coronavirus Archives - Baptist & Reflector

DAVIS: TENNESSEE BAPTISTS ARE ‘RISING TO THE OCCASION’

November 24, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Tennessee Baptist Mission Board president and executive director Randy C. Davis.

FRANKLIN — As COVID-19 cases begin to rise throughout the state, Tennessee Baptist churches will rise to the occasion, said Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

In a pre-Thanksgiving video update (view the video HERE), Davis acknowledged the spike in COVID cases.

Davis observed he has seen it in a personal way through a conversation with his neighbor who works in an ICU unit at a Nashville hospital. “She says it’s as bad as it’s ever been before,” he related.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard of more lay people, more ministry leaders and more pastors having tested positive for COVID,” he added.

“Many of them are suffering greatly because of it,” Davis said. “Thankfully, some cases are very mild and it’s a matter of a week, two weeks and they’re back at it, but there are a lot of people experiencing some very severe symptoms, and we want to be praying for each other during that time.” [Read more…]

CHESSER: NOW MORE THAN EVER, PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF THE LORD

November 18, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Bruce Chesser delivers an abbreviated president’s address during the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s first Virtual Summit.

FRANKLIN — Even during a worldwide pandemic, God has done and “will continue to do wonders among us,” affirmed Bruce Chesser, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, and president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

Due to the cancelation of the in-person Summit originally scheduled for Brentwood Baptist Church, Chesser gave an abbreviated message during the Virtual Summit.

“I had expected to share a message at Summit and preach in a more traditional way,” he noted, “but it’s an honor to be able to come to you in this way.” Chesser, who will serve another year as president, said he planned to present his original message at next year’s convention. [Read more…]

TBC CP GIFTS END YEAR NEAR GOAL

November 2, 2020

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — In a year when most churches across Tennessee could not meet in person for several months, Tennessee Baptists continued to faithfully meet missions and ministry needs in the state and around the world.

Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,824,225 through the Cooperative Program in October.

Tennessee Baptists gave a total of $34,203,543 through the Cooperative Program during the 2019-20 budget year which ended Oct. 31. The amount was $516,061 or 1.51 percent below what was given last year. The total also was $796,457 or 2.28 percent below budget needs. [Read more…]

FEW CHURCHES BACK TO PRE-COVID ATTENDANCE LEVELS

October 20, 2020

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Research

NASHVILLE — The vast majority of U.S. Protestant churches say they are holding in-person services, but churchgoers have yet to attend in the numbers they did before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

According to the latest survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research, 87 percent of Protestant pastors in the U.S. say their church met in person in September, while 13 percent did not hold physical gatherings.

Since the beginning of March, LifeWay Research has been tracking how COVID-19 is affecting churches. While few Protestant churches gathered physically in April, most began meeting in person again by May with more than 7 in 10 pastors saying they did so in July.

“More and more churches across the U.S. have found ways to meet again, but things are not back to normal,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “The impact of regulations, caution and hardships mean more than 1 in 10 churches are still not meeting in person for any type of worship service. Churches are living organisms, and when more than a third of their members are missing, they are not whole.”

A majority of African American Protestant pastors (60 percent) say their congregations did not meet in person last month. [Read more…]

MASK OR NO MASK? IT’S NOT AN ISSUE AT OAK VALLEY BAPTIST

October 13, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, B&R
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — As the debate in the nation continues over wearing masks or not wearing masks, it has not been an issue for Oak Valley Baptist Church in Franklin.

While many churches hold both traditional and contemporary worship services, Oak Valley decided to hold mask or no mask (optional) services, said pastor Jerry Winfield.

He noted that when the church returned to live services in June, there were a significant number of people who felt more comfortable wearing masks.

In fact, when they returned, masks were optional at both services. After a substantial number of people expressed concerns about being around people without masks, Winfield said the decision was made to have a mask service and a mask optional service, during which few, if any, members wear a mask. [Read more…]

HOW MUCH MORE CAN YOU STAND?

October 7, 2020

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB president & executive director

One of the greatest and constant needs of the church since its birth at Pentecost is God-called, Spirit-filled, well-equipped leaders. Are you like me, some days just wondering: How much more can we stand?

Some days it seems our entire culture is wondering the same. How much more can we collectively stand?

Even a half-hearted glance at the news is overwhelming. Culture wars and racial conflict like we’ve not seen in 50 years; political upheaval; riots, lawlessness and constant protests paralyzing many of our nation’s cities; and a lack of social decorum and mutual respect in society but especially within our government.

President Trump and Senator Biden are practically brawling in presidential debates and political anger abounds. Then there are the professional athletes and sport leagues that have become billboards for personal and corporate protests. Of course, there’s also social media, which is often a cesspool of unmitigated vitriol spewed with no accountability. [Read more…]

CHESSER: COVID MINISTRY PLANS SHOULD EXTEND 12-18 MONTHS

October 3, 2020

By David Roach
B&R Contributing Writer

At a Sept. 17 seminar, TBC president Bruce Chesser offered numerous suggestions for adapting church ministry to pandemic conditions. Looking on is Bruce Raley, FBC executive pastor.
— Photo by David Roach

HENDERSONVILLE — When Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked churches March 13 not to meet in person, leaders at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville thought they would have to suspend normal worship services two or three weeks, until Easter at the latest. When those plans didn’t materialize, they figured everything would be back to normal by the start of school. That didn’t materialize either.

Today, the church is still more than 40 percent below its pre-pandemic worship attendance of 3,750 and doesn’t know when — if ever — things will get back to normal. Yet God is at work. The church baptized 51 people on a single Sunday in August. [Read more…]

GOD’S STILL WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC

September 28, 2020

By Norman Ridenhour
Baptist layman and retired newspaper editor

The coronavirus has reeked heartbreaking stories of people throughout the world. Anyone who reads or listens to the news receives daily reports of the death, hospitalization and fear across the globe.

Spousal abuse and divorce rates going through the roof, small business owners closing and losing everything they have spent a lifetime building. Government debt continues to rise to highs no one could have dreamed of, and suicides are at record levels.

The government has tried to ease the pain through unemployment dollars and direct assistance to the taxpayers.

Still, we hear stories of our elderly who lose their life when infected by others. [Read more…]

THE COVID BLUES: IS IT REAL OR IMAGINED?

September 25, 2020

By Tony Rankin
Minister of pastoral care, First Baptist Church, Nashville

Regardless of how real you think COVID-19 is and regardless of where you stand on the political debate or spin of the news that attempt to define the legitimacy of the virus, the COVID blues are valid.

COVID-19 has caused our culture to make adjustments, forced each of us to make personal decisions that have been in conflict with 50 percent of all other Americans, consumed our conversations, dictated our news programming and resulted in most of us being like emotional sponges — soaking up everything.

Ordinarily 25 percent of all Americans experience a significant depressed mood at any given time. The pandemic has increased the depression and anxiety level of most individuals. [Read more…]

PIERSON: EFFECTIVE PRAYER REQUIRES INTIMACY WITH GOD

September 23, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FLINTVILLE — Perhaps no one knows better than Don Pierson how desperately the United States needs to be intimately connected with God through prayer during this point in the nation’s history.

In a nation filled with fear over COVID-19, increasing racial turmoil and divide and a country divided by politics, God is the only answer, said Don Pierson, pastor of Stewart’s Chapel Baptist Church, Flintville.

Prior to accepting the pastorate at Stewart’s Chapel, Pierson served as a Southern Baptist missionary in Belize, a director of missions for William Carey Baptist Association and for about 12 years as the prayer specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

Recent Posts

Tags

Categories