Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

LEADERS URGE CAUTION, COMMITMENT TO MISSIONS

By Leslie Peacock Caldwell
IMB News Office

Through Send Relief, Southern Baptists have helped more than 900,000 people worldwide affected by the coronavirus.

RICHMOND — International Mission Board senior leaders are urging Southern Baptists to use extreme caution if they are considering overseas missions travel for the remainder of 2020.

As many countries continue to require quarantines or have not yet opened their borders, travelers could face unexpected circumstances, including quarantines upon re-entering the U.S. The future threat and spread of COVID-19 also remains an unknown factor.

The IMB decision also impacts volunteer missions through the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]

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CALIFORNIA CHURCHES ORDERED TO CANCEL INDOOR WORSHIP SERVICES

Baptist Press

Southridge Church in San Jose welcomes guests during July 5 worship, held at Calvary Chapel San Jose. Southridge pastor Micaiah Irmla does not intend to comply with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new order forbidding indoor worship in at least 30 counties.
-Photo from Facebook

FRESNO, Calif. — Many California Southern Baptist pastors will likely find ways to continue to worship while obeying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s July 13 order forbidding indoor worship once again.

“I think our churches are committed to doing what needs to be done to keep in contact with their members,” said Terry Barone, communications team leader for the California Southern Baptist Convention. “We would have to say that we’re not happy about the decision.” [Read more…]

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‘GOD NEVER WASTES A HURT’

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

COLLIERVILLE — As the world stands divided over where facemasks should be worn to help prevent the coronavirus, it’s not an issue for Mark LaGrone.

It’s not even up to debate for the 60-year-old LaGrone, who serves as the discipleship/assimilation pastor at First Baptist Church, Collierville.

LaGrone’s resolve for the need to wear a face covering while the world is still dealing with the coronavirus is based on that he knows firsthand what it is like to live with the disease. [Read more…]

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THINK ABOUT JESUS WHEN IT’S TIME TO WEAR MASK

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

There is an ongoing debate in our nation today over the effectiveness of facemasks preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Some of the debate centers around the perception of government leaders telling us to wear one. I must confess. I don’t like to be told that I have to wear a mask. I can’t stand to wear one if you want to know the truth. I’d make a terrible bank robber because I would pull it off while standing under the surveillance cameras. [Read more…]

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ERLC ENCOURAGES CHURCH, CIVIC PARTNERSHIP ON COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING

Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (BP) — Churches should partner with government officials to fight the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) while receiving First Amendment protections as they cooperate, the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said in a new statement.

The ERLC issued a document July 10 that provides guidance to church and civic leaders regarding the effort to protect public health, particularly through the process known as contact tracing. In the procedure, trained workers contact people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 so those potentially infected individuals can isolate from others and thereby prevent the spread of the virus. [Read more…]

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C-N ANNOUNCES FALL PLANS; CLASSES TO START AUG. 19

Baptist and Reflector

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University announced its plans to resume classes and residential living for the fall semester.

Classes will begin Aug. 19. Like many universities, in-person instruction for Carson-Newman will conclude by Thanksgiving and resume with online instruction for the remainder of the semester. Dining and residence halls will remain open. [Read more…]

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CHURCHES ADJUSTING AGAIN FOR COVID-19

Editor’s note – For additional resources and an updated version of the TBMB Gathering Together Again document that includes information about how your church should move forward when members test positive for COVID-19, visit TnBaptist.org/reopen.

 

In-person gatherings suspended on numerous campuses across state

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise in certain parts of the state, pastors and church leaders are once again having to make tough decisions regarding worship services and other gatherings.

Numerous churches in Tennessee have recently suspended their on-campus services and returned to an online-only format for worship gatherings. Some churches have done this for a couple of weeks, while others are considering longer suspensions.

These decisions were reached, in some instances, after church members either tested positive for COVID-19 or were concerned that they might be infected. [Read more…]

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FIRST-PERSON: FIVE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM A COVID-19 SPIKE AT OUR CHURCH

By Derek Allen

MOBILE, Ala. — In March, April and May, our church staff braced for a wave of COVID-19 cases to sweep through our church family. It never happened. In fact, for the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak, our church family of about 1500 only experienced a handful of coronavirus cases. As far as we know, none of those cases was spread at one of our events. Two weeks ago, that all changed.

Like most churches, we moved to an online-only format in March, but as soon as our governor and state department of health gave us the green light, we started meeting in socially distanced services. A few weeks into those services, we had a coronavirus scare, but it was short-lived.

One of our staff members was exposed to someone who later tested positive for the virus, and our entire staff was with the exposed staff member in a two-hour staff meeting a few days later. The exposed staff member then tested positive. We had the rest of our staff tested, but everyone else tested negative. No one, including the one staff member who tested positive, showed any symptoms. We breathed a collective sigh of relief, and many of us, including myself, came away from that experience more convinced than before that the only real threat we faced from COVID-19 was our services being shut down again. [Read more…]

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REBUILDING WHAT WE HAD BEFORE COVID-19

By Bruce Chesser
President, Tennessee Baptist Convention
Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Hendersonville

All of us find ourselves now in the unique situation of needing to rebuild what we had going prior to the pandemic. As most of us began the process of regathering in person, we found some things are missing. Most of us have begun with worship gatherings and we will add the Connect Group/Bible Study/Sunday School piece of the puzzle later. Likewise, most will be adding the Wednesday night programming closer to the beginning of the school year.

Let me make a few suggestions.

Take the next couple of months to organize your ministry team and volunteers in a season of discovery and recovery. Discover who has resumed attending your worship services (or whatever else you are currently offering) and make a list of those that were actively involved but who have not yet returned. Make them your target. [Read more…]

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STORMY DAYS, STRONG FAITH

God at work in Hamilton County amid tough times

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Disaster relief volunteers and others survey the damage at a house that was damaged by a tornado in Hamilton County on April 12.

CHATTANOOGA — The residents of Hamilton County have experienced a trilogy of turmoil in the past few months.

It began when the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold, throwing daily routines into a state of flux. Then came a deadly tornado that created another wave of emotional and physical challenges. And in recent days, Hamilton County, like the rest of the country, has been dealing with racial unrest that was ignited by the death of George Floyd.

The three events might lead some to wonder, “where has God been in all this tragedy?”

Dennis Culbreth, the director of missions for Hamilton County Baptist, said the answer is clear — the Lord has been present and active through it all.  [Read more…]

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