Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

STUDENTS MAKE DECISIONS ON UNION CAMPUS

Union News Office

-Photo by Kimmie Stewart

-Photo by Kimmie Stewart

JACKSON  — Union University hosted more than 4,000 campers at Centrifuge Camps throughout the summer. During the seven weeks of camps, more than 600 decisions were made, including 136 salvation decisions, 365 rededications, and 37 calls to ministry.

Todd Brady, Union’s vice president for university ministries, said Union is grateful to have had a part in the life-changing experiences that students had on campus this summer.

Objective_1_ICON_baptism“Throughout the years Union University has been a place where students experience the Lord in profound ways,” Brady said. “As a Christian college committed to the mission of providing Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to church and society, we are grateful to partner with Centrifuge and be a part of what God is doing in the lives of young people throughout America.”

Students at each camp participated in morning and evening worship, small group Bible studies, and team-building recreation. Union provided the facilities for all of the activities.

The number of Centrifuge campers at Union has continued to grow over the past four years, and Brady said he prays Union continues to be a place where students’ lives are transformed by God.

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CHURCH’S LEGACY LIVES ON THROUGH GIFT

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

During the final service of Bordeaux Baptist Church, Bordeaux, which is located in metropolitan Nashville, Bobby Hatfield, left, a leader of the church, acknowledges Dwayne Lewis, who will lead the new church located there, New Season Church. — Photo by Debbie Hatfield

During the final service of Bordeaux Baptist Church, Bordeaux, which is located in metropolitan Nashville, Bobby Hatfield, left, a leader of the church, acknowledges Dwayne Lewis, who will lead the new church located there, New Season Church.
— Photo by Debbie Hatfield

BORDEAUX — Bobby Hatfield admits he was the “hold out” in the group of the 14 remaining members of Bordeaux Baptist Church here in metropolitan Nashville.

“I’ve been the hold out. I was committed to doing everything we can to keep the church open. …”

“This is home church for us. … It was family,” he explained, noting that he and his family had been active members for 18 years. In fact Hatfield was saved and baptized at Bordeaux Baptist at age 10 after which he was away for some years.

However, recently Hatfield admitted to the rest of the congregation that he too had to consider a change. Amazingly, the next day, he received a call from Rusty Sumrall, director of missions, Nashville Baptist Association, asking if Bordeaux would consider some arrangement to help a black congregation needing some meeting space. Sumrall had been working with Bordeaux Baptist for about five years. [Read more…]

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‘A LOT OF HUMANITY IS SUFFERING’ — DR VOLUNTEER

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Kay Thompson of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church, Hermitage, in metropolitan Nashville, prepares to do some laundry in the shower/laundry unit of the church in Gonzalez, La. Thompson is part of the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief effort to help flood victims in Louisiana.

Kay Thompson of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church, Hermitage, in metropolitan Nashville, prepares to do some laundry in the shower/laundry unit of the church in Gonzalez, La. Thompson is part of the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief effort to help flood victims in Louisiana.

MOUNT JULIET — “A lot of humanity is suffering because so many people are without their homes,” said Don Kohanski, disaster relief director of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church, Hermitage, who has served recently in Gonzalez, La., leading a shower/laundry operation.

“What we are doing is being backup for the teams who are really doing the work and helping the public. … We’re trying to help the people, giving them some kind of relief.”

The shower/laundry unit and its volunteers are set up at First Baptist Church, Gonzalez. The unit began serving Aug. 19.

Kohanski described seeing neighborhoods of houses in Gonzalez with almost everything that was in the house pulled out and placed on the street including insulation and drywall. He could see water lines on houses showing how high the water had been. Though most of the flood waters are down, he heard of residents who still had water, up to four feet, in their houses. Gonzalez is located about 25 miles southeast of Baton Rouge. [Read more…]

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B&R DAY; SCHEDULE CHANGES

Baptist and Reflector

B&R_Masthead_STACKEDBRENTWOOD — We welcome the more than 6,000 new readers who are being provided a copy of this week’s issue through our Baptist and Reflector Day emphasis.

Our staff hopes you will enjoy the articles and information provided. The B&R is printed 26 times a year and articles are added regularly to the baptistandreflector.org website.

Due to the upcoming Labor Day holiday and the need to print reports required by TBC Constitution and Bylaws, our schedule will change slightly in September. Our publication dates will be Sept. 14 and 21. It will resume alternate weeks in October. As a result, this issue contains Sunday School commentaries for the next three weeks.

We value our loyal readers and welcome new readers to  join our B&R “family of subscribers.” For your convenience a subscription form is here.

-Editor

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CHURCH SUPPORT CENTER ON TARGET

  • Construction is underway on the Church Support Center in Franklin. The new building, which will house the offices of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, is slated to be completed by the middle of April 2017.

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Convention’s new Church Support Center is well on its way to becoming reality.

Construction on the Church Support Center began soon after ground was broken on April 23 for the new facility, located just south of Franklin off I-65 on a former farm owned by the Berry family of Franklin for about 100 years. [Read more…]

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ACCIDENT HELPS TEEN TO FOCUS ON GOD

By Redunda Noble
Baptist Press

Laura Spradlin

Laura Spradlin

MEMPHIS — Watching Laura Spradlin drain 3-pointers and block shots, it’s hard to believe a car crash nearly took her life.

Driving alone on her way to school, Spradlin was severely injured when her car collided with a pickup truck at a Memphis-area intersection Jan. 22, 2014. Despite doctors’ low expectations, Spradlin aimed to stay positive amid the rigors of her recovery.

“Rehab was my opportunity,” she said. “Whenever they told me to walk for five minutes, I asked if I could walk a mile.”

News of the accident initially devastated her parents. “On the way to the hospital, we prayed for God to spare her life,” said Mike Spradlin, president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Cordova. “She was only 17 and I prayed she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair the rest of her life,” he added.

Though the idea of losing their only daughter and youngest of their three children was heart-wrenching, Spradlin’s mother Lee Ann rejected fear that tried to set in. The Lord immediately reminded her “Laura was right with Him no matter what happened.” [Read more…]

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DOG’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE PRESENTS JESUS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Angela Wood, left, of Darden and Frank Bologna, right, of Knoxville enjoy a visit from Molly, a therapy dog, and her owner Ron Leonard of Canines for Christ at the Memorial Foundation Hope Lodge of the American Cancer Society in Nashville. Wood’s husband Kevin and Bologna are staying at the lodge while undergoing cancer treatments.

Angela Wood, left, of Darden and Frank Bologna, right, of Knoxville enjoy a visit from Molly, a therapy dog, and her owner Ron Leonard of Canines for Christ at the Memorial Foundation Hope Lodge of the American Cancer Society in Nashville. Wood’s husband Kevin and Bologna are staying at the lodge while undergoing cancer treatments.

NASHVILLE — The presence of Molly, a therapy dog, still amazes her owner, Ron Leonard. With her big brown eyes she looks at people and then waits for them to approach her, which is key if they are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or an illness.

As Molly waits to be a friend to these people, they don’t hesitate to approach her, partly because she is wearing her Canines for Christ vest. Most pet her which she doesn’t just endure but enjoys, explained Leonard.

Leonard and Molly are always ready to respond to needs, he said.

After an 11-year-old girl was shot and died Aug. 9 in Hendersonville, Leonard e-mailed the girl’s school to offer a visit by Molly to the girl’s fellow students. Molly was a great help to students at the Fayetteville school nearly destroyed by a tornado in 2014, added Leonard. [Read more…]

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FUTURE BRIGHT FOR IMB, PREDICTS SCOTT HARRIS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Scott Harris, missions minister at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, will serve as chairman of the trustees of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board for the coming year.

Scott Harris, missions minister at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, will serve as chairman of the trustees of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board for the coming year.

BRENTWOOD — As Scott Harris enters his eighth and final year as a trustee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, he has witnessed a lot of change.

He became a trustee in 2009 just after the economy had bottomed out. He has served with three different presidents (Jerry Rankin, Tom Elliff, and David Platt) in addition to Clyde Meador who served in an interim role.

What’s more, the IMB has had to deal with drastic changes in denominational life and throughout the world. Any one of those would be hard enough to deal with, but “all of them at the same time is significant,” said Harris, who will lead the IMB trustees as chair in his final year of service.

He considers it an honor to serve as chair. He is an “MK” (missionary kid) and he also served as an IMB missionary in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. He has been the missions minister at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, since 2002. [Read more…]

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HOPE BEYOND THE RAZOR WIRE

By Chris Turner
Director of Communications, TBC

Dale Lusk, right, baptizes Anthony (last name withheld) during a service at Swannsylvania Baptist Church, Dandridge. Volunteers from Swannsylvania and New Market Baptist Church, New Market, invest more than 180 hours per month ministering to boys detained for various crimes. More than 30 boys have been baptized in three years and more are scheduled for baptism this fall. Assisting is prison team member Lonnie Cloninger, also from Swannsylvania Baptist. — Photo by David LaMar

Dale Lusk, right, baptizes Anthony (last name withheld) during a service at Swannsylvania Baptist Church, Dandridge. Volunteers from Swannsylvania and New Market Baptist Church, New Market, invest more than 180 hours per month ministering to boys detained for various crimes. More than 30 boys have been baptized in three years and more are scheduled for baptism this fall. Assisting is prison team member Lonnie Cloninger, also from Swannsylvania Baptist.
— Photo by David LaMar

DANDRIDGE — It is a familiar routine. First there is the sizzling sound of an obnoxious buzzer, then the sudden firing of a heavy deadbolt that unlocks the gray steel door separating freedom from incarceration. The closing slam reverberates down the gray cinderblock hall sending an authoritative reminder that freedom is not an option. Freedom was forfeited three felonies ago.

Buzz. Fire. Open. Slam.

Buzz. Fire. Open. Slam.

All day. Buzz. Fire. Open. Slam.

The blast of the buzzer has no effect on Dale Lusk, however. He doesn’t even flinch at its sound. The process is routine after hundreds of visits. Lusk’s focus lies beyond the door. Like the certainty of God’s own mercy, he knows there is a boy waiting for him to enter a world secured by the looping coils of concertina wire. [Read more…]

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FORMER TBC PRESIDENT HERBERT HIGDON DIES

Baptist and Reflector

Herbert Higdon

Herbert Higdon

JACKSON — Herbert R. Higdon, 89, died Aug. 16 in Jackson. He was retired director of missions, Madison-Chester Baptist Association/Crockett County Baptist Association, based in Jackson from 1982-94.

Higdon was president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1997 and a member of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and board of Union University, Jackson, of which he was an alumnus. Higdon also was a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisiville, Ky., from which he earned a doctor of ministry. [Read more…]

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