COVID-19 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…]

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…]

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…]

PANDEMIC BRINGS POSSIBILITIES

September 15, 2020

By Paul Fries
DOM, Salem Baptist Association, Liberty

In Enterprise, Ala,, at the corner of College and Main Streets, stands a 13-foot tall monument to the Boll Weevil. This monument was placed their on Dec. 11, 1919 with the following inscription:

“In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity, this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.”

The back story to this monument is the arrival of the boll weevil from Mexico in 1915. In just a few short years farmers were losing their entire crop of cotton to the boll weevil. An area businessman saw this as an opportunity and convinced a local farmer to convert his farm to peanut farming. The first year this paid off the farmers debts and ultimately led to great prosperity to the Enterprise area farmers. Today, if you travel to the Enterprise area you will see large fields of both cotton and peanuts. It took a disaster to cause the farmers to change and to diversify. [Read more…]

MEMPHIS CHURCH THRIVES DURING COVID-19

September 14, 2020

Online attendance, giving have surged; on-campus gatherings to resume in 2021

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Pastor Michael Ellis of Impact Baptist Church in Memphis and his congregation hosted the 2020 Best in Blue program in appreciation of local law enforcement officers just weeks before the worldwide pandemic struck in March. — Submitted photo/BP

MEMPHIS — Impact Baptist Church & Ministries of Memphis has so thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic that pastor Michael Ellis Sr. sees no reason to resume onsite worship before 2021.

“I get this call from pastors all the time asking me what we’re going to do, and I say, ‘Hey look, our attendance is up and our offering is up. You tell me what you think we’re going to do,’ ” he said. “My word to everybody is we’re going back when it’s safe for our people, and it’s not safe for them now.

“I don’t think we’re going to go back before the new year. I really don’t. I think we’re going to continue to worship online,” he said.

Impact Baptist, which drew about 200 people to Sunday worship before the pandemic, has received as many as 2,300 or more Facebook views of individual worship services and an additional $600 a month in offerings, has launched three new outreaches and has continued established ministries, Ellis told Baptist Press. [Read more…]

PANDEMIC PROMPTS CHURCHES TO CONSIDER PERMANENT CHANGES

September 8, 2020

By Tess Schoonhoven
Baptist Press

Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., has begun meeting in person again, but the church’s online presence remains strong. —Submitted photo

HENDERSONVILLE — Every church has adjusted some aspects of ministry since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. But even as the effects of COVID-19 continue to press into the modern landscape of the evangelical church, some congregations are already turning from the question of how to shift from the current moment toward changes for the long-term future.

Robby Gallaty, pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church, Hendersonville, said he views the impact of COVID-19 on ministry not as an interruption, but instead as a disruption to the way things have typically been done in the local church.

Long Hollow staff see changes that track with larger changes in culture and life as necessary for faithful stewardship of the ministry God has given them. The most immediate, tangible change, according to Gallaty — and this is something he doesn’t anticipate turning around anytime soon — is attendance at church gatherings. [Read more…]

Online attendance, giving have surged; on-campus gatherings to resume in 2021

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