By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

LAWTON, Okla. — A trailer being used by a Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief team serving here June 23 was stolen and then found unharmed and intact that evening. The reporting of KSWO-TV Channel 7 and a lot of prayers were the keys to the recovery, reported Doyle Pittman, director of the team.
The trailer was stolen from First Baptist Church West in Lawton overnight as the team slept at the church. Thankfully a viewer of the reporting by the TV station saw the trailer which was picked up by the team. [Read more…]

By Landon Dickerson
B&R Intern

MURFREESBORO — Eight students from Middle Tennessee State University recently traveled to Embera, Panama, to record Christian songs in order to spread the gospel to different areas around the country.

Though the team worked with local people in Embera who already had heard the gospel, the MTSU students were there to target surrounding areas of the city that have not heard the gospel, said Glenn Wallace, Baptist Collegiate Ministries director at MTSU.

Because it is hard to reach those people with traditional missions projects, the MTSU group came to “record the indigenous tribes singing praise and worship in their native language,” Wallace said. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Midland Baptist distributes more than 3.5 million pounds of food annually

BELL BUCKLE — The premise behind the Journey of Hope Ministry Center is simple.

“There are as many hungry people in rural America as there are in urban America,” said Doug Mitchell, pastor of Midland Baptist Church in Bell Buckle which has operated the center since 2009.

In addition, he said, people need to hear about Jesus.

The ministry center actually began with former church deacon Dean Cantrell who would pick up bread from local outlets and deliver it to needy families in the neighborhood.

In January of 2009 Cantrell’s health worsened and he later died, but before he did he asked the church to take over his bread ministry. “We didn’t know what to do with it,” Mitchell admitted. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,554,264 through the Cooperative Program in May.

For the year-to-date, Tennessee Baptists have given a total of $19,631,103.

The amount is $535,536 or 2.7 percent below what was given during the same time frame last year.

After seven months of the 2014-15 fiscal year, the total is $348,064 or 1.74 percent below budget needs.

“The key component of our Cooperative Program giving consistently and sacrificially is not the financial support demonstrated month after month, but cooperation around doing ministry and missions together,” observed Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

“I am thankful for the cooperation of so many Tennessee Baptists to lock hearts and arms together for the cause of Christ across our beloved state!”

By Baptist and Reflector

CLEVELAND — Roc Collins, pastor of Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, will be nominated as president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention during The Summit, scheduled for Nov. 10-11 at First Baptist Church, Millington.

Allan Lovelace, pastor of Waterville Baptist Church, Cleveland, informed the Baptist and Reflector May 22 of his intention to nominate Collins.

Collins is currently serving as chair of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

“Dr. Collins has a passion for evangelism that supports the vision and direction of our convention,” Lovelace said. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — For the eighth consecutive year Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville has led the Tennessee Baptist Convention in baptisms. View Chart 1 | View Chart 2

Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova led the state in total gifts through the Cooperative Program with $814,580.

Long Hollow baptized 880 new believers during the 2013-14 church year.

The year before (2012-13) Long Hollow became the first church in the state to baptize more than 1,000 people in a single year.

Long Hollow’s accomplishment came during a time when Pastor David Landrith was battling cancer. He died last November. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Though the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s official partnership with the Guatemala Baptist Convention does not take place until next year, it is off to a good start.

A team of 22 Tennessee Baptist volunteers traveled to Guatemala in early May to participate in the Guatemala convention’s Sixth Annual Leadership Summit.

Tennessee Baptists are no strangers to Guatemalan Baptists, said Garry Eudy, who will serve as field coordinator for the partnership.

He noted that a team of Tennessee Baptists taught the TBC “More Life” evangelism approach two years ago and last year a team taught the 1-5-1 Harvest Plants approach. Harvest Plants are off campus efforts (outside the walls of the church) geared toward people who don’t know Christ as their Savior for the purpose of sharing the gospel, discipling people, and starting churches.

“This year, in light of the coming partnership, the goal was to introduce as many TBC pastors to as many GBC pastors as possible,” Eudy said.

Eudy noted that the Summit was “decentralized” this year and was held in five different locations around the country for maximum impact. “Instead of four or five teachers, we had 22. And instead of 120 attendees we had around 325-350,” he shared. [Read more…]