Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

MOST-READ STORIES OF 2019 COVER WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS

Stories about Lifeway’s change to pension plan and the “I Stand for Life” initiative had the most views on the B&R website

Baptist & Reflector Staff

FRANKLIN — The Baptist and Reflector website serves multiple purposes for the newspaper.

The website not only runs stories that are published in the print edition of the B&R, but also is the go-to place for breaking news pertaining to Tennessee Baptists.

This past year, the B&R website experienced several significant increases in readership (see chart). In looking at the year-ending numbers, it is interesting to note that the most-read stories of 2019 involved a wide range of topics, from economics to abortion to elections.

Listed below is a look at the most-read stories (based on website views) from the past year:

1. Lifeway to freeze pension plan for pension-eligible employees

• Date posted: July 31, 2019 • Written by: Lonnie Wilkey • Position: B&R editor

This story focused on LifeWay Christian Resources announcing changes to its retiree life insurance and pre-65 retiree medical benefits, including freezing its LifeWay Pension Plan (effective Jan. 1, 2020) for current pension-eligible employees. LifeWay shared the changes in letters to current and future retirees on June 29. The changes were approved by LifeWay trustees at their February meeting. [Read more…]

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PASTOR’S BOOK CHRONICLES HIS JOURNEY TO THE CROSS, PULPIT

By Joy Allmond
LifeWay news office

Robby Gallaty

HENDERSONVILLE — Robby Gallaty isn’t who you think he is. 

At least that’s what billboards in the greater Nashville area said of Gallaty, pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in nearby Hendersonville, in the weeks leading up to the church’s 2016 Easter service.

The message — meant to mimic a smear campaign — gained national media attention and garnered 14,000 attendees on Easter, doubling the church’s usual attendance of 7,000. 

But the intent of this jarring billboard message went beyond piquing interest of locals and getting them through the doors at Long Hollow to hear the gospel preached; it was a preview of Gallaty’s testimony of radical life change.  [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF RESPONDS TO 18 EVENTS

Baptist and Reflector

MOUNT JULIET — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers responded to 18 events in Tennessee, throughout the United States and in different locations outside the U.S. in 2019, according to Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Those responses do not include a number of responses done locally by DR volunteers, he added. [Read more…]

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MORE THAN A GIFT

Christmas Food Project is life-changer for some

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Volunteers for the Christmas Food Project organize food and other items during the “packing night” event at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood.

BRENTWOOD — Purchase, pack and participate.

Those were the three ways that the staff at Brentwood Baptist Church encouraged its members to become involved in this year’s Christmas Food Project — an initiative that focuses on combatting food insecurity in Middle Tennessee.

The church responded in a big way, with roughly 1,000 people attending “packing nights” that were held at multiple locations on the evening of Dec. 13. The large group of attendees — which included members of Brentwood’s main and satellite campuses, along with invited friends and community members — helped pack and prepare boxes that included two weeks’ worth of meals. The boxes, which also included coloring books, a Bible, and other items, were then distributed to in-need  families for the holiday season. [Read more…]

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TBC LEADERS SEND LETTER TO STATE SENATORS

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Convention leaders Randy C. Davis and Bruce Chesser have followed up on a resolution passed by Tennessee Baptists at their annual meeting in November at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville with a letter to Tennessee’s state senators.

Tennessee Baptists approved without opposition a resolution in support of life and Tennessee Senate Bill 1236. [Read more…]

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TENNESSEE BAPTIST FOUNDATION DAY IS SET

Baptist and Reflector 

Bill Gruenewald

FRANKLIN — A new emphasis day has been added to the Tennessee Baptist Convention calendar for 2020.

Sunday, Jan. 12, will be observed as Tennessee Baptist Foundation Day.

“As I meet with churches across our state, I find that many of them have not heard of the work of the Tennessee Baptist Foundation,” said Bill Gruenewald, president/treasurer of the TBF. [Read more…]

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‘LATTES FOR LOTTIE’ OFFERS A BLEND OF EDUCATION, LOVE

By Leslie Peacock Caldwell
Senior Editor, IMB

Emily Sheddan, center, visits with a “customer” prior to the worship service at Mount Harmony Baptist Church in Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE — If you’re heading to Mount Harmony Baptist Church in Knoxville, you don’t need to stop at a fancy coffee shop on your way to church. Multiflavored coffees and lattes will be ready for you when you arrive, served by smiling baristas. Donations at the coffee counter raise money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, but also raise awareness about the offering’s namesake.

“I didn’t just want it to be a table with people coming up to give money and get a latte,” says Emily Sheddan, who started Lattes for Lottie in her church in 2017. “It was on my heart to get them involved and really know who Lottie was.” [Read more…]

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HOPSONS: LIVING OUT LOTTIE’S VISION

Tennessee family leaves comforts of America to reach Africa for Christ

By Carla Harper
Contributing Writer, B&R

The Hopsons — Andrew, Marcia, Tommy and Abbie — have served in Kampala, Uganda, for the past six years. They are from East Tennessee.

KAMPALA, UGANDA  — After going on several short-term mission trips together, Tommy and Marcia Hopson, who both grew up in East Tennessee, fell in love with missions.

Even though they had a wonderful group of family and friends and a life they loved, they knew they were called to full-time foreign ministry.

Today, with their children Abbie (age 17) and Andrew (14), they live in Kampala, Uganda. They have been International Board Missionaries for six years, and on most days, they love what they do. [Read more…]

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FIRST-PERSON: PEACE IN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By Erik Reed
Baptist Press

Erik Reed

LEBANON — My son did not live one more day than God planned; and he did not live one day less either.

This truth is one I keep returning to each day as my family and I grieve the death of my son, Kaleb. He was 15-years-old. Trials and afflictions marked his life.

Into the crucible

He was born 10 weeks premature with one of his kidneys covered with cysts. After two months, the doctors believed he was big enough to have surgery to remove that kidney. Once they removed the bad kidney, he could live a normal life with one kidney. As first-time parents, we felt somewhat relieved that the nightmare first two months would soon give way to going home and living a normal life with our newborn boy. [Read more…]

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