Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

VIRTUAL SERVICES CAN’T MEET ALL NEEDS

By Mike Farmer
Director of missions, McMinn-Meigs Association of Baptists

What a blessing to see so many “normal” church activities arriving on the schedule now. It has been a long, difficult year. I pray we have a greater appreciation for these normal activities.

My question now is this, “What have we learned from the past year?”

We should have learned the truth that God did not make us to be isolated individuals. We were created for fellowship with God and one another. If you understand the first few chapters of Genesis, you know God created mankind in His image. Communion with our Creator is an important part of who we are. While God gave us responsibility in caring for His creation, our ultimate purpose revolves around a relationship with Him.

As physical beings, we need food, water and shelter in order to survive. Beyond the physical existence, we are spiritual beings. And some of the needs for the spiritual nature are fellowship with our God and relationships with other people. [Read more…]

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ANNUAL MEETING WAS A WELCOMED RELIEF

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

-Photo: Baptist Press

Southern Baptists came to Nashville in droves for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in mid-June and they were a welcome sight for a city and state still trying to recover from the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19 in 2020.

If you walked anywhere in the downtown area, you saw people lined up outside, waiting to get into restaurants. And, for the most part, those waiting didn’t seem to mind. It gave them added opportunity for fellowship with friends they had not seen since the Birmingham annual meeting in 2019. [Read more…]

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‘LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL’

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

FRANKLIN — Recent statistics reveal that less than half of the United States population has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

According to Becker’s Hospital Review (visit site for full list of statistics), a total of 135,867,425 Americans have been fully vaccinated. That represents 40.9 percent of the country’s population as of June 1, according to data from the Center for Disease Control.

Only five states reported that more than 50 percent of their population was fully vaccinated — Vermont, 56.38 percent; Maine, 54.45 percent; Massachusetts, 53.84 percent; Connecticut, 53.68 percent; and Rhode Island, 51.76 percent. [Read more…]

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C-N ANTICIPATES IN-PERSON CLASSES FOR FALL

Carson-Newman News Office

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University announced plans to continue with in-person classes and increased student activities in the fall semester.

Understanding students’ need for fellowship and togetherness, C-N found alternative ways during this school year to meet in-person and online for classes, campus events, chapel and athletic events.

This fall, the University plans to return to the traditional college experience.  [Read more…]

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ACP DATA: CHURCHES FEEL COVID IMPACT

By Carol Pipes & Lonnie Wilkey
LifeWay, B&R writers

NASHVILLE — When Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s season record for home runs in 1961, an “asterisk” was placed by his name because he played more games.

A similar rationale can be applied to the 2020 Annual Church Profile.

In the early weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Southern Baptist churches, including those in Tennessee, joined the wave of school and business closures to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. 

Churches shifted to online worship services, while Sunday School classes and small groups met in backyards and via Zoom. While the total impact of COVID-19 on church practices may not be fully known, recent data from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) suggests a significant effect. 

According to the latest Annual Church Profile (ACP) report, the Southern Baptist Convention saw key metrics decline in 2020, including baptisms, membership, average weekly worship attendance, giving and total number of Southern Baptist congregations. [Read more…]

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BROWNSVILLE CHURCH COMPLETES RESTORATION DURING PANDEMIC

By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing writer, B&R

BROWNSVILLE — Woodland Baptist Church, located in eastern Haywood County, has completed a restoration of the 100-year-old auditorium. After 13 months, the congregation moved back into the renovated auditorium in February of 2021. 

Due to tithes, donations and other gifts, the renovation of Woodland Baptist is debt free.

After 10 decades, the auditorium was in need of repair. The plaster was cracking and the sheetrock was bulging. When the sheetrock was pulled off, there was black mold and rotted studs. Also, there were concerns about the foundation. Water was seeping into the basement. Serious structural problems were evident. 

After the deacons, pastor and committees met, it was decided to bring the matter of restoring the auditorium to the church body. In November of 2019, the church voted to proceed with the renovation. The project was begun in January of 2020, just prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read more…]

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THE RISING HOPE FOR DAYS AHEAD

By Randy C. Davis
President & Executive Director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

Sometimes all people need to press forward is a sliver of hope. Last week we got it. 

Dr. Rochelle Walensky delivered that hope when the director of the Center for Disease Control stepped to the microphone during a press conference and said, “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or socially distancing.”

That simple pronouncement was like turning the corner at the end of the long driveway and seeing the Biltmore Mansion for the first time. 

Her declaration is a monumental, long-awaited signal that light is dawning after plodding through the dark night of the coronavirus pandemic.  [Read more…]

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PANDEMIC ALTERED U.S. CHURCHGOERS’ DISCIPLESHIP PRACTICES

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay news office

NASHVILLE — Fewer churchgoers filled pews and Bible studies during the pandemic, but many still continued personal discipleship habits throughout 2020.

A study by Nashville-based Lifeway Research found U.S. churchgoers were less likely to be involved in small groups during the pandemic, but many added some digital and individual activities to their discipleship routines.

“Some have defined discipleship as a journey of following Christ in fellowship with other believers,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “COVID-19 appears to have had both positive and negative impacts on discipleship. Pre-pandemic churchgoers largely have shown more resolve in following Christ over the following year while altering how they engage with other believers.”  [Read more…]

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‘HOW CAN YOU EVER PAY THAT BACK?’

Baptist and Reflector

Members of East LaFollette Baptist Church, called Zach’s Prayer Warriors, gather for photo in support of their pastor, Zach Lloyd, who spent 175 days in the hospital while battling COVID-19 and undergoing a double lung transplant.

NASHVILLE — As Zach Lloyd looks back on his seven month journey with COVID-19, he realizes he and his family have been extremely blessed.

“God has moved in ways I could never imagine,” said Lloyd, pastor of East LaFollette Baptist Church, LaFollette. “So many people and churches have reached out with monetary donations and other acts of kindness in addition to countless prayers lifted up on his behalf.”

One church reached out in a special way. 

Red Bank Baptist Church in Chattanooga found out about Lloyd’s unique situation from Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, and reached out to the Lloyd family and offered to pay the mortgage on their home for nine months.  [Read more…]

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SEVEN-MONTH JOURNEY

After surviving COVID-19 and a double lung transplant, LaFollette pastor Zach Lloyd is eager to return home

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

After being away from his children for months, Zach Lloyd was able to spend time with his wife, Sara, and children, Lily and Titus, on April 23-24.

NASHVILLE — When a local television station in Nashville aired footage of pastor Zach Lloyd recently leaving Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, probably few people realized they were witnessing another one of God’s infinite miracles.

But that really is the only explanation for how Lloyd, pastor of East LaFollette Baptist Church in LaFollette, was able to leave after 175 nights in hospitals and a double lung transplant. 

While Lloyd is quick to praise the care he received during his illness, he is even quicker to point out that “God moved in ways that defy medical explanation.

“There were many nights that the hospital personnel did not know if I would make it through the night. Our stance is that God provided and will continue to provide and that He will move in a mighty way.” [Read more…]

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