Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
MOUNT JULIET — Three teams of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers will be traveling to Leesville, La., in a few days to help victims of flooding there.
Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, reported that the Tennesseans responded to a request for teams to help the people in Louisiana begin cleanup after the devastating floods in the state. [Read more…]
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
MOUNT JULIET — Nineteen Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers will be serving in Flint, Mich., Feb. 21-28, responding to the city’s water crisis, reported Wes Jones, Tennessee Baptist DR specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
The volunteers will be installing water filters in homes and providing encouragement and prayer, he added. The project is being coordinated by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board and the Flint-area emergency management office. [Read more…]
Volunteers provide meals, support until search for Pinson toddler ends
By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Noah Chamberlin
PINSON — The halls of Pinson Baptist Church are no longer a flurry of activity. After seven days of hosting law enforcement personnel, emergency management personnel, and volunteers who came from several states to search for 2-year-old Noah Chamberlin, another press conference was held on Thursday, Jan. 21. It was one people prayed wouldn’t occur.
In tears, Chester County Sheriff Blair Weaver announced that the toddler’s body had been found. Then John Gaters, pastor of Pinson Baptist, led those gathered in the hymn, “Carry Me.”
The toddler disappeared on Jan. 14 while on an afternoon walk in the woods with his grandmother and 4-year-old sister behind his grandparent’s home. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have been asked to respond in the wake of deadly storms and flooding that occurred across the nation during the Christmas holidays.
As of Jan. 4, 11 states had Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers serving at ministry sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — A highlight for Tennessee Baptists in 2015 was the news that baptisms increased in Tennessee Baptist Convention churches for the second year in a row. In 2014, 2,603 TBC churches reported 23,499 baptisms, the largest number of baptisms recorded since 2010. In 2013 churches reported 21,979 baptisms.
The year saw leadership changes with TBC entities. Vickie Anderson began serving Jan. 1 as the executive director/treasurer of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union. She was installed later in the year to that position during WMU’s annual meeting. Mark Anderson was elected in December to succeed Kenny Cooper as president of Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes. Cooper will retire Dec. 31 after 20 years in the role while Anderson, a longtime staff member, will assume his new role on Jan. 1. Bryant Millsaps will retire Dec. 31 as president of Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes and will be succeeded by Greg McCoy who served throughout 2015 as president-elect. Several changes occurred on the TBC Executive Board staff, including the retirement of Bobby Welch as associate executive director. Welch, who served since 2011, was instrumental in helping to initiate the 1-5-1 Harvest Plants initiative geared toward sharing the gospel, starting churches, and discipling people. [Read more…]
MOUNT JULIET — Just after concluding five weeks of work helping flood victims in South Carolina following Hurricane Joaquin, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers traveled to south Texas to help flood victims there.
One great result was that Tennessee Baptists saw seven people make professions of faith during their week of working there, reported Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist, Tennessee Baptist Convention. All of the disaster relief workers from several states there saw about 70 people make professions of faith, they reported. See more in Baptist Press story. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Lonnie Wilkey
Baptists are known for many things – some good, some not so good. We tend to argue among ourselves over things that have no Kingdom significance. We get bent out of shape if someone sits in our pew on Sunday morning. We’re not happy if the pastor doesn’t visit our sick relative in the hospital (never mind that we probably forgot to let the pastor or church office know we have a sick relative in the hospital). The list goes on. Baptists can be petty. I can say that because I have been one all of my life. I’ve seen it. And if truth be told, I probably have acted in a petty manner at times.
Yet, Baptists can also be some of the most kind-hearted, caring people on this planet. And nothing brings out the best in Baptists than rallying around a need, whether it be locally, nationally, or globally.
I was in South Carolina recently witnessing the efforts of our Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. We have an amazing group of people in our state who are ready to head out on a moment’s notice to provide help to people who desperately need it. [Read more…]
Tennessee Baptist DR volunteers continue to help South Carolina flood victims
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
A disaster relief team from First Baptist Church, Sevierville, gathers around to pray for Joe Ashley McClary Jr., and his friend Gail Hill. The team provided flood recovery for a home located on the banks of the Black River owned by McClary’s mother.
MANNING, S.C. — Driving past homes in the low country region of South Carolina between Columbia and the coast, one might not suspect that less than a month ago many roads were impassable.
And, unless there was the obvious sign of water-logged furniture piled across the front yard awaiting trash pickup, one might not suspect that as much as 24 inches of rain fell upon the area in a three-day period between Oct. 3-5.
Yet, looks can be deceiving. Just ask the owners of those homes whose furniture and belongings have not been removed and the stench of mold and mildew fill the air.
Unfortunately, a month following the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin, there are many homes still untouched. And, numerous others that have been cleaned out still face massive rebuilding efforts. Some residents have insurance to handle the cost of remodeling/rebuilding. The majority of them do not. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Earl Burnett, right, and Sam Justus, volunteers from First Baptist Church, Sevierville, remove furniture from a home in Kingstree, S.C., that received major damage from record flooding that occurred in the state in early October.
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are a special breed of people.
They love the Lord with all their hearts and souls, and they love people enough to do “the dirty work” that most people would run from.
I spent time this week with Tennessee volunteers who were serving out of First Baptist Church in Manning, S.C. Teams did flood recovery or, “mudouts,” for people whose homes were devastated by historic flooding in the Palmetto State earlier this month.
In the area around Manning, located about 60 miles from the state capitol in Columbia, residents received about 24 inches of rain in a three-day period. Needless to say, numerous people experienced unprecedented flooding, especially those who lived closer to a river, pond, or swamp. [Read more…]
Approximately 40 Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers served in South Carolina last week. Teams provided mud-out or flood recovery to residents who experienced damage to their homes from the massive flooding caused recently by Hurricane Joaquin. DR teams are based out of First Baptist Church, Manning. Additional teams will arrive this week and more will be needed. People interested in helping the relief efforts can give to the South Carolina Flooding Disaster Relief Fund at www.tndisasterrelief.org or to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, P.O. Box 728, Brentwood, TN 37027, designated for the fund. Prospective volunteers can contact Wes Jones, TBC disaster relief specialist at wjones@tnbaptist.org. B&R Editor Lonnie Wilkey is scheduled to travel to Manning this week for more extensive coverage. In top photo, Scott McGill of Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, does clean up work while volunteers in bottom photo remove debris from a home. [Read more…]
