MURFREESBORO — Tennessee Baptists will have an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ in the city where the Tennessee Baptist Convention was established in 1874.
Two outreach events, sponsored by Concord Baptist Association and Tennessee Baptist Mission Board will be held in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Nov. 9, the day before The Summit: The Gathering of Tennessee Baptists begins at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro and later Embassy Suites.
The Saturday event is similar to Crossover which is held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention each year, said Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
“The reason we’re having our convention this year in Murfreesboro and the reason we want to show them some love is because 150 years ago, that’s where the first Tennessee Baptist Convention came together,” Davis said.
Steve Holt, church services director for the TBMB, agreed. “This event is intended to give Tennessee Baptists an opportunity to give back to the county where our state convention was started 150 years ago. We want to show our appreciation and thankfulness for our beginnings in a tangible way.”
The first event is a tailgate party which will be held from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. prior to a college football game with Middle Tennessee State University and Liberty University, Holt noted.
“We will be serving food, having games and interacting with the crowd. Our hope is to connect people with local churches,” Holt said.
The second event is a dental clinic at La Vergne Community Church (formerly First Baptist Church, La Vergne). The church is led by pastor Nathan Velasquez.

The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s mobile dental clinic, seen here while stationed at the missions fair at Summit 2023, houses two dentist offices.
The TBMB’s mobile dental unit will be available to the community from 9 a.m.-3 p.m, Holt said.
“We invite all Murfreesboro churches to join us at the MTSU tailgate to meet people, connect them with their churches, and share the love of Jesus.”
“We also need volunteers to help with the dental clinic, especially dental professionals, Holt said.
The two events center around the theme, “Connect Rutherford: Celebrating and Serving Our Communities,” said Wes Rankin, associational missions strategist for Concord Baptist Association.
“We wanted to do something to encourage residents of Rutherford County,” Rankin said, adding that the two events chosen represent the diversity in the county.
He noted that the association encourages its churches to be involved in missions at all levels. The association has mission partnerships both nationally and internationally but always is looking to be more involved in its own community, he said.
The pre-Summit events in Rutherford County provides an opportunity to show the love of Christ to the community and to connect the community with the churches, Rankin said.
Both Holt and Rankin noted that volunteers are still needed at both events, but dentists and dental assistants especially are needed at the mobile dental clinic.
If anyone needs further information or want to volunteer, contact Rankin at wes. rankin@concordbaptists.org or Holt at sholt@tnbaptist.org. B&R


