Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
BRENTWOOD – The staff of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention has been realigned in order to assist churches in accomplishing the Five Objectives.
The Five Objectives were adopted by messengers at the Summit in 2014 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood as long-range goals for the convention. [Read more…]
Tennessee native Gary Granstaff Produces Faith-Based ‘The Masked Saint’
The Masked Saint, portrayed by actor Brett Granstaff, is based on a book by the same name, written by Chris Whaley, a Baptist pastor who was a former wrestler.
FRANKLIN – After decades of living in Seattle, Wash., and Los Angeles, Tennessee native and movie producer Gary Granstaff returned to his roots. Granstaff was reared in the small community of Defeated in Smith County near Carthage.
He attended and became a member of First Baptist Church, Carthage, where his mother (Hazel Granstaff) was an icon in the church and in the community. She taught school and was a librarian for more than three decades in Smith County. Now in his 60s, Granstaff even recalls seeing the Baptist and Reflector as a child. “The Baptist and Reflector was one of the first publications I remember coming to our home,” he said. [Read more…]
By Tim Ellsworth
Union University News Office
JACKSON – Union University trustees on Friday approved a long-range strategic plan for the university, got a clean audit report and passed the second smallest tuition increase in the last 20 years. “United in Spirit. Grounded in Truth.” is the title of the plan that emphasizes seven strategic themes that will guide the work of the university over the next five years: bearing witness to the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, expanding enrollment across the university, enhancing operational effectiveness and efficiency to advance the mission, revising the liberal arts core curriculum, supporting meaningful research among faculty and students, developing leaders for the future and bolstering student life and building community. “The point of our planning process was to get us to strategically and intentionally think about how we can both unify and coordinate our efforts to accomplish the mission of the institution,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Weslee Hill, right, in a happy moment with her mother, Susie Edwards, a longtime staff member of the Baptist and Reflector who died last March after a battle with cancer.
MARTIN — Weslee Hill has counseled people through stressful times in their lives for the past 10 years as the counselor for Weakley County Baptist Association, based in Dresden. She is now putting into practice advice she has been giving to others for the past decade.
Hill has especially walked with despondent clients through holidays including Christmas.
The despondency quite often is dealing with the loss of a loved one, but it can involve a number of things including broken and fractured relationships, Hill said. [Read more…]
Baptist Association sees 10 people make commitments to Christ, 44 in three years
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Ramona Reardon of First Baptist Church, Whitley City, Ky., explains to visitors of the Bethlehem Experience the spices and herbs she is selling. With her is Gracie Cotton of New Haven Baptist Church, Oneida. — Photo by Connie Davis Bushey
WINFIELD — Just like a time traveler, one enters the stone-walled streets filled with residents of another time.
Cloaked women carry baskets of wares as robed men go about their business. Many are working at stalls and discussing their products. Roman soldiers stride among them, unsmiling. Soldiers also monitor the census takers and tax collectors.
A visitor from modern times, a young man, is called up to the census table where two Jewish men are working. The workers demand his papers and one comments that he will soon be of age to be a soldier. A Roman soldier interjects in an authoritative voice that the boy will be required to serve in the Roman military. The young man, with a shocked expression, quickly rejoins his group. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches contributed $2,278,724 in November, the first month of the 2015-16 budget year.
The amount is $14,693 or 0.6 percent more than was given in the first month of the last fiscal year.
The total, however, is $575,443 or 20.16 percent below budget needs. [Read more…]
Tennessee universities among those that have asserted right to Title IX exemption
By Lonnie Wilkey and Chris Turner
Baptist & Reflector
BRENTWOOD — In a world and culture where sexual orientation and long-held traditions such as marriage are constantly being redefined, Christian colleges are taking steps to protect their institutions. Approximately 30 religiously affiliated colleges and universities nationwide (including Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City and Union University in Jackson) have asked for and received recognition of their exemption from certain sex nondiscrimination regulations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX generally prohibits institutions of higher education that receive federal funding directly or indirectly from discriminating on the basis of sex. However, when it was enacted, Congress made provision for an exemption to accommodate religious beliefs, and the Department of Education acknowledges the exemption to those colleges and universities that follow the United States Department of Education’s process and assert their rights to the exemption. Carson-Newman and Union both asserted their rights in letters to the Department of Education earlier this year. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
LINDEN — Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center has been awarded the 2015 Star of Excellence for Outstanding Non-Profit Organization.
The award was presented to Tim Bearden, conference centers senior manager for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, on Dec. 3 during an awards banquet sponsored by the Perry County Chamber of Commerce. The conference center was recognized for the “outstanding service and contributions your organization and its volunteers provide to benefit Perry County.” [Read more…]
Carson-Newman News Office
Carson-Newman freshman Lorenjae Pryor, a member of Knoxville’s First Calvary Baptist Church, volunteers with the Appalachian Outreach home repair ministry as part of a recent Operation Inasmuch day of service.
JEFFERSON CITY — On a recent Saturday, 535 Carson-Newman University volunteers took part in the school’s 10th annual Operation Inasmuch service blitz.
Teams were comprised of students, faculty, and staff members. The groups joined to conduct service projects across Jefferson, Knox, and Hamblen counties.
“The fact that we have been able to make this a priority and do this every year working as a team speaks to how much we value serving through Operation Inasmuch,” says Anya Piotrowski, community development coordinator with Carson-Newman’s Bonner Center, which oversees the event.
“Hundreds of hours go into making this one day of service happen. Everyone is really invested in making sure it’s a success,” she said. [Read more…]
By Connie D. Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Mark Anderson
BRENTWOOD — Mark Anderson, a long-time staff member of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes, was unanimously elected president by the TBAH board on Dec. 8. He will begin serving Jan. 1. He follows Kenny Cooper who served TBAH in that role for 20 years. Cooper will retire Dec. 31.
Randy C. Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, observed that Anderson has “a proven record of competent service with Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing great things accomplished while working with Mark in the years ahead,” Davis said.
Anderson has been director of disabilities ministry for 26 years. Formerly he was a social worker for the state of Tennessee serving at the Harold Jordan Center for five years; and social counselor for the state of Tennessee’s Department of Human Services. Anderson holds the master of education in nonprofit leadership from Belmont University, Nashville; the master of science in guidance and counseling from Tennessee State University, Nashville; and the bachelor of science in psychology from Belmont. [Read more…]
