Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, sent an email alert on Wednesday (July 17), asking for more teams and volunteers to look into their availability regarding on-going responses in Texas and Iowa.

Jones said in the email that “trained chaw saw” teams are needed in Texas (where Hurricane Beryl produced major damage) and flood recovery teams are needed in Iowa (where certain parts of the state were hit with high waters in June). 

Some TBDR teams are already at work in Iowa and will be there through the remainder of the week. Several teams are also slated for Texas this weekend, but Jones said more are needed. [Read more…]

Nelson

FRANKLIN — Longtime Tennessee Baptist pastor Gene Nelson has been chosen as Harvest Field 6 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, effective July 15. 

Nelson succeeds Randy Pressnell who retired from that role in May. 

A native of Knoxville, Nelson was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1996 at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville. He earned degrees from Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Nelson has served three Tennessee Baptist churches as pastor over the last 25 years — Russellville Baptist Church, Russellville (2012-2024), Trenton Street Baptist Church, Harriman (2006-2012), and Cherokee Hills Baptist Church, Morristown (1999-2006). He also served as minister of education/youth at First Baptist Church, Rogersville, from 1994-99.  [Read more…]

Warner

FRANKLIN — Trustees of the Tennessee Baptist Foundation have elected Sam Warner as president-treasurer. 

He succeeds Bill Gruenewald who announced in February his intention to retire as TBF president on Oct. 31. Gruenewald joined the Foundation in 2011 as executive vice president and served for three years before his election as president in 2014. 

The Tennessee Baptist Foundation, organized in 1938, assists individual Tennessee Baptists as well as Tennessee Baptist Convention churches, associations and entities with estate and planned giving to help advance the Great Commission, according to the TBF website.  [Read more…]

Campers at the 2024 All Nations Camp gather for a group photo at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center. — Photos by David Dawson, Kimberly Chino and Marybel Sotomayor. 

LINDEN — All Nations Camp 2024 will be remembered as a record-breaking, decision-making, spirit-awakening event. 

Held during a two-week stretch in June — with the first week at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center and the following week at Linden Valley Conference Center — this year’s camp drew a total of 608 campers and counselors, easily surpassing the previous high-water mark of 500 set in 2018.  [Read more…]

FRANKLIN —With two months to go in the 2023-24 Golden Offering for Tennessee Baptist Missions fiscal year, gifts through GOTM have exceeded $2.3 million for the first time in its history. 

As of June 30, GOTM gifts from Tennessee Baptist Convention churches totaled $2,309,506.88, breaking last year’s record gifts of $2,262,288. 

“With two months, it is remarkable that we have already set a new record for giving to GOTM and have passed $2.3 million for the first time,” said Vickie Anderson, executive director-treasurer of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union.  [Read more…]

R.G. Lee

Union University recently celebrated its 200th birthday and, as part of that celebration, Union recognized many individuals involved in cultivating Union’s rich Baptist history. One such individual was Robert Greene “R.G.”Lee, who was born in York County, S.C., in 1886. 

Though his education was irregular, he managed to learn the basics and earned money to continue his education. He left home to work on the Panama Canal, earning money to attend Furman University where he graduated. While at Furman, he served as pastor of Lima Baptist Church in Travelers Rest, S.C. In 1909, Lee was ordained as a pastor.  [Read more…]

Many are familiar with the Jackson campus of Union University — the iconic Miller clock tower, the dome of the Logos building and the great lawn, built over time since its move from downtown Jackson. 

However, the current campus is descended originally from the campus in Murfreesboro that was built with money collected by circuit minister, Bradley Kimbrough. Kimbrough was born in November 1799 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He grew up on a farm and, though his father was a preacher, received his education through intermittent breaks of farming. He began practicing law in 1824 but later turned to preaching.  [Read more…]