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.

LEADERS

David Mosher

David Mosher was recognized recently as Alumnus of the Year at The King’s Academy (formerly Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy) in Seymour. Mosher has taught at The King’s Academy for 34 years. In addition, his wife, Jama, teaches at the academy and their three children are alumni of the school. The Moshers are members of First Baptist Church, Knoxville.

Victor Lyons, a member of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, received his doctor of ministry degree May 18 from New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Joe Wiles

Joe Wiles, recently retired as director of missions for Stone Baptist Association in Cookeville. He later accepted a call as pastor of University Heights Baptist Church, Cookeville. Wiles has served in Stone Association for 41 years as a pastor, DOM and BSU (now BCM) director at Tennessee Tech. He also is a former pastor of Silver Point Baptist Church, Silver Point.

Williams Chapel Baptist Church, Springfield, has called Keith Wilson as pastor. He and his wife, Paula, have two children and two grandchildren.

Caldwell Springs Baptist Church, Elizabethton, recently called Danny Loveless as associate pastor and minister of students. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Evan Owens

Evan Owens, former associate pastor of The Journey Church in Lebanon, has been called as pastor of Rutledge Falls Baptist Church, Tullahoma. He is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. His grandfather, Don Owens, served as pastor of Rutledge Falls from 1954-57. Owens and his wife, Megan, have a son, Mack.

First Baptist Church, Winchester, recently ordained John Corak as a deacon.

Jessica Albritton, former ministry assistant with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, has been called as the Next Gen Minister at Living Hope Baptist Church, Clarksville. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Hollie Miller

Tim Miller

Hollie Miller concluded his 31-year ministry as senior pastor of Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville. He passed the mantle of leadership to his oldest son, Tim Miller, was elected by the church to serve as the next senior pastor last November. Miller is a former president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. In addition to his son Tim, Miller and his wife, Paula, have a son, John Miller, president of One Vision International, and a daughter, Sarah, who is married to Wesley Baldwin, a pastor in Winter Springs, Fla. They have four grandchildren. Hollie Miller is available for pulpit supply, revivals, conferences, and interim pastorates. He can be reached by e-mail at brohollie74@gmail.com.

Six Tennessee Baptists have been nominated to serve on Southern Baptist Convention committees and boards, if elected during the upcoming annual meeting in June. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson celebrated his 30th anniversary with Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes on April 1. Anderson joined the staff in 1989 as director of disabilities ministry and was elected president of the TBAH on Jan. 1, 2016. He is a member of Woodmont Baptist Church, Nashville.

Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Vonore, recently called Jonas Turpin as pastor. Though he has preached for several years, Walnut Grove is his first pastorate.

Caldwell Springs Baptist Church, Elizabethton, has called Danny Glover as associate pastor and minister of students.

Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Moscow, recently called Charles Herring from Mount Pleasant, Miss., as associate pastor. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Jimmy Bedwell

Cairo Baptist Church, Alamo, recently called as pastor. Bedford, who has been preaching for 53 years, recently retired as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, Bolivar.

Webb Baptist Church, Newport, recently called Daniel M. Bell as pastor. He succeeds his father, D. Frank Bell, who has retired. [Read more…]

DEATHS

Charles Guthrey

Longtime Tennessee Baptist volunteer Charles E. “Charlie” Guthrey died March 1 at the age of 94. The McMinn County native moved to Knoxville in 1957 and eventually formed Galloway & Guthrey Achitects-Engineers. Guthrey did numerous church construction projects over the years at no cost. He led the restoration and expansion of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry building at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He was a longtime member of Central Baptist Church, Bearden, in Knoxville where he served in many roles, including deacon. He is survived by his wife, Hazel, two children and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. [Read more…]