missions Archives - Baptist & Reflector

SOUTHERN BAPTIST MISSIONS AND KINGDOM WORK

August 9, 2019

By Richard E. Bray
Pastor, Rock Hill Baptist Church, Lexington

Southern Baptists are a missions people. In fact, the glue that holds the Southern Baptist Convention together has always been cooperative missions. I grew up attending Southern Baptist churches where I was exposed to missions on a regular basis. My seminary studies added to my understanding of Southern Baptists as a missions people. My Ph.D. studies in the field of missiology further confirmed this truth.

I not only learned about how Southern Baptists cooperated to do missions, but also experienced cooperative missions firsthand. God called my wife, Lesa, and me to serve as missionaries. Southern Baptists through the International Mission Board gave us the opportunity to live out our calling in Chile. We were with the IMB from 1989 to 1997. Since that time, I have had the privilege of participating in and leading several mission trips. [Read more…]

FRIENDSHIPS EMERGE IN SIMPLEST WAYS

July 11, 2019

By Laura Hurd
Member, Ridgeview Baptist Church, Church Hill

Miles Hurd, left, and one of his friends, Jaxson, take a break from their activities.

I have a friend who has been a constant voice in my life, never being deterred by my unique circumstance as I care for a child with autism.

My son and I recently had the honor finally to attend a local women’s Bible study group to which she had invited us. No matter how many times I have had to cancel on her or just flat-out turn her down, she has never given up on us.

Anytime we encounter a new opportunity, I have to carefully determine if it will be a good fit for my 5-year-old son that doesn’t cause him anxiety from being stretched outside his comfort zone too far, too fast. [Read more…]

TENNESSEE BAPTISTS ON MISSION: DESTINATION GERMANY

June 27, 2019

By Chris Turner
cturner@tnbaptist.org

The city of Düsseldorf was a key hub of industry for the Germans during World War II. These days is a cosmopolitan city that blends old and new. There are many churches in the city but the number of people who attended those churches has significantly dwindled through the years. — Photo by Chris Turner

DUSSELDORF — Statistics will tell you Germany is a Christian nation. Heinrich Derksen will tell you it is not.

“The (spiritual) soil in Germany is very hard,” he says. “It is a post-Christian country and in many ways a pre-Christian country. It has drifted far from being the birthplace of the Reformation and Protestantism. Martin Luther brought the Bible to the people. We now must bring the people to the Bible.”

It is the task of “bringing people to the Bible” that Tennessee Baptists will have the opportunity to engage through Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Partnership Missions. Tennessee Baptist messengers to the 2018 annual Summit approved a five-year missions partnership with International Missions Board missionaries serving in the Germanic People Group. Throughout this year, TBMB Volunteer Missions Specialist Kim Margrave has been leading vision trips helping Tennessee Baptist churches and associations find places to engage missions in Germany. [Read more…]

IMB APPROVES MISSIONARIES

June 17, 2019

Baptist Press

IMB President Paul Chitwood (right) tucks away his passport in its new passport cover, which features the logo of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The cover, symbolizing the seminary’s focus on international missions, was a gift from Dr. Adam Greenway (left), the new president of the Fort Worth seminary.
-Photo by Chris Carter/IMB

RICHMOND — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 26 new missionaries to take the gospel to the nations during their May 22-23 meeting near Richmond.

Trustees also considered pivotal changes in ministry advancement and prayer strategies; heard recommendations related to IMB’s handling of past allegations of child abuse and sexual harassment; and elected 2019-2020 officers.

The new missionaries were to be commissioned for service at a Sending Celebration on June 11 during the afternoon session of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. [Read more…]

ACTEENS: INFLUENCING, CHANGING LIVES OF GIRLS

June 12, 2019

By Vickie Anderson
Tennessee WMU Executive Director

Tennessee WMU executive director Vickie Anderson, right, during her days as an Acteen.

My entry point into missions was the Acteens organization at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon in 1980 as an eighth grader. During the next five years, the world of missionaries, ministry, service and missions opened up for me and a passion was ignited that still burns brightly today. Some of the things our group did that stand out in my memory are: [Read more…]

ACTEENS: 50 YEARS OF IMPACTING GIRLS FOR CHRIST

June 12, 2019

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

Teenage girls and their leaders worship together during a recent gathering.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Acteens, the missions education group for girls in grades seven-12, turned 50 years old this year.

To kick off the celebration, Woman’s Missionary Union brought together former Acteens to reflect on the past and look to the future on June 7, just prior to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention which will be held in Birmingham (the home of WMU) June 10-12.

The gathering was specifically for all women whose lives have been impacted through Acteens in their teenage years, as well as current and former leaders of Acteens, according to Heather Keller, missions consultant for Acteens and a Tennessee Baptist who grew up in the Acteens program of First Baptist Church, Bolivar.

Vickie Anderson, executive director of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union, is a product of Acteens and she affirms its value. [Read more…]

BOTT RADIO B&R SPOTS

May 28, 2019

The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and the Baptist and Reflector have launched a series of Missions Moments segments to air on the Bott Radio over the next two months.

Bott Radio is a family owned Christian talk radio network that features a number of respected biblical teachers. The 60-second Missions Moments segments will feature work being done by Tennessee Baptists and Tennessee Baptist churches. You can listen to and download all 14 radio spots below.

The spots are sponsored by the Baptist and Reflector newspaper and can also be heard on the following Tennessee Bott Radio Network stations:

Clarksville 99.5 FM
Dickson 91.5 FM
Donelson 107.1 FM
Gallatin 93.9 FM
Lebanon 91.5 FM

Memphis 100.7 FM
Memphis 640 AM
Nashville 89.1 FM
Nashville 1160 AM

IMB TRUSTEES APPROVE 26 MISSIONARIES, LOOK TO FUTURE GROWTH

May 24, 2019

By Julie McGowan
IMB public relations office

Dr. Rick Dunbar (right) receives gestures of appreciation from IMB President Paul Chitwood, and a standing ovation from his fellow trustees, as he concludes his service as an IMB trustee and as board chairman. A member of First Baptist Church Madison, Miss., Dunbar also is an emergency medicine physician who frequently utilizes his medical expertise to volunteer on the international mission field. — IMB Photo by Chris Carter

International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 26 new missionaries to take the gospel to the nations during their May 22-23 meeting in Richmond. Trustees also considered pivotal changes in ministry advancement and prayer strategies; welcomed a report from Adam Greenway; heard an update from external examiners; and elected 2019-2020 officers.

The new missionaries will be commissioned for service at a Sending Celebration June 11 at 4:20 p.m. during the afternoon session of the SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. The service will be live-streamed on sbc.net. [Read more…]

MISSION TEAM SEES MORE THAN 14,000 DECISIONS IN PHILIPPINES

May 20, 2019

Baptist and Reflector

Members of the mission team to the Philippines included, from left, seated, Dennis Golden, Donald Williams, Mike Hopper, Bryan Morris, Randy Crews, Willie Pounds; standing, Randy Boals, Johnny Johnson, Loren Stephens, Tod Taylor, Mike Nolen, John Hayes and Charles Pratt.

SOMERVILLE — A team of 13 volunteers serving with Cross Partners Ministry recently returned to Tennessee after serving two weeks with more than 60 churches in three Baptist associations on Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Cross Partners Ministry is led by Charles Pratt, who also serves as director of missions for Fayette Baptist Association, based in Somerville. The team witnessed 13,738 professions of faith and hundreds of other church-related decisions, Pratt reported. [Read more…]

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

April 22, 2019

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

High school seniors (from left) Hunter Johnson, Hanna Currey, and Philo Wateau participate in door-to-door outreach. This is just one way that City Reach is making an impact.

FRANKLIN — Roughly 16 months since its launch, the City Reach initiative continues to meet its objectives: Creating gospel conversations and spreading the love of Christ through work projects, community outreach and, most importantly, prayer.

City Reach is a five-city missions ministry designed and implemented by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. First envisioned by TBMB executive director and president Randy C. Davis, the ministry involves a partnership with the five metro associations in Tennessee — Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Clarksville — and was created as a means of reaching Tennessee for Christ by concentrating on those five major cities. [Read more…]

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