LEADERS

Leroy Davis

Leroy Davis recently retired as director of missions for Jefferson County Baptist Association, based in Jefferson City. He served from 2010-19. Davis also has served a number of Tennessee Baptist churches as pastor, including Montvue Baptist, Morristown; First Baptist, Whitesburg; Looney’s Chapel Baptist, Surgoinsville; and others. He was called into the ministry in 1982. He and his wife, Libby, have two children. Davis lives in Morristown and can be reached at 423-353-0198.

Stan Cantrell began serving Sept. 29 as pastor of Sanford Baptist Church, Riceville.

Oak Hill Baptist Church, Leoma, has called Jonathan Price as pastor [Read more…]

LEADERS

Richard Hipps

First Baptist Church, Gleason, recently called Paul Conquest as pastor and Graham Brown as student director.

Richard Hipps will retire as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, Cordova, on Nov. 10 after 17 years of ministry at the church. He and his wife, Patricia, who also is retiring from her work as a professional counselor, are former Southern Baptist missionaries to Brazil (1982-93).

Oak Grove Baptist Church, Springfield, has called John Jared as pastor, effective Oct. 27. He and his wife, Marcia, have three children.

Bryant Newell

North Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson, recently welcomed new pastor Bryant Newell and his wife, Ashden, to the congregation. He has been a leader in churches as deacon, youth director, part-time pastor and other positions. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Grace Baptist Church, Braden, will have revival services Nov. 10-13 with guest evangelist Phil Glisson of Memphis.

Sinking Creek Baptist Church, Johnson City, will have a Restoration Benefit Concert featuring Muster Grounds Musik Fife & Drum and the Singing Duggers Nov. 2 from 6-8 p.m. Donations will be accepted at the door. All proceeds will go to the restoration of the historic log church. The church was founded in 1772. The log church, located on the property of Sinking Creek Baptist, was built in 1783 and contains exterior logs and hewn church pews from the original building. The renovation cost is estimated at $100,000.

Antioch Baptist Church, Athens, will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Nov. 3. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Brush Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Brush Creek, will hold revival services Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Roc Collins of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff will serve as guest evangelist and the Nesbitt Family will lead worship.

Shiloh Baptist Church, Nashville, will host a tent revival Sept. 29-Oct. 2, beginning at 6:33 p.m. each night. Featured speakers include John Keller (Sept. 29), Steve Hayes (Sept. 30), Ken Clayton (Oct. 1) and John Green (Oct. 2). For more information, visit myshilohbaptist.org.

Oak Hill Baptist Church, Crossville, observed its 80th anniversary on Sept. 15. Rebecca Foster, who has served as choir director for 10 years, was recognized for her ministry. Pastor Jim Mersereau delivered the homecoming message.

Tampico Baptist Church, Rutledge, celebrated its 90th anniversary on Sept. 15.

LEADERS

Ron Runyon is the new pastor of Little River Fellowship in Maryville. He previously served the church as associate pastor.

Kenneth Martin has accepted the call as pastor of East Walland Baptist Church, Walland.

Salem Baptist Church, Greenback, recently called Jason Sweeton as pastor.

Piney Level Baptist Church, Maryville, has called Mike Boring as pastor. He had been serving as interim pastor.

McConnell Baptist Church, Martin, has called Cody Barnam as pastor.

Chuck Graham has been called as pastor of Willingham Memorial Baptist Church, Ridgely.

Bethel Baptist Church, Troy, has called J.R. Dunn as pastor.

John David Shanks was ordained on Aug. 11 as the new pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, Kingsport.

Andy Sherrill recently resigned as associate pastor of New Life Baptist Church, Collinwood, to bcome pastor of Providence Gospel Church in Sheffield, Ala.

EDUCATION

Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, was recently cited by the Princeton Review as being among the “Best in the Southeast” for 2020 in recognition of excellence in academics and student feedback on the university’s on-campus experience.

LEADERS

David Ward

David Ward has been called as pastor of C3 Cornerstone Cowboy Church in Columbia. He has been in the ministry for more than 20 years and has been in pastoral ministry since 2012. An Army veteran, Ward is the past moderator of Maury Baptist Association, based in Columbia. The cowboy church meets each Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Maury County Park Exhibit Building.

Marty Trivette recently was licensed to preach at Little Doe Baptist Church, Butler.

Jerry Cornett has been called as pastor of Stoney Creek Baptist Church, Elizabethton.

Williston Baptist Church, Williston, has called Chris Pulliam as pastor. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Lewis McMullen

Lewis McMullen recently celebrated his fifth anniversary as church planting specialist/new churches team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. McMullen formerly served with Nashville Baptist Association in Nashville. He has been the lead planter on eight church plants and a team member on four others.

Bruce Chesser will celebrate his 10th anniversary as pastor of First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, on Aug. 18.

Rick Taphorn

Rick Taphorn has been named vice president for business affairs at Union University, Jackson, effective Sept. 23. He replaces Gary Carter who is retiring after 28 years as chief financial officer at Union. Taphorn comes to his new role from Bryan College in Dayton where he served as vice president for finance and enrollment management.

Lee Beaumont has been called as minister of students at Brownsville Baptist Church, Brownsville. He served in a similar role at a church in Mississippi.

Beth Moore

Beth Moore has been named collegiate missions specialist in the collegiate ministry group of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, effective Aug. 9. She previously served as student/literary missions specialist for Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union. She served two terms as a missionary in south Asia.

Old Bethel Baptist Church, recently called Bobby Rushing as pastor.

Lynnwood/Lynnridge Mission Church, Elizabethton, has called Ricky Blackburn as pastor.

Calvary Baptist Church, Elizabethton, has called Lori Hamilton as children’s minister.

Dean Smith will serve as interim pastor of Siam Baptist Church, Elizabethton.

DEATHS

Louise Pulliam died July 27. She served for more than five decades on the staff of First Baptist Church, Bolivar, as educational director, church hostess and director of senior adult ministry. She is survived by her husband, James, and a son and grandson. She was a resident of Bolivar for 55 years before moving to Jackson in 2016.

CHURCHES

Hillcrest Baptist Church, Clarksville, will hold revival services Sept. 8-11 with guest evangelist Phil Glisson of Memphis.

Avondale Baptist Church, Rutledge, recently celebrated its 125th anniversary.

A mission team from Blue Springs Baptist Church, Rutledge, served in July in Beaver Creek, Ohio.

Pine Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, Harriman, held a Back 2 School Crusade on Aug. 11. The church invited teachers and support staff from local schools to worship so the church could pray for them and their students for the new school year. Approximately 15 teachers and staff attended. Jenny Spakes, principal of Dyllis Springs Elementary School spoke. This will be the third year that Pine Ridge has partnered with her school. Rick Hillard of the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana was guest preacher. The church presented gift cards to all the school staff.

LEADERS

Grant Gaines

Grant Gaines, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Jackson, for the past eight years, has been called as senior pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, effective Aug. 4. Gaines is a graduate of Union University, Jackson and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. Gaines has served as an adjunct professor at both Union University and the Southern Seminary Extension Center in Jackson. He and his wife Melisa have five children. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Paul Conquest is serving as interim pastor of First Baptist Church, Gleason.

Chris Ward recently celebrated his 15th anniversary as director of missions of Riverside Baptist Association, based in Livingston.

Rodney Norvell

Rodney Norvell celebrated his fifth anniversary with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board in July as Baptist Collegiate Ministry director at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has been an ordained minister since 1991. Norvell and his wife, Marisa, have three children. [Read more…]

LEADERS

First Baptist Church, Lafayette, has called Tim Hickman as full-time senior pastor.

Former Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff member Robert “Bob’ Brown began serving June 16 as interim pastor at First Baptist Church, Seymour. Brown is the executive director of Lakeway Christian Schools.

Shawn Lowery

Shawn Lowery recently resigned as youth minister at First Baptist Church, Portland, to become pastor of Union Springs Baptist Church in Randolph, Ala. During Lowery’s ministry at First Baptist, he began the Upward Basketball program and later added football. He also led several mission trips for the youth and served as the football chaplain at Portland High School for several years. His wife, Marsheta, also was active in the ministry of the church.

Brandon Johns has been called as senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Soddy-Daisy. A native of Guntersville, Ala., Johns attended New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary and has served churches in Alabama and Georgia.

Chuck Workman

Shiloh Baptist Church, Nashville, constituted as a church earlier this year and called Chuck Workman as senior pastor. He formerly served as a youth minister/pastor in churches in South Carolina and Tennessee. He and his wife, Tara, have three children. The church also recently ordained Barry Fullington as a deacon.

First Baptist Church, Clinton, voted May 19 to call Danny Chisholm as senior pastor.

Sand Ridge Baptist Church, Clinton, recently ordained Eric Hampton and Jason McCarley as deacons.

EDUCATION

Alumni and current students of the Forensics team of Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, recently gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of C-N’s speech and debate team. Harry Brooks of Knoxville, a former state representative and chair of the C-N board of trustees, is a 1968 graduate and former member of the debate team. He was one of the featured speakers. Mark Borchert, chair and professor of C-N’s communication department, called the event “a significant milestone in the history of forensics at Carson-Newman.”

CHURCHES

First Baptist Church, Spring Hill, recently held Vacation Bible School. The church had an average of 75 children and 47 workers for a total of 122. Five professions of faith were recorded during VBS. The boys won the offering challenge for the week, raising $493.09 while the girls raised $448.19. The money will be used for the church’s Jamaica mission trip.