LEADERS
Mike Boyd
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
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.
Jack Evans, pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Greenbrier, for 25 years will retire. His last Sunday will be Aug. 7 which also is Homecoming Day at the church.
Jim Twilbeck, director of missions, Western District Baptist Association, based in Paris, recently celebrated his 15th year of service.
John Sutton, new pastor, Henry Baptist Church, Henry, was ordained into the ministry by the church on April 3. He was called to the church in March while he was interim pastor.
Crossroads Community Church, Baxter, licensed Christian Lomax into the ministry on May 8.
Richard Spencer has been called as pastor, Alice Bell Baptist Church, Knoxville.
Pistole Baptist Church, Sparta, has called Clint Walker as pastor. Formerly he was pastor, Eastwood Baptist Church, Cookeville, and was moderator of Stone Baptist Association, based in Cookeville.
Bobby Crisp, minister of music, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Moscow, was recently named the Senior Adult of the Year of Fayette Baptist Association, based in Somerville.
Blaine Sullivan was licensed into the ministry on April 24 by Leoma Baptist Church, Leoma.
James Rogers, associate pastor and music minister, Oakwood Baptist Church, Milan, has been called as pastor.
Richard Clinard has been called as pastor, Copperas Branch Baptist Church, Leoma. He formerly was serving a church in Georgia.
Chris Krueger has been licensed into the ministry by Summertown Baptist Church, Summertown. He is available for pulpit supply.
Kemp Wynn has been called as pastor, Norwood Baptist Church, Knoxville.
Jimmy Lewis has been called as pastor, Union Hill Baptist Church, Athens.
The following students of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, based in Wake Forest, N.C., with Tennessee ties earned degrees on May 20 — Katherine Correll Anderson of Jonesborough, master of arts in Christian school administration; Jonathan Harbin of Powell, advanced master of divinity; Gregg Edward Hauss of Chattanooga, doctor of ministry; Neil Donovan Harper of Cleveland, master of divinity with Christian ministry; Travis Ray House of Nashville, master of divinity with Christian ministry; Jeffrey Alan Lovingood of Cleveland, doctor of ministry; Kaley Miller of Maryville, master of arts in Christian studies; Joseph E. Sanchez of Chattanooga, master of divinity with Christian ministry; and Michael H. Spain of Milan, doctor of philosophy.
The following students of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, based in New Orleans, La., who have Tennessee ties graduated May 14 — Daniel Preston II, student pastor, Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, which he considers his home church, master of divinity; Todd Kirk, family life pastor, Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, which he considers his home church, master of divinity with specialization in Christian education; Derek Smith from Alabama who is lead pastor, Living Hope Baptist Church, Clarksville, doctor of ministry.
CHURCHES
Scenic View Baptist Church, Nashville, will hold revival services on Sunday, June 5. Evangelist David Ring will speak at 10:30 a.m. and at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Carolyn Reed at 615-585-4856 or joyfulsongreed@bellsouth.net or visit www.davidring.org.
First Baptist Church, Manchester, has a new outreach system using its new website. The church posts contact information about guests on a secure section of the website. Volunteers who are members will receive an e-mail each week listing the age groups of guests from the previous week. If there were guests in a volunteer’s age division, they log onto the website, retrieve the contact information, and contact them to invite them to a Connection Group, which were formerly called Sunday School classes, reported Brenton Cox, pastor.
Parkway Baptist Church, Goodlettsville, held a Cooperative Program Field Trip on May 15, Sunday, for children. The trip was to help children see where Cooperative Program giving goes, reported Melody Pudlo, children’s minister. Twenty-six children and six adults ate pizza for lunch at the church and then visited the Missions Mobilization Center of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, Mount Juliet; Baptist Collegiate Ministries center of Vanderbilt University, Nashville; and Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes, Brentwood campus.
DEATHS
Rus Roach
Rus Roach, 64, minister of senior adults and pastoral care, First Baptist Church, Nashville, died May 5. He had served the church for almost 30 years, also as minister of missions and led missions trips to Italy, Costa Rica, Brazil, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Canada. Roach also was pastor of four churches in Texas. Roach was a graduate of Baylor University, Waco, Texas; and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas from which he earned a doctor of ministry. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Debbie, three daughters, five grandchildren, his parents of Texas, and others.
James E. Gibson, 79, former missionary, died April 20 in Memphis. He was an International Mission Board missionary in Tanzania, Africa, for 12 years. Gibson also was a businessman and a member of Forest Hill Baptist Church, Germantown. He is survived by his wife, Bette Stalnecker Gibson, a retired recording artist, author, and evangelist; two children; and three grandchildren.
ASSOCIATIONS
Stone Baptist Association, based in Cookeville, will hold Royal Ambassador/Boys Camp June 6-9 and Girls in Action/Girls Camp June 13-16 at the association’s Sandy Stone Camp. The cost is $60 per camper. For more information, call the association at 931-526-4655.
Woman’s Missionary Union members of Chilhowee Baptist Association, based in Alcoa, pause at the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes in Brentwood after delivering about 1,194 boxes or bags of cereal May 18. The cereal was given by association churches and was a part of their Mother’s Day Offering for TBCH, explained Kathy Neely, WMU director, Chilhowee Association. She added that it only took two vehicles to transport the cereal, one a van and the other a pickup with a camper top. From left are Shelby Eggers, Maple Grove Baptist Church, Maryville; Lynda Rizzardi, WMU secretary/treasurer; Shelby Lord, WMU director of nearby Loudon County Baptist Association, based in Lenoir City; and Neely. — Photo by Charlie Wetherington
