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BANQUETS PROVIDE FELLOWSHIP, INSPIRATION FOR BIVOCATIONAL PASTORS

March 31, 2021

Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — Due to the lingering effects of COVID-19, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board had to cancel its annual retreat for bivocational ministers and wives, normally held in January each year. “In lieu of that, we began working with our bivocational ministry council at the first of the year to provide a series of ‘Banquet and a Program’ events for bivocational ministers and their wives during April

DR VOLUNTEERS ASSISTING WITH VACCINATIONS IN MEMPHIS

March 29, 2021

Baptist and Reflector MEMPHIS — It was not the typical request for help, but Tennessee Disaster Relief volunteers have responded to a request to assist with COVID-19 vaccinations in Memphis. “It is one of our most unusual responses,” acknowledged Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. He noted it is unusual for government agencies to request help from volunteer organizations, but it was necessary to help

COVID-19 GIVES 70-YEAR-OLD CHURCH NEW LIFE

March 26, 2021

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] MADISON — Like most every church in Tennessee, Madison Heights Baptist Church in Madison had to learn to adjust to the unique challenges of COVID-19. After deciding to cancel in-person Vacation Bible School last summer, three ladies in the church (Cathy Searcy, Atley Spain and Stacey Spain) felt compelled to find ways to minister to children and families who live in an

SLIPPERY SLOPE OF SIN KEEPS SLIDING ALONG

March 25, 2021

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that same-sex marriage is protected under the Constitution and is now legal in all 50 states. Christians decried that decision then and we still do today. However, there were some who naively believed that was “the end of the story.” Instead, it was just the beginning. That Supreme Court decision

KEEPING THEIR WATCH

March 23, 2021

More than 200 churches host YEC ‘watch parties’ By David Dawson [email protected] FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Mission Board youth specialist Jay Barbier didn’t have to wait long to find out about the effectiveness of this year’s Youth Evangelism Conference. Barbier’s phone started buzzing with text messages and voicemails just moments after the conclusion of the conference, which was streamed digitally across the state on the night of March 13.

INGLEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH: ONE CHURCH’S COVID-19 STORY

March 23, 2021

By Kevin Shrum Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville Over the past several months I have been repeatedly asked, “Are you guys (the church) meeting in person? And, how are you guys doing?” My answer is always the same. Yes, we are meeting for in-person worship. And yes, by God’s grace, we are doing remarkably well. These questions caused me to rethink our story as we approach the one-year anniversary of

THREE REASONS PASTORS AVOID COUNSELING

March 22, 2021

By Ben Mandrell President and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources “Too fast!” my wife, Lynley, screamed as I drove down a steep hill caked in snow. The vehicle picked up speed like a roller coaster on first fall. “I grew up driving in this!” I snapped, more than slightly annoyed that she doubted my driving. Moments later all six Mandrells were sledding sideways, out of control and bracing for

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHURCHES GONE?

March 20, 2021

By Nan Corbitt Allen Freelance writer “Where have all the flowers gone/Long time passing/ Where have all the flowers gone/Long time ago?” Remember this protest song recorded by the trio Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1960s? Its lyrics describe a sort of cycle of life … of flowers … picked by young girls … who take husbands … who become soldiers … whose bodies go to graveyards … that

GUIDESTONE INSURANCE, BENEFITS NOT JUST FOR MINISTERS

March 19, 2021

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] HARRISON — On Oct. 2, 1997, God called Charlie Brown (a Baptist layman, not the Peanuts cartoon version) home to heaven, leaving behind a widow and two small children, not to mention a mortgage on a house he and his wife had recently purchased. Though it has been almost 24 years ago, his widow, Angie Fielden (since remarried), still gets emotional as

‘PORTABLE CHURCH’ FINDS NEW HOME DURING COVID

March 18, 2021

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] SMYRNA — Only God. That’s the explanation pastor Kent Shingleton has for what occurred at Hope Fellowship Church in Smyrna during a year that will forever be known by a virus that brought the world to a screeching halt. For nearly nine years the former church plant met in a local elementary school and members spent a great deal of time each

Featured

BANQUETS PROVIDE FELLOWSHIP, INSPIRATION FOR BIVOCATIONAL PASTORS

DR VOLUNTEERS ASSISTING WITH VACCINATIONS IN MEMPHIS

COVID-19 GIVES 70-YEAR-OLD CHURCH NEW LIFE