Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
Stoney Creek Baptist Church, Elizabethton, recently called Steve Davis as pastor.
Dungan Chapel Baptist Church, Elizabethton, recently ordained Teddy Lewis. He is serving as interim pastor.
Corey Staton recently resigned as associate pastor to students and families at First Baptist Church, Alcoa. He is moving to North Carolina. [Read more…]
Central Baptist Church, Oak Ridge, in cooperation with Clinton Baptist Association, will host its first annual Small Group Symposium on Jan. 20, 2022. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and breakfast and lunch will be provided to the first 200 people who register. Special guest speaker is Jerry Ross, education pastor at Quail Springs Baptist Church, Oklahoma City. A former mnister in Tennessee, Ross has helped start more than 400 small groups/Sunday School classes in 30 years. The event also will feature a panel discussion with James Rafferty, pastor of Central Baptist Church; Mike Floyd, Grace Baptist Church, Knoxville; and Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. For more information or to register, contact the church at www.orcbc.org or 865-483-7495. [Read more…]
Kevin Shrum
Kevin Shrum, pastor of Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville, since 1995, will write the Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons for the December-February quarter. Shrum, a past president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, also has served as pastor of churches in Missouri and Kentucky. He holds degrees from Missouri Baptist College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., including the doctor of ministry degree. He currently is working on a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo. He and his wife, Janet, have three children.
Miller’s Chapel Baptist Church, Tellico Plains, recently called Micah Collins as pastor.
Howards Chapel Baptist Church, Vonore, has called Ronnie Best as pastor.
Austin Gourley has been called as pastor of Williamsburg Baptist Church, Vonore. [Read more…]
Rob Burdette was elected as director of missions to lead Robertson County Baptist Association dur
Rob Burdette
ing its annual meeting on Oct. 19. He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and holds a doctor of ministry degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California. He has been in ministry for more than 20 years and has served as a missionary for the past eight years. A native of upstate South Carolina, Burdette and his wife, Nicole, have three daughters.
Thomas Foy resigned Oct. 3 as pastor of Kirk Baptist Church, Collierville. [Read more…]
Jack Hice recently celebrated his 31st anniversary as pastor of Marble Plains Baptist Church, Winchester. On his first Sunday at the church, there were nine people in attendance. On July 25, there were 131 people present and Hice baptized seven people that day, all of them adults or teenagers.
Trent Stewart
Chris Hughes has been called as interim pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Elizabethton. The church also ordained Patrick Beasley as a deacon.
Trent Stewart, pastor of Foothills Church, Maryville, and an alumnus of Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, spoke to the campus community at C-N’s recent Gospel Saturated Life Conference. Stewart was joined by Foothills Collective, which led worship. The conference was composed of three events over two days and saw four students make decisions for Christ. [Read more…]
Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, is among a select number of collleges that Princeton Review has named “Best Regional Colleges” for 2021 in recognition of excellence in academics and student feedback on the university’s on-campus experience. Fewer than 150 colleges in the southeast qualified for the educational services company’s regional listings. The category included 11 other states in addition to Tennessee.
Maurice Quillen
Retired pastor John “Maurice” Quillen of Talbott died Aug. 23 at the age of 92. Quillen was licensed to preach in 1950 and served as pastor of Tennessee Baptist churches for 60 years. His longest pastorate was 15 years with Bowmantown Baptist Church, Jonesborough. He also served as pastor of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Kingsport; Unicoi Baptist Church, Erwin; and Blue Springs Baptist Church, Rutledge. During his years as a pastor, he also taught school for 18 years. After retirement he later served Rocky Point Baptist Church in Russellville before retiring again. He was a member of Talbott Baptist Church, Talbott, where he still served as a supply pastor as long as his health allowed. Quillen was preceded in death by his first wife of 40 years, Lois F. Quillen. He is survived by his second wife of 26 years, Rena F. Quillen, four children, three stepchildren and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. [Read more…]
LEADERS
Marshal Key
Marshall Key began serving Aug. 1 as associational missions strategist for Beulah Baptist Association, based in Union City. Key, who grew up in Union City, returns home from Danville, Va., where he served as a worship and discipleship pastor since 2017. Along with responsibilities at the church, he was a church planting coach and trainer with the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia and the North American Mission Board. Prior to that, he and his family served with the International Mission Board in northern Africa for 10 years. Key is a graduate of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He and his wife Jennifer, have five children and one grandchild.
Scott Pack has been called as senior pastor of Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church, Smithville. He grew up in Cannon County and has previously served in ministry positions in Texas and Brazil. He holds degrees from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his wife, Gabriela, have four children.
Grover Westover began serving Sept. 1 as interim pastor of Walnut Hill Baptist Church in Bells.
First Baptist Church, Greenfield, recently called Roger Ellsworth as interim pastor.
New Prospect Baptist Church, Greenfield, has called Lowell Wiley as pastor.
CHURCHES
First Baptist Church, Dresden, will hold Fall revival Oct. 10-13. Roger “Sing” Oldham of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff, will lead the 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. services on Sunday, Oct. 10. Danny Sinquefield, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Bartlett will lead the 7 p.m. services on Oct. 11-12. Gospel singer Guy Penrod will present a concert on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert can be purchased online at dresdenfbc.org/events or through the church office.
Sidonia Baptist Church, Sharon, will hold revival services Sept. 19-22 with guest speaker John Worrell, pastor of Eastside Baptist Church, Martin. The Sunday service begins at 6 p.m. while the remaining services will begin at 7 p.m.
ASSOCIATIONS
Holston Baptist Association in Johnson City is sponsoring a Missions Conference and Fair on Sunday, Sept. 19, from 3-8 p.m. at Heritage Baptist Church in Johnson City. Conference speakers include Russ Meehan of Wycliffe Bible Translators; Guy Fredrick, Bay Lakes Baptist Association, Sheboygan, Wis.; Nate Vedoya, North American Mission Board; and Rusty Ford, International Mission Board missionary. The Missions Fair will include 30-plus local, state and international missionaries and ministry exhibitors. Dinner will be provided but RSVP is required. For more information, contact hba@holstonbaptists.org or call 423-929-1196.
DEATHS
Mark Caldwell
Mark Caldwell, senior pastor of New Providence Baptist Church in Loudon for the past 22 years, died Aug. 26 at the age of 59. He formerly served as senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church, Wartburg, from 1994-99. He was active in Loudon County Baptist Association and served two terms as a director of the Tennessee Mission Board and was a past member of the convention’s Committee on Arrangements. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Kim Caldwell; two sons and five grandchildren.
Jeff Putman
Jeffrey Lee Putman, pastor of Liberty Grove Baptist Church, Leoma, died Aug. 28 at the age of 49. Putman was active in missions, having served on mission trips to Mexico, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and South Dakota. He was the founder of Doulos Bible Rebinding. Bible rebinding started as a hobby but turned into a passion for preserving and restoring Bibles for people all over the world. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Anna, and two children.
Fred Davis
Former Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff member Fred A. Davis of Hartsville died Aug. 24 at the age of 75. Davis served with the TBMB for 14 years as a church planter strategist. He assisted in planting many churches in both East and Middle Tennessee. After retiring from the TBMB in 2014, Davis became lead pastor of Impact Fellowship Church in Gallatin and later established Mending Fences Baptist Church in Lebanon where he served as their pastor for the past five years. Two days after his death, his wife, Emily “Ann” Googe Davis died. She retired from Lifeway Christian Resources in 2002 after serving 10 years as a publication assistant. She was 74. The couple are survived by two children and five grandchildren.
Faith Baptist Church, Drummonds, recently celebrated 50 years of ministry. Clay Gilbreath, left, director of missions for Big Hatchie Baptist Association, presents a certificate to pastor Jody Johnson.
Auburn Baptist Church, Auburntown, recently hosted a presentation of “From Darkness to Light” child sexual abuse prevention training designed to teach adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Shown with pastor Larry Thomas are representatives of the Cannon County Child Advocacy Center — Carrie Norvell, center, and Amanda Hammond.
— Photo by Donna Nichols
Auburn Baptist Church, Auburntown, recently gave out Bibles, snacks and bottled water to hundreds of attendees during August Red Apple Days festival which has been held since 1977. From left are Cindy Garrison, Kiley Hughes, 2020 Miss Red Apple Days, and Dannica Hughes.
— Photo by Donna Nichols
Pastor Wayne Whitaker, right, of Northport Baptist Church, Newport, presents a certificate of ordination to new deacon Jimmy Lewis, shown with his wife, Jennifer, on Aug. 22.
Thompson Creek Baptist Church, Como, celebrated its 190th anniversary on Aug. 8. The church honored two families during the celebration. In right photo, pastor Billy Ross, right, recognizes Tom Winchester who has been a pastor for 70 years and is currently pastor at Union Friendship Baptist Church in Como. His family has been a part of Thompson Creek since 1947. In photo above, Ross presents a certificate to Harrell and Evonne Shopher for their faithful service. Evonne was saved and baptized at the church in 1952 and has held many positions in the church over the years while her husband has been a deacon for more than 50 years at Thompson Creek.
Kenny Bruce, pastor emeritus of Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis, will write the Bible Studies for Life commentaries for the Baptist and Reflector during the Sept.-Nov. quarter. Bruce is a graduate of Mississipppi State University, Starkville, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctor of ministry degree. Before being called into the ministry, he attended law school for two years. He became pastor of Whitten Memorial Baptist Church in Memphis and served for seven years and as a church planter in Cordova for two years before accepting a pastorate in Alabama. He returned to Memphis in 2000 to become pastor of Leawood Baptist Church, Memphis. The church built a new church and Bruce became pastor of Leawood East. After serving as pastor of those two churches for 20 years, he retired in 2020. He is available for interim pastorates and supply preaching. Mike Dawson, who wrote during the previous quarter, will continue writing the Explore the Bible series.
John Pinkston
Miller’s Cove Baptist Church, Walland, has called Brian Ailey as pastor. He formerly served as youth pastor at Laurel Bank Baptist Church, Friendsville.
Jefferson County Baptist Association has called John T. Pinkston as full time associational missionary. He is the former pastor of Buffalo Grove Baptist Church where he served for 29 years. Pinkston has served in the association for 38 years. [Read more…]
