Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
December 31, 2018
By Jessica Tate Grainger Today BLAINE — Mouth of Richland Baptist Church in Blaine celebrated its 230th anniversary with a homecoming celebration on Oct. 28. The church opened in 1788, eight years before the establishment of the state of Tennessee and Grainger County in 1796. It was the first Baptist church in Grainger County and […]
December 28, 2018
TBMB retiree Tim Bearden excitedly prepares for the ‘next chapter’ of his life By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org LINDEN — Longtime Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff member Tim Bearden has had a love for Christian camps since his early childhood in Georgia, growing up in a preacher’s home. “There never was a […]
December 26, 2018
Baptist and Reflector BRENTWOOD – Paul Clark Jr., retired director of worship and music ministries for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, died Dec. 24 after a long illness. Clark served on the TBMB staff from 2000 until his retirement in 2016 after suffering a stroke in November of 2015. During his tenure with the TBMB, […]
December 26, 2018
FBC, Andersonville, supports both CP and a missionary couple Editor’s Note: Churches all across Tennessee and around the nation are in the process of collecting the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Read how a Tennessee church meets the needs of a missionary couple while continuing to give more than 10 percent of […]
December 21, 2018
By Bill Sorrell B&R contributing writer McKENZIE — On his cleats Sam Castronova wrote a soul message. “I try to carry myself the right way,” said Castronova, a record-setting quarterback at Bethel University. “I started writing AO1 on my cleats. I got it from (Philadelphia Eagles quarterback) Carson Wentz. I’m playing for an Audience of […]
December 21, 2018
By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector ddawson@tnbaptist.org HOHENWALD — Since his arrival at First Baptist Church, Hohenwald, roughly five years ago, pastor Bert Spann said he has seen the church undergo a change in culture. And it started with a change of clothes. Before Spann’s arrival, FBC had essentially been operating as a white-collar church […]
December 20, 2018
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector lwilkey@tnbaptist.org FRANKLIN — Children living in the Appalachian area of Tennessee have been beneficiaries of the Christmas Backpack Ministry for several years, most of which have been donated from outside the state itself. The Christmas Backpack Ministry has evolved over the years since 2001 when some Girls in […]
December 19, 2018
Baptist and Reflector NASHVILLE — A Tennessee Baptist songwriter and recording artist has taken the “Christian Country Music Story” to the Internet to a world-wide audience. Hugh X Lewis, a member of Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Old Hickory, is a BMI award-winning songwriter and performer for many decades. He has been recognized by the Tennessee […]
December 18, 2018
Churches reach community, keep focus on Jesus during Christmas By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector ddawson@tnbaptist.org FRANKLIN — Keeping Christ at the center of Christmas is a challenge that seems to get tougher each year. Fortunately, many churches around the country, including a large number of churches in Tennessee, are doing their part to guard […]
December 12, 2018
‘Mr. Dana’ is teaching more than just vocational skills; he’s teaching love of Jesus By Carla Harper Contributing Writer, B&R MILLINGTON — When Dana Reed, now 72, left the prison where he worked as an employee in 2011, he began working at the Boys Ranch in Memphis, which is owned and operated by the Tennessee […]
December 11, 2018
By Diana Chandler Baptist Press SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Bartholomew Orr’s object lesson, flying to the pulpit on a zip line to signify Jesus’ return, caused a viral sensation on social media and major network talk shows. Despite both negative and comical comments from an estimated 200 million hits a week after […]
December 10, 2018
By Lonnie Wilkey lwilkey@tnbaptist.org PIKEVILLE — A small rural Tennessee Baptist church is doing its best to show the love of Christ in one of the most impoverished areas of the state. According to statistical data, Bledsoe County is one of the poorest counties in Tennessee. In 2010, Bledsoe County was ranked 94th among 95 […]