Baptist and Reflector
FRANKLIN — Jan. 10 proved to be a “red-letter day” in the life of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
The TBMB paid off the remaining balance of an $8 million loan that originated in 1999 to begin construction of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center in Newport and Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center in Linden.
“God’s favor has been upon us over the last few years,” observed Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the TBMB.
The two conference centers were constructed at a cost of $12 million, according to William Maxwell, administrative director of the TBMB.
During the duration of the loan, the convention also has constructed the 32,000-square-foot Church Support Center, the 600-seat multi-purpose chapel at Linden, renovated Stokeley Chapel at Carson Springs, and built a 33,000 square-foot Missions Mobilization Center in Mount Juliet — all without incurring any new debt.
At the same time, Davis added, Baptist Collegiate Ministry buildings across the state have received much needed maintenance and updating that had been deferred for years at a cost of well over $1.5 million.
Davis expressed gratitude to his predecessor James Porch and to Maxwell for their leadership in securing funding for the conference centers and for “an extremely good job of stewardship in the management of mission dollars” from Tennessee Baptist Convention churches. “We are now able to celebrate this debt-free moment,” Davis said.
Maxwell noted that “paying off the debt will allow us to continue development of both of these properties.”
Davis said the debt-free status “allows us greater flexibility in allocating resources to the objectives of reaching the people of Tennessee with the gospel.”
The TBMB leader is excited about the future. “I believe the Lord is positioning us for some very exciting and fruitful days ahead,” he said.
