LEADERS
Mike Young
Mike Young recently retired as director of missions for Tennessee Valley Baptist Association, based in Dayton, after 19 years of service. Prior to becoming director of missions he was pastor of Salem Baptist Church in the association. He and his wife, Sandra, have three children and seven grandchildren.
Daniel Calvert began serving Jan. 1 as youth director of Orlinda Baptist Church, Orlinda. He and his wife, Leslie, have two children.
Mike Adams has been called as pastor of Welchland Baptist Church, Spencer. Adams previously served as a pastor and funeral home director in Florida. He is a former staff member of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) and Linden Valley Baptist Conference Center.
Jeffery “Drake” Nosco has been called as senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Nashville, effective Jan. 1. He is a graduate of New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary and Mississippi State University in Starkville. He has served as youth pastor and associate pastor of three other churches in the southeast.
Matt Tullos, stewardship development specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, has been named special assistant to the executive director of the TBMB. He will maintain responsibilities in stewardship development in addition to assisting Randy C. Davis with special projects.
Stewart Strickland
Stewart F. Strickland began serving recently as director of missions for Copper Basin Baptist Association, based in Ducktown. Strickland has served as pastor of churches in Alabama and Kentucky. The Georgia native is a graduate of the Baptist College of Florida in Graceville and holds the master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. He and his wife, Janet, have two grown sons.
First Baptist Church, Somerville, recently ordained Jamie Lopez into the gospel ministry. Lopez and his wife, Stephanie, were involved in the church’s Hispanic ministry. Lopez is now the pastor of a church, south of Mexico City, Mexico. FBC pastor Stan Smith and some of the church members traveled to Mexico to be part of the service.
Jonathan Harrison has been ordained as a deacon at Thompson Creek Baptist Church, Paris.
First Baptist Church, Maryville, recently ordained Diane Hendrix, Cindy Williams and Sue Kelly as deacons.
CHURCHES
Hickory Withe First Baptist Church, Eads, held a community open house Jan. 11 for their new children’s educational center. The grand opening and dedication of the facility was held Sunday, Jan. 12.
A group of 15 people from Fayette Baptist Church, Somerville, and two guests recently returned from a trip to Israel. While there, pastor Drew Murphy baptized several people in the Jordan River.
Westwood Baptist Church, Cleveland, will host Magen (the Hebrew word for guardian, protector, shield) 2020, “A Gathering of Guardians,” a church security seminar on Saturday, Feb. 29, from 8 a.m.- 1p.m. Speakers will include representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, the state of Tennessee, office of homeland security, and law enforcement. For more information, including registration and costs, contact Joe Gilbert at 423-584-3969.
Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, Knoxville, will host the Green Light Mission Conference on Feb. 22 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with keynote speaker Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board. Breakout sessions will be offered on a number of topics. The conference is designed to equip churches for missions in their community, country and internationally. For more information including registration information and cost, contact D. Carter Davis at 865-235-2767.
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams from West Tennessee work to remove a tree from the outbuilding of retired minister James Daniel and his wife, Linda, in Bruceton. Many trees were downed and homes and buildings damaged by a major storm on Jan. 11.
