
A team from First Baptist Church, Pulaski, recently gathered at the BlueOval Construction site. From left, Andrew Maddox, children’s pastor; Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field 1 team leader, TBMB; Ryan Rose, Amanda McMilin with husband Adam is behind her (she is a missions committee member) and Chip Rose, deacon and missions committee chairman. — Photo by Tony Gomillion (FBC pastor)
BROWNSVILLE — Pastor Tony Gomillion and several members of First Baptist Church, Pulaski, met July 7-8 and had several meetings with key church pastors in Haywood County.
The team met with pastors Ben Cowell of Brownsville Baptist Church, Mike Young of Zion Baptist Church and J.P. Barden of New Vision Community Church to hear first-hand stories and the pastors’ vision about what the Lord is doing in the area.
Each pastor shared how their churches have been energized and unified by the potential growth expected to impact the area over the next few years. The Pulaski team also visited several important sites in the area to pray.
The vision tour came about after Gomillion contacted Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field 1 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board about exploring mission opportunities in West Tennessee.
“The profound and practical needs connected to BlueOval City compelled our church family to seek ways to participate in what God is, and will be, doing both there and in the surrounding communities,” Gomillion said.
“The primary goal of our trip was to begin building long-term (5-to-10-year), relationally-focused ministry partnerships through which the living God could amplify the love and truth of Christ to those who don’t know Him,” he added.
As a result of the $5.6 billion Ford Manufacturing Plant being built in south Haywood County, the churches are already being impacted. Three thousand construction workers are living in the area — many of them housed in local RV parks which offer wonderful ministry opportunities for churches and mission teams coming to bring gifts, minister to families and share the gospel, Sinquefield said.

Pastor J.P. Barden of New Vision Community Church, right, shares information on BlueOval City with FBC Pulaski pastor Tony Gomillion, center, pastor of First Baptist Church, Pulaski, and Amanda McMilin.
Eventually, there will be 10,000 workers at the BlueOval plant and experts anticipate in the area to exceed 90,000 people over the next few years, he noted.
The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is partnering with a coalition of churches in a six to seven county area to prepare for the growth. Churches are partnering together to strengthen and revitalize existing churches and plans are being made to start four new churches each year over the next 10 years.
“This is a chance of a lifetime for our churches in the area and for our entire state to get involved at a significant missionary level,” Sinquefield said.
“We are responding to every pastor and church and mission team that is asking about BlueOval City opportunities to ‘Come and See’ — as Philip said to Nathaniel about anything good coming from Nazareth (John 1:46).”
Gomillion said Sinquefield “exposed us to the gospel-centered work already underway and helped lay the first steppingstone toward our return to serve alongside other Tennessee Baptists.
“Having been convicted and inspired by what God showed us, our church family is prayerfully and intentionally exploring our next steps, which we look forward to taking very soon. Only by God’s grace, and only for His glory,” Gomillion added.
“It was a joy to sit and talk with the folks from FBC Pulaski,” said Bardon of New Vision Church.
“The most exciting part of meeting them was witnessing the reality that God has long been at work in both our hearts and theirs for a time such as this. The tour very easily sparked a God-sent friendship,” Barden said.
Cowell of Brownsville Baptist, said that when he heard First Baptist was coming to the area for a vision tour he could not stop smiling. “To see leaders like Pastor Tony Gomillion catch the vision and bring his team to discover ways to get involved does nothing but add to the assurance that we are definitely on the frontlines of something special,” he said.
“Moreover, to hear that pastor Tony (and FBC, Pulaski) are looking to begin a long-term partnership in resourcing the work with BlueOval City … it just helps bolster faith knowing that God’s people are in it for the long haul.”
Young, pastor at Zion Baptist, agreed. “God is stirring the hearts of pastors and churches all over the nation to come be a part of what He is doing in the ‘BlueOval Impact Zone.’ Zion Baptist Church has been blessed to host teams from sister churches in Texas and Illinois, and most recently, an exploratory team from First Baptist, Pulaski.
“I’m so thankful for each and every church that has come to serve. It is extra special to have Tennessee Baptists come from other parts of our state and say, ‘We want to be a part of what God is doing in West Tennessee.’ ”
Churches interested in scheduling a vision tour of BlueOval City opportunities, can contact Sinquefield at dsinquefield@ tnbaptist.org. B&R


