts up a tree downed by Hurricane Harvey winds.

MOUNT JULIET — “What a difference a few days can make. Life changes fast in the DR world,” observed Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

For the first time Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are working three major disasters at once — Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Jones reported on each of the operations.

Harvey — “We are closing down our operations in Sugar Land, Texas (Houston suburb) on Saturday, Sept. 23,” Jones said. He noted that chain saw and flood recovery units are still needed. “There is a lot of work to do and will be for some time. It is estimated that some 300,000 homes were affected by the storm,” Jones reported. [Read more…]

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CARSON-NEWMAN, TBMB AGREE TO BFM INCLUSION

By Mark Brown
Carson-Newman News Office

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University trustees recently agreed to incorporate the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message as part of Carson-Newman University’s operating procedure. The agreement ensures the partnership of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board as the university fulfills its mission to help “students reach their full potential as educated citizens and worldwide servant-leaders.”  [Read more…]

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