Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

TENNESSEANS SUPPORT MINISTRY IN INDIA

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Fellowshipping at the recent Summit held in November at First Baptist Church, Millington, were from left, David Mackens, Sue Evans, Dwight Dickson, Bro. Vee, and Tony Evans of MVN. — Photo by Corinne Williams

Fellowshipping at the recent Summit held in November at First Baptist Church, Millington, were from left, David Mackens, Sue Evans, Dwight Dickson, Bro. Vee, and Tony Evans of MVN. — Photo by Corinne Williams

CLARKSVILLE — Baptists in Cumberland Baptist Association, headquartered in Clarksville, know they can travel to minister in India only on occasions.

For ministry to be effective there, it is imperative that Christians with a heart for their lost countrymen are trained to be missionaries to plant churches in the remote villages of India.

Thus, Mission Voice Network Ministries in India was formed in the United States to raise prayer and financial support for the suffering missionaries there. The Clarksville-based ministry is comprised of primarily Tennessee Baptists from area churches. [Read more…]

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ASSOCIATION’S TEENAGERS SERVE ON SCHOOL BREAK

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Rhett Heinemeyer, left, of Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Halls, uses a post hole digger with direction from Harold McDonald of the church. They are helping build a ramp onto the house of a church member despite frigid temperatures Jan. 18 as part of the Jerusalem Project of Dyer Baptist Association, based in Dyersburg. — Photo by Connie Davis Bushey

Rhett Heinemeyer, left, of Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Halls, uses a post hole digger with direction from Harold McDonald of the church. They are helping build a ramp onto the house of a church member despite frigid temperatures Jan. 18 as part of the Jerusalem Project of Dyer Baptist Association, based in Dyersburg. — Photo by Connie Davis Bushey

DYER COUNTY — Instead of resting, catching up on their homework, or working some extra hours at their part-time jobs on their day off from school last week for Martin Luther King Day, about 220 teens here conducted service projects and considered God. They were participating in the 12th annual Jerusalem Project of Dyer Baptist Association.

“I see a sea of students who gave up a day off from school to worship God and serve others,” said Alisha Moody, youth leader of the association, at the launch activities of Jerusalem Project which were held on Sunday, Jan. 17. Moody also is Baptist Collegiate Ministries director of Dyersburg State Community College, based in Dyersburg.

One result of the event was that seven youth made professions of faith after hearing Chuck Johnson speak. Sunday afternoon and evening sessions were held at Hillcrest Baptist Church, Dyersburg. Johnson is associate minister to youth, First Baptist Church, Martin. Also leading a session was John Yates, a ventriloquist who is a minister at First Baptist Church, Yazoo City, Miss. Thirteen churches participated. [Read more…]

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IMB: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Lonnie Wilkey

Lonnie Wilkey

Earlier this year when the Southern Baptist International Mission Board announced that it needed to eliminate 600-800 positions, Southern Baptists were saddened and shocked.

IMB leaders have allowed the idea to propagate among Southern Baptists that there is a financial shortfall. The cutbacks did not occur because Southern Baptists didn’t give. Cooperative Program giving on the national level has increased in small increments over the past few years and the IMB gets the largest percentage of that offering. Just three years ago (2013), Southern Baptists gave more than $154 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, a record amount. Gifts topped $153 million the following year. In addition, the TBC began moving in 2011 toward a 50-50 distribution of wealth for Cooperative Program funds. This is resulting in hundreds of thousands of more dollars being funneled out of Tennessee and through the SBC for Great Commission causes. When the cutbacks were announced IMB leaders acknowledged that they had overspent millions of dollars over the past few years. Throwing more money at something won’t help it until the main problem of managing its money is corrected. [Read more…]

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CHURCH IMPRESSES FORMER MISSIONARY

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Eric Thoman, pastor, Etter Baptist Church, Byrdstown, sits in the sanctuary of the church.

Eric Thoman, pastor, Etter Baptist Church, Byrdstown, sits in the sanctuary of the church.

BYRDSTOWN — When Eric Thoman (pronounced Toh-mahn) came to Etter Baptist Church here about four years ago, he was glad to be called as pastor of a church which was so supportive of Southern Baptist efforts. He was a North American Mission Board missionary in Ohio for seven years who was downsized because of restructuring by the Southern Baptist Convention agency.

Since then, Thoman has continually been impressed with Etter Baptist and its generosity, especially toward missions.

“It’s nothing I did or anything. This church is strong in missions and I just encourage them.” [Read more…]

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IMB ELIMINATES COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE, WRAPS UP ‘RESET’

By Julie McGowan
IMB news office

160114imb-officeRICHMOND — The International Mission Board is in a position, financially, where no missionaries will be required to leave the field as the organization wraps up its two-phase reset, IMB President David Platt announced Jan. 14.

The majority of the IMB’s Richmond Communications Center, however, will lose their positions, Platt also announced. The Communications Center will be eliminated, he said. [Read more…]

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PRIORITIZING THE 2015 LMCO

By Eric Atkins
Pastor, New Friendship Baptist Church, Cleveland

Eric Atkins

Eric Atkins

Several months ago our church received a certificate and letter from the International Mission Board congratulating us on reaching one of the four Lottie Moon Challenge Levels. New Friendship has received these certificates before so I wasn’t surprised to receive another one. This year, however, it is starting to feel much different. In the weeks since, news about the IMB’s Voluntary Retirement Incentive was released. Missionaries that are close to our church have faced the challenging decision of staying on, or retiring from the field. The immediate questions of “Pastor, what can we do?” sent us to our knees in prayer and God began to move our church to do even more in the area of giving. [Read more…]

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HOW TO CHOOSE LIFE: ‘MAX THE DASH’

By Johnnie Godwin
Contributing Columnist, B&R

Johnnie Godwin

Johnnie Godwin

A friend of mine heard the only thing that matters between birth and death dates is the “dash.” So he challenged himself with a motto on his cell phone: namely, “Max the dash!” A baby named Lottie Moon was born on Dec. 12, 1840 and died Dec. 24, 1912 at age 72. But, oh, how she maxed the dash! You may not hear the SBC mission goal for 2015 in her name is $175 million. But that’s just money. Her dash was cause and effect! I’m writing about that.

Why? and How? Greats from Nietzsche to Frankl have said, “If a person has a ‘why,’ almost any ‘how’ will do.” Today, we look at chaotic effects over all the cosmos and ask, “Why?” Other than writing off all senselessness to sin, we don’t know why people do the evil they do. Cause and effect are elusive and puzzling. But for Lottie Moon, her ‘Why?’ was Christ; and her answer was yes — to give her life to follow her ‘Why?’ It was Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23. [Read more…]

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MISSIONS, COOPERATION DRIVE SMALL TENN. CHURCH

Baptist Press

The annual wild game supper at Bethel Baptist Church in Greenfield, Tenn., draws about 200 diners, many of whom are not church members.

The annual wild game supper at Bethel Baptist Church in Greenfield, Tenn., draws about 200 diners, many of whom are not church members.

GREENFIELD, Tenn. (BP) — The men at Bethel Baptist Church reach out to the unchurched men in their community each autumn by showing off their culinary skills at a wild game supper, preparing turkey, deer, raccoon, crappie, catfish, rabbit, duck and other critters.

Meanwhile, the congregation’s Women on Mission excel each year at promoting missions, noted David Worley, pastor of Bethel Baptist in Greenfield, Tenn. In 2014, for example, with a goal of $19,630 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the church gave $26,896.

The church “believes strongly in missions,” Worley said. Bethel Baptist has given 20 percent to missions through the Cooperative Program for years, preceding and throughout Worley’s pastorate that began nine years ago. [Read more…]

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COUPLE DECIDE TO REMAIN WITH IMB

Missionaries Ted, Beverly Holmes plan to return to “our home” in Poland

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Beverly and Ted Holmes, International Mission Board missionaries to Poland from Tennessee, visit the Tennessee Baptist Convention Baptist Center in Brentwood recently.

Beverly and Ted Holmes, International Mission Board missionaries to Poland from Tennessee, visit the Tennessee Baptist Convention Baptist Center in Brentwood recently.

NASHVILLE — Instead of a “Pauline Damascus Road experience,” it was a quiet voice, the nudge toward, “This is the way. Walk in it,” said Ted Holmes of the couple’s decision to stay with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board as missionaries to Poland. He referred to Isaiah 30:21, which was used in a Bible school the Holmeses helped lead this past summer in Poland.

For Beverly it was several things, including hearing Jonasz Skrzypkowski, their recent guest from Poland, speaking to Carson-Newman University students in Polish. Though Beverly has struggled with the language, she thought as she heard Skrzypkowski speak, “That’s a beautiful language.”

The Holmeses were speaking of the staff cutting measures of the IMB in response to financial woes which included offering them early retirement. Ted and Beverly have been missionaries in Poland for seven years. Formerly Ted was associate pastor, Forest Hills Baptist Church, Nashville, and Beverly was a physical education teacher in Franklin.

They consider Poland their home now, they explained, though they were in their 40s when they and their youngest daughter, Megan, began serving there. [Read more…]

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GO ‘BOTH FEET IN’ FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL

Editor’s Note: The Week of Prayer for International Missions is currently underway. The goal of the 2015 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is $175 million. To learn more, visit imb.org/offering.

By Wanda S. Lee
Executive Director, National WMU

Wanda Lee

Wanda Lee

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In his book Both Feet In, retired missionary Bud Fray references an African proverb that says: “Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet.” It’s like testing the temperature of the pool water before you jump in; we stick our toe in first and if it’s too cold we have the option of pulling back. Once we jump in with both feet we are committed … and we better know how to swim!

After serving 28 years among the people of Zimbabwe and South Africa, Bud and his wife, Jane, know firsthand what the Africans mean by this proverb. The Africans’ life experiences taught them to tread cautiously before committing to something. They worshiped many different gods, holding many beliefs that were contrary to the gospel. So when confronted with the truths of the Bible, they hesitated to commit to the One True God of Scripture. Carefully and wisely, missionaries like Bud taught them to weigh all the consequences and then, when they were ready, when they were totally committed to Jesus’ teaching, then put both feet in, knowing there is no turning back. [Read more…]

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