Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
June 16, 2025
By Randy C. DavisPresident & executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission BoardYou’ve probably never heard of Martha J. “Mattie” Pritchard Miles, but you’re familiar with her work. Mattie was born on May 4, 1870, in Illinois and married the Rev. D.T. Miles, a Methodist minister at Hopedale United Methodist Church in Illinois. Mattie had a passion […]
June 13, 2025
By Carolyn TomlinContributing writer, Baptist and ReflectorAs a small child, my father and I often walked to the country store down the road, for an ice cream treat after supper. Just spending time with my father was so special. He held my hand and we talked about my day’s activities. It was perfect, except for […]
June 12, 2025
By Zoë WatkinsCommunications specialistMy dad is a know-it-all — in history, especially naval and American history; in politics; in random facts spanning from space exploration and “Star Wars” lore to bird calls and poems like “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” I credit my dad with giving me excellent taste in music, from Wagner and […]
May 29, 2025
By Chris TurnerEditor, Baptist and Reflector The apartment was emptied and cleaned — an extraordinary accomplishment, given how much three college students crammed into such a small space over the past 18 months. Keys were returned to campus housing, and it was time to part ways. “Is everyone sure they have everything?” Jo asked her […]
May 28, 2025
By Randy C. DavisPresident & executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission BoardIf you’re familiar with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, you know William Maxwell. He’s been the administrative face of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for more than 30 years. William grew up in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, just east of Athens. For 75 years, his family owned […]
May 21, 2025
By Adam DooleyPastor • Englewood Baptist Church • JacksonLocated just 500 miles northeast of Vancouver, the Fraser River in British Columbia divides into two streams. One flows eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The other runs westward to the Pacific Ocean. Dubbed as the Great Divide, just six inches after the fork in the river, each […]
May 15, 2025
By Randy C. DavisPresident & executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission BoardNew Coke was a colossal failure. In 1985, after decades as a premier global brand producing the world’s most popular soft drink, the Coca-Cola Company’s leadership misjudged the slight uptick in Pepsi’s popularity, panicked, and spent millions testing, marketing, and releasing “New Coke.” The backlash […]
May 6, 2025
By Carolyn TomlinContributing writer, Baptist and ReflectorYears ago, in a Sunday School class, our teacher, an older woman, gave the class of young mothers this advice: “Don’t ever let anyone rob you of the opportunity to win your child to Christ.” As we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 11, we honor all mothers. As a […]
May 5, 2025
By Jay Barbier Harvest Field Three Team Leader • Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Be kind! Be loving! Be focused! Be passionate! These key four steps can change the culture of your church. Too often, we let ‘busy-ness’ take over and we fall into the routine of so many tasks. But these four simple steps could […]
April 30, 2025
By Chris TurnerEditor, Baptist and ReflectorJeff Vanlandingham is not the mayor of Lawrenceburg, but I’m pretty sure he could be if he wanted. I recently sat at a table close to the door of Co-Work Coffee Shop with Jeff and he knew every person who entered. There was a greeting, a handshake, a question about […]
April 29, 2025
By Randy C. DavisPresident & executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission BoardYale University was founded because Harvard University was deemed too liberal. How ironic is that, considering both universities are light-years away from their founding principles. My wife, Jeanne, and I were touring Yale last year with a young tour guide who used the word “secular” […]
April 24, 2025
By Danny SinquefieldHarvest Field One Team Leader, TBMBOur beautiful state of Tennessee has more than 3,000 partner churches spreading across the farmlands, metropolitan areas, and small communities from Memphis to Mountain City. In our attempt to get as close to our churches and associations as possible, we have six regional Harvest Field Team Leaders and […]