DEATHS

Charles Earl

Longtime Tennessee Baptist pastor and director of missions Charles D. Earl Sr., 89, died June 7. He served as pastor of six Southern Baptist churches and was director of missions for Holston Valley Baptist Association, based in Rogersville. After his retirement, he served as an associate pastor at Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Knoxville. He formerly served on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) and served as moderator of five different Baptist associations — Knox County, Loudon, Cumberland Gap, Holston and Grainger. Earl served a total of 62 years in ministry. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Christine, in 2009, and his second wife, Joan, in 2019. He is survived by two children, two grandchildren, one great grandchild, and four stepchildren. [Read more…]

EVENTS

The Janet Bearden Welcome Center at Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center will be dedicated July 25 at 2 p.m. There will be a brief dedication of the new facility, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The welcome center honors Janet Bearden who served at Linden Valley many years with her husband, Tim Bearden, former senior manager of the conference centers. She died of cancer in 2013. An open house will follow the ceremony. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Randy Keene

Randy Franklin Keene, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Minor Hill, will write the Bible Studies for Life lessons for the June-August quarter. He joins Travis Biller, who will continue writing the Explore the Bible lessons for the next quarter. Keene did his New and Old Testament studies at Liberty University and completed the R.G. Lee Studies program at Union University in Jackson. He also has served as pastor of Mount Horeb Baptist Church, Ethridge; First Baptist Church, Hampshire, and Unity Baptist Church, Summertown. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children and five grandchildren.

Raymond Smith, technology services manager for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, recently celebrated 20 years of service with the organization. Smith lives in Tullahoma. He and his wife, Tammy, have two grown children and a grandson. [Read more…]

LEADERS

John Parrott

John Parrott, bivocational ministries specialist and Harvest Field 7 team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board since 2015, retired May 7. Parrott has been involved in the ministry since 1969 when he was a student at Carson-Newman University. He was called to his first pastorate in 1972 and served as a pastor until 1995 when he became the director of missions for Holston Baptist Association, based in Rogersville. He served as DOM for 19 years until his retirement in 2014. Parrott and his wife, Kathy, will continue to live in Rogersville. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Brad Childres began serving April 1 as pastor of New Zion Baptist Church, Pulaski. He formerly served as senior pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Danville, Va.

DEATHS

Longtime Tennessee Baptist pastor Claude Ferguson died March 27. He had served as pastor of Reunion Baptist Church, Knoxville, for more than 30 years before retiring in 2013 due to health reasons. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Mike Young

Zion Baptist Church, Brownsville, recently called Mike Young as pastor. He is a graduate of Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va., and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Cordova. He has served on staffs of different West Tennessee Baptist churches for 16 years. He is the Tennessee coordinator for Evangelism Explosion International. He and his wife, Kathy, have four children. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Gary Snuffin

Gary Snuffin recently became the senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson. He has served at the church since 2012 as families and discipleship pastor. He holds degrees from Union University, Jackson, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C. He and his wife, Natalie, have three children.

First Baptist Church, Halls, has called Hal Poe as interim pastor. Poe is the Charles Colson Professor of faith and Culture at Union University in Jackson.

Todd Meredith is the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Taft. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Cissy Turner

Shop Springs Baptist Church, Lebanon, has called Cissy Turner as children’s ministry director, effective March 1. A longtime member of Shop Springs, Turner has been serving as church treasurer and as a leader in the children’s ministry.

Todd Brady, vice president of university ministries at Union University, Jackson, has been called as interim pastor of Chapel Hill Baptist Church, Milan.

Forrest Creekmore

Forrest Creekmore, 84, has retired after 63 years in the ministry. He served as a pastor  for 53 years, including Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, Portland, where he served for 31 years and Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Gallatin, where he served for 12 years. For the past six years, Creekmore has served as an ambassador for Bledsoe Baptist Association. He was recognized by the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1994 as “Small Church Pastor of the Year.”

David Leavell, a former president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, has been called as interim pastor of First Baptist Church, Milan.

Jackie Vaughn has been called as interim pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church, Idlewild.

David Haynes

David H. Haynes is the new director of missions for Tennessee Valley Baptist Association, based in Dayton. He also serves as pastor of Lake Drive Baptist Church, Sale Creek, in the association. He is a former member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Pope Avenue Baptist Church, Athens, called Victor King as pastor. He began serving on Jan. 5.

Hiwassee Baptist Church, Calhoun, called Stanley Liner as pastor, effective Jan. 19.

EVENTS

A Prayer Revival Conference, sponsored by Nolachucky Baptist Association, Morningside Baptist Church, Morristown, and the Johnny Tallent Evangelistic Association will be held March 19-21 at Morningside Baptist Church. Speakers include Don Pierson, Glenn Sheppard, Johnny Tallent, Mark Partin, Kenny Boling, David Hawkins, Charles Fowler, and Ronnie Owens.

Don Carson, emeritus professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, will be the plenary speaker at the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies’ 2020 Spring Bible Conference March 6-7 at Union University in Jackson. For more information, including cost, visit www.uu.edu/centers/biblical/bible-conference/2020/.

LEADERS

Rodger Eakin

Rodger Eakin recently retired after serving as pastor of Glenwood Baptist Church, Nashville, for six years. Over the past 50 years he has served as pastor of churches in Davidson, Wilson and Cannon Counties in Tennessee as well as churches in Texas and Kentucky. He also has served as a hospital chaplain. He is available for pulpit supply and/or chaplain ministries and can be reached at rodgerdeakin@gmail.com.

Thomas Bester, new church catalyst for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, has been named interim team leader for Harvest Field 1 in Tennessee and black church specialist.

Steve Reid has been called as pastor of Cranmore Cove Baptist Church in Dayton. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Mike Young

Mike Young  recently retired as director of missions for Tennessee Valley Baptist Association, based in Dayton, after 19 years of service. Prior to becoming director of missions he was pastor of Salem Baptist Church in the association. He and his wife, Sandra, have three children and seven grandchildren.

Daniel Calvert began serving Jan. 1 as youth director of Orlinda Baptist Church, Orlinda. He and his wife, Leslie, have two children.

Mike Adams has been called as pastor of Welchland Baptist Church, Spencer. Adams previously served as a pastor and funeral home director in Florida. He is a former staff member of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) and Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center. [Read more…]