LEADERS

James Noble, pastor of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church, Memphis, will join the Anderson University faculty as assistant professor of pastoral ministry. Anderson University is located in Anderson, S.C. Noble currently is vice president of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

Travis Fleming, senior pastor, Union Avenue Baptist Church, Memphis, was called as senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Gallatin, May 22. Formerly he was lay pastor for a church in New Orleans, La., a church planter, and construction coordinator for Operation Noah Rebuild of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. The rebuild effort was in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Tom and Cindy Jenkins, members of First Baptist Church, Morristown, and volunteers with Disaster Relief of Nolachucky Baptist Association, will serve in Africa for a year beginning June 25. They will serve through the Southern Baptist International Mission Board as volunteers. Cindy is a surgical nurse who retired early for this assignment as assistant medical coordinator for missionaries. Tom is a retired builder/contractor who is codirector of God’s Warehouse of the association’s DR. Tom will assume various supportive roles to missionaries. The couple will be funding all of their expenses while on the field. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Mike Boyd, senior pastor, Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, Knoxville, for 19 years, has retired due to medical reasons. He was president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 2004 and a trustee of Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Boyd also is the author of Principles of Preaching.

Dean Haun, pastor, First Baptist Church, Morristown, will lead a Pastors Educational Tour to Israel Feb. 7-16, 2017 in conjunction with Israel Encounter, and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. The church has developed the ministry, Harvest of Israel. For more information, contact Israel Encounter at 615-895-9830 or israelencountertour.com or the church at 423-586-0522.

Mike Shelton, pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Bellevue, metropolitan Nashville, will celebrate his 20th anniversary at the church on June 6. He formerly was pastor, Central Baptist Church, Hendersonville. He has seen Sunday School attendance double to about 300 people and led in many building programs and expanded ministries/missions efforts. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Mark Hobafcovich, staff member of the North American Mission Board, Alpharetta, Ga., since 2008, has seen his book, Defector: A True Story of Tyranny, Liberty, and Purpose, be published. He started the Nashville Romanian Baptist Church, Nashville, in 1993 which he served as pastor and then was a church planting strategist, Nashville Baptist Association, from 2005-08. The book tells of Hobafcovich’s “ordinary” life, he reports, though he spent time in jail in Yugoslavia. For more information, visit Defectorbook.com.

K.J. Zumbrum has been called as pastor, Riverside Baptist Church, Harrogate.

Ryan Martin has been called as pastor, Alanthus Hill Baptist Church, New Tazewell.

Herbert Hester, pastor, First Baptist Church, Tullahoma, since 1997, will retire Aug. 1. He will remain in the Tullahoma area and be available for short-term ministry. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory, will sponsor an invitational golf tournament on Monday, May 16, at Windtree Golf Course in Mount Juliet. The event begins with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m., followed by an awards banquet at 5:30 p.m. Golfing great Lou Graham, winner of the 1975 U.S. Open and several other PGA tournaments, will attend the banquet and participate in a short question and answer session with Joey Hickman, director of golf and membership at Old Hickory Country Club. The cost is $300 per team or $75 per player. It is open to any golfer. For those who want to attend the banquet only, the cost is $10 but a reservation is needed. Hole sponsorships also are available. For more information, contact Richard Huffman at rchuffman@tds.net. Proceeds from the event help fund missions trips and other ministries at the church.

Irving College Baptist Church, McMinnville, will hold a Truth Conference May 15-16. Emir Caner, a former Muslim who is now president of Truett-McConnell College, Cleveland, Ga., will speak. For more information, contact 931-668-2422 or www.irvingcollegebc.com. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Larry Murphy, director of missions, Madison-Chester and Crockett Baptist Associations, based in Jackson, has been called as a church revitalization specialist, Tennessee Baptist Convention, effective April 8. Murphy will serve in both roles. He has been DOM of Madison-Chester and Crockett Associations for 18 years. Murphy also was associate pastor, Englewood Baptist Church, Jackson, for 12 years; and Baptist Student Union director, Union University, Jackson, for three years.

David Crutchley, chair of the Religion Department of Carson-Newman University, Jefferson City, has been awarded the school’s 2016 Distinguished Faculty Award. The award is the highest honor given to a faculty member. He is a native of Zimbabwe, Africa, and still ministers in South Africa.

Jon Roebuck, pastor, Woodmont Baptist Church, Nashville, for 17 years, has been named executive director of the Institute for Church Leadership of Belmont University, Nashville, effective June 1. Before serving Woodmont Baptist, he was pastor, First Baptist Church, Gatlinburg, for five years; and of churches in Alabama and Kentucky for 10 years. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Chris Moore, minister of youth/recreation, First Baptist Church, Bolivar, for nine years has been called as student pastor, First Baptist Church, New Albany, Miss.

First Baptist Church, Pleasant View, has called Terry Hudgins as children’s pastor.

Adam Holland, pastor, Hope Church of Knoxville, has written and seen published the book, Friendship Established. It is a book on the biblical theology of friendship. He also wrote and saw published the book, Friendship Redeemed.

Chris Fachman has been called as interim minister to students, Meridian Baptist Church, Knoxville. [Read more…]

CHURCHES

Southwestern Baptist Church, Johnson City, is holding a Grief Share study group every Tuesday. The group will meet through May 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, call 423-928-5521.

During its two Easter worship services many members of Crosswind Church, Union City, will be wearing “Forget the Frock” T-shirts instead of new clothes to raise money for Feed the Orphans Ministry in Western Africa. For more information, go to www.forgetthefrock.com.

First Baptist Church, Union City, is hosting the Events of the Cross Holy Week Services March 21-25. They are at noon each day and include a light lunch. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Billy Hoffman, director of development, Southern Baptist International Mission Board, based in Richmond, for 13 years, has been named stewardship development specialist, Tennessee Baptist Convention, effective March 1. Prior to that he was director of annual giving and planned giving, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Hoffman also served in the U.S. Army, where he was a captain, and has been a church planter and pastor.

Nancy Paul, pianist for North Cleveland Baptist Church, Cleveland, retired recently. She had served as pianist of the church for 57 years. She was honored on Feb. 28 by the congregation. “Simply put, Nancy Paul is a treasure and a legacy,” said Jay McCluskey, pastor. “What a rich heritage that multiple generations of our church family received through the musical blessing of this gifted woman.”

Don Pickrell, Southern Baptist Mission Service Corps missionary and member, Rechoboth Baptist Church, Soddy Daisy, led a missions team of 17 people who were mostly from Rechoboth Baptist to Guatemala during December. They worked with AMG International’s schools there. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Fred Ward, pastor, First Baptist Church, Huntingdon, for almost 30 years, will be honored on his upcoming retirement on Feb. 28. The celebration will be held at 10:15 a.m., and from 2-4 p.m. For more information, contact the church at fbcht@fbchuntingdon.org or 731-986-5000.

Charles Nored, Baptist Collegiate Ministries director, Motlow State Community College, Lynchburg, was honored recently by the Tennessee Baptist Convention staff on his 35th anniversary as a staff member. He has served Motlow State since 2004, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, from 1985-2004; and Walters State Community College, Morristown, from 1981-85. Nored is a graduate of Delta State University, Cleveland, Miss., and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. [Read more…]

LEADERS

Floyd Douglas has retired after serving 48 years as Discipleship Training director of Piedmont Baptist Church, Dandridge, and six years as DT director for Jefferson County Baptist Association, based in Jefferson City.

Drake Denning, minister of music, Poplar Grove Baptist Church, Trenton, was ordained to the ministry by Chapel Hill Baptist Church, Milan. His father, Dale Denning, pastor, Chapel Hill Baptist, led the service.

Steve Hemann has been called as pastor, Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, Bradford.

Jeff Lewis, pastor, Bethpage Baptist Church, Kenton, has resigned.

University Heights Baptist Church, Cookeville, ordained Troy Brachey recently. Brachey has been called as pastor of the church. [Read more…]