Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TANKER EXPLOSION STILL REMEMBERED

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

Waverly Mayor Buddy Frazier, a member of First Baptist Church, Waverly, looks over the names of the 16 people killed in a tanker explosion in 1978. Frazier was a 25-year-old police officer at the time and had just left the site minutes before the explosion.

WAVERLY —   In the 40 years Tennessee Baptists have responded to disasters in the state and around the globe, countless volunteers have trekked to be the hands and feet of Jesus when people needed a friend and a helping hand.

But the state convention’s first “official” disaster relief response was done with little fanfare and no volunteers or equipment. In fact, the Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board didn’t acquire a DR vehicle until after the first response.

On Feb. 24, 1978, a derailed L&N railroad car carrying liquid propane gas exploded, killing 16 people and injuring more than 200 others. Many of the survivors still carry scars from the burns they received. [Read more…]

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DR CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY

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

Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, participated in the 40th anniversary of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief along with former state DR directors David Acres, left, and Tim Bearden, right.

MOUNT JULIET  — Nearly 300 volunteers from every area of the state flocked to the Missions Mobilization Center in Mount Juliet July 14 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief.

“We’re here today because for 40 years Tennessee Baptists have been responding in a united, cooperative manner to disaster,” observed Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

“From earthquakes to tsunamis, from floods to fires, from tornados to ice storms and terrorist attacks, the men and women of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief have shown up to assist,” he continued. [Read more…]

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VICE PRESIDENT ADDRESSES SBC MESSENGERS IN DALLAS

Pence appearance, Greear election were among top storylines at this year’s annual meeting

Editor’s Note: Visit baptistandreflector.org for complete coverage of the SBC annual meeting.

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

 

Messengers at the SBC annual meeting raise their ballots while voting on one of the 20 proposed motions on June 12. — Photo by Matt Miller/Baptist Press

DALLAS — Though an attempt was made to exclude the vice president of the United States from speaking to Southern Baptist Convention messengers, Mike Pence addressed the convention in the June 13 morning session.

Pence’s appearance was one of several highlights during the annual meeting held June 12-13 in Dallas. The meeting drew 9,637 messengers, including 615 from Tennessee. Tennessee trailed only Texas (2,036) and Louisiana (718) in number of messengers. It was the largest attended convention since 2010. [Read more…]

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DR TEAMS NEEDED IN MARYLAND AFTER FLOODING

From B&R staff

Tennessee Disaster Relief has been notified of a call out for Flood Recovery teams to travel to Maryland in response to the flooding in the Baltimore area roughly three weeks ago. Those who might be able to put together a team should contact Tennessee Baptist Mission Board disaster relief specialist Wes Jones at wjones@tnbaptist.org and George Blevins at yellowjacketnew@aol.com.

Baltimore County has asked that 400 homes be assessed. Current team needs include:

• IC team members
• Assessors
• Flood recovery teams

NOTE: Those interested in making donations for relief efforts can do so HERE. 

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DR PIONEER BOB DIXON DIES

Baptist Press

Bob Dixon

DALLAS — Chattanooga native Robert E. “Bob” Dixon, who pioneered Southern Baptist disaster relief ministry more than 50 years ago — seeing DR deployments as “invitations from the Father” — died May 10 at age 90.

Dixon was baptized at age 10 at Avondale Baptist Church in Chattanooga and was ordained into the ministry there in 1959. As a layman, Dixon worked with youth while still sensing a call to the ministry. In 1957, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife Jean and their two daughters to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and was hired at College Avenue Baptist Church as youth director. [Read more…]

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DOES NAMB REALLY NEED TWO DR OPTIONS?

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

For years, Southern Baptists have taken pride in disaster relief. Even when Southern Baptists were known for their infighting among themselves, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief was still viewed with respect and admiration across the nation.

When there was a disaster, the volunteers who wore yellow disaster relief T-shirts and caps were a welcome sight to people who had experienced a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or any other event that disrupted lives.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief was born in 1967. Today it encompasses 70,000 trained volunteers in all 50 states and 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chain saw, mud-out, childcare, and more. [Read more…]

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EAST TENN. DR TEAM GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

The members of a DR team from East Tennessee salute the flag at the home of Army veteran Myron Havrilchak. (Contributed photo)

SOUTHBURY, Conn. — Myron Havrilchak, a resident of Southbury, Conn., was among the thousands of homeowners who saw their houses and property substantially damaged by the tornadoes that recently swept through the area. [Read more…]

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DR: A STORIED HISTORY AND BRIGHT FUTURE

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

An EF5 tornado dropped from the skies five years ago and roared across Oklahoma’s open spaces at 200 mph. It locked on Moore, Okla., then slammed into the modest Oklahoma City suburb filled with middle-class, salt-of-the-earth people. It bulldozed an elementary school. It was over a mile wide and ripped a 17-mile path through the heart of that city. The devastation was comprehensive: 24 people killed, more than 200 injured, and more than $2 billion in damage.

And within hours, Oklahoma and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams swooped in to serve people. Among them were nearly 40 chaplains caring for the emotional and spiritual hurts of people. But the great thing about Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers is that every person goes as a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, even if they are running a chain saw. [Read more…]

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