Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
KNOXVILLE — As he nears his retirement after spending much of his adult life serving God in Africa, John McPherson has an interesting take on his career as a missionary.
“I don’t think what I have done should be seen as a sacrifice,” said McPherson. “Doing what you love to do is not a sacrifice. The sacrifice was really made by my parents. It’s a sacrifice for those who love the person (who has been called).” [Read more…]
By Vickie Anderson
Executive Dir., TN WMU
Vickie Anderson
It is almost here, one of my favorite times of the year — September. I love getting to spend time with family and friends over Labor Day weekend and that fall weather and cooler temperatures begin to arrive. But the thing I love the most about September is that it is state missions emphasis month. For Tennessee Baptists, September brings the opportunity to observe and participate in the season of prayer for state missions and the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions. And while the offering is taken year-round and the ministries happen through the year, we spotlight in September how together we support missions and ministries in Tennessee. [Read more…]
Compiled by B&R Staff
RICHMOND — The 2016 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions contained a “good news, bad news” scenario.
The good news is that the offering reached its fourth highest total ever, closing at approximately $153 million, according to data released June 7 by the IMB.
The bad news is that the amount was down by more than $12.8 million or 7.7 percent from last year’s record total of $165,815,541 that was collected amid news that the IMB was reducing its missionary and stateside personnel due to financial challenges. [Read more…]
By Grace Thornton
WMU Writer
Becky Sumrall, right, a Tennessee Baptist who has spent the past 40 years mentoring women from all walks of life, receives this year’s Dellanna West O’Brien Award for Women’s Leadership Development from Vickie Anderson, executive director of the Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union, at the morning session of the national Woman’s Missionary Union annual meeting in Phoenix June 12. — Photo by Van Payne
PHOENIX — Becky Sumrall, a Tennessee Baptist who has spent the past 40 years mentoring women from all walks of life, is the recipient of this year’s Dellanna West O’Brien Award for Women’s Leadership Development.
The award, presented annually by Woman’s Missionary Union since 1998, comes with a $2,500 grant from WMU Foundation that will go to further Sumrall’s ministry at Begin Anew, Middle Tennessee’s branch of Christian Women’s Job Corps and Christian Men’s Job Corps. [Read more…]
Baptist Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As the Smoky Mountain resort towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge continue to recover from last year’s devastating wildfires, a second $5,000 HEART (Humanitarian Emergency Aid for Rebuilding Tomorrow) Fund grant from the national Woman’s Missionary Union and the WMU Foundation will assist workers struggling due to the decline in tourism. [Read more…]
Editor’s note: You can listen to Martha Pitts discuss missions during Episode 7 of Radio B&R, the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Martha Pitts speaks during the annual WMU Missions Get-Together in Gatlinburg. She was elected to a second term as state WMU president.
— Photo by Chris Turner
GATLINBURG — Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union President Martha Pitts is a product of missions education. And she is a huge proponent of it today.
“I started early. I grew up in Girls in Action (GAs). People invested in me and took me on missions trips and taught me early on to look around for people who were in need,” Pitts said during an interview for a Radio B&R podcast with Chris Turner.
As an adult Pitts taught GAs and later became the associational WMU director (Shelby County Baptist Association, now Mid-South Baptist Association). Though she held different positions, one thing remained the same — her love for missions. “I love getting out to people and telling them about Jesus,” said Pitts, who was elected to a second one-year term as president during the Missions Get-Together held March 31-April 2 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. [Read more…]
By Janice Backer
Contributing Writer, B&R
Elected as promotion directors for Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union during its annual meeting were, from left, Glenda Roach, Blue Springs Baptist Church, Rutledge, northeast; Bobby Turner, First Baptist Church, Lenoir City, east; Linda Robbins, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Westpoint, south central; Jonnie (Neal) Jones, First Baptist Church, Macon, southwest; and Sharon Tyler, Bellevue Baptist Church, Nashville, central. Not pictured are Lisa Condee-Sullivan, Delano Baptist Church, Delano, southeast, and Rhonda Poore, First Baptist Church, Kenton, northwest. — Photo by Chris Turner
GATLINBURG — For more than 10 years, Sharon Y. Smith has made the eight-hour trip from Memphis to Gatlinburg to attend the Missions Get-Together and Connection. This year the conference was held on March 31-April 2 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
“The worship and the sessions are good,” Smith said. “I come and learn and take the information back to share with my church.” A member of Kingdom Center Ministries in Memphis, she brought 10 women including her sister, Bettye Tyson, and Jeanette West, the first black Woman’s Missionary Union director of Mid-South Baptist Association, based in Memphis.
“I must say it is awesome and a blessing to meet so many women in Christ,” said Tyson, who attended the meeting for the first time. [Read more…]
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Lonnie Wilkey
Tennessee Baptist Convention churches are observing the Week for Prayer for International Missions this week and are in the process of collecting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
If past years are any indicator, Tennessee Baptists will be generous when it comes to supporting our international missionaries who serve all over the world. I hope this response continues this year as well.
In September I had the opportunity to participate in a vision trip for Baptist state paper editors hosted by the International Mission Board in London. [Read more…]
Baptist and Reflector
BRENTWOOD — When the books closed on Aug. 31 for the 2015-16 Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, the final tally for the year totaled $1,713,258.
The total was a 5.3 percent increase over the amount given for the 2014-15 GOTM. In addition, 1,220 churches gave to the offering in 2015-16, a net increase of 44 over the previous year.
This year’s increase is an important step as Tennessee Baptists move forward in their GOTM goal of realizing an increase in annual giving for the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions that reaches at least $3 million by 2024 (Objective 5). [Read more…]
By Julie Walters
WMU Communications
Sandra Wisdom-Martin
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sandra “Sandy” Wisdom-Martin, executive director of WMU of Texas, was unanimously elected executive director/treasurer of Southern Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union, by the WMU executive board during a special called meeting July 29-30.
Wisdom-Martin succeeds Wanda Lee, who has served as executive director of the 128-year-old missions organization for the past 16 years, effective Oct. 15. Wisdom-Martin was presented to the board by a search committee appointed in February following Lee’s announcement of her intentions to retire.
Prior to leading WMU of Texas since 2010, Wisdom-Martin served as women’s missions and ministries director for the Illinois Baptist State Association, 2001-2010; and as Cooperative Program missionary with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, 1991-2001. [Read more…]
