LEADERS
Larry Murphy
Larry Murphy, director of missions for Madison-Chester Baptist Association and Crockett County Baptist Association will retire Dec. 31. Murphy served as associate director of missions for two years before accepting DOM position 26 years ago. Prior to joining the association’s staff, he served on staff at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson. Murphy, who has been in the ministry for 48 years, plans to continue to serve as a church revitalization specialist for Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. He also formerly served as BSU director at Union University and on the staff of Poplar Heights Baptist Church, Jackson. Murphy and his wife, Sharon, will continue to live in Jackson.
After almost 11 years as pastor of Valley Grove Baptist Church in Knoxville and 41 years in full-time pastoral ministry, Keith Vaughan will retire Dec. 31. After retirement Vaughan and his wife Edna will live in Seymour and he will be available for interim and supply preaching.
Brad Anderson
Brad Anderson has been called as youth and young adult minister at Kingsway Baptist Church in Bristol, Va. He formerly served on staff of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center in Newport for 12 years including the last six as assistant manager.
DEATHS
Joy Phillips Fenner
Joy Phillips Fenner, former interim executive director of Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union (2001-2003), died Nov. 29 at her home in Dallas. She served as executive director-treasurer for WMU of Texas for 21 years before retiring in 2001 when she was named executive director-emeritus. She and her husband, Charlie, served as missionaries to Japan before leading WMU of Texas and then moved to Tennessee temporarily to lead Tennessee WMU during a time of transition.
Charles David Ensor of Vonore died Nov. 13 at the age of 76. A Vietnam War veteran, Ensor served as pastor of Midway Baptist Church and later Carson Island Baptist Church in Blount County for 25 years. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Linda Steel Ensor, three children and six grandchildren.
John Holland, retired pastor of Salem Baptist Church, Knoxville, died Oct. 18 at the age of 88. He served as pastor of Salem for 34 years and was named pastor emeritus upon his retirement in 2002. While pastor at Salem, John held several leadership positions with the Knox County Association of Baptists and the Tennessee Baptist Convention, where he served as Vice president and a member of the Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board). He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat. He is survived by two children, three grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The Tennessee Baptist Foundation recently hosted a reception for Bill Gruenewald who retired as president on Oct. 31. Gruenewald joined the Foundation in 2011 as executive vice president and served for three years before his election as president in 2014. Gruenewald, center, flanked by, from left, Tod Tanner, Sam Warner (new president), Bonnie Sneed, Melinda Walker and Judy Garner.
