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CHESSER: NOW MORE THAN EVER, PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF THE LORD

November 18, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — Even during a worldwide pandemic, God has done and “will continue to do wonders among us,” affirmed Bruce Chesser, pastor of First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, and president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Due to the cancelation of the in-person Summit originally scheduled for Brentwood Baptist Church, Chesser gave an abbreviated message during the Virtual Summit. “I had expected to share

VIRTUAL SUMMIT — A FIRST FOR TENNESSEE BAPTISTS

November 16, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Convention’s first Virtual Summit was not the original choice of convention leadership but it proved to be the most viable alternative during a worldwide pandemic. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Tennessee, the decision made in late August to cancel the in-person meeting set for Nov. 8-11 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, proved to be

DO YOU KNOW THE GIFTS GOD GAVE YOU?

November 16, 2020

By Norman Ridenhour Baptist layman and retired journalist Scriptures tell us that all of mankind have been given a gift from God. The question is, “Do you know what gift or gifts God has bestowed on you. If not, is there a way to find your gift and then use it?” A previous minister of mine, Daniel Moore, told our congregation “You exist for one reason — to learn how

THEY DIDN’T TEACH ME THAT IN SEMINARY

November 13, 2020

By Matt Tullos Special assistant to the executive director Have you ever had that dream where all of a sudden someone from school calls and says that you missed that one class and you have to go back to school? It’s a serial nightmare for me — usually after a Sunday of preaching. Still, if you feel called to pastor the average church (if there is such a thing), be advised that you really did miss

PASTOR RETIRES AFTER SERVING 54 YEARS

November 12, 2020

By David Dawson [email protected] BENTON — Pastor Benny Thomas said he recently began to sense that the Lord was leading him to make a decision that he wasn’t so sure he wanted to make. After 54 years in the ministry, much of which was served as a bivocational pastor, Thomas decided — somewhat reluctantly — that it was time to retire. “I finally hung it up,” said Thomas in his

TENNESSEE DR VOLUNTEERS EXPERIENCE ‘DIVINE APPOINTMENTS’ WHILE SERVING

November 11, 2020

By Jane Rodgers Correspondent, Southern Baptist TEXAN ALEXANDRIA, La. — Pummeled first by the category 4 Hurricane Laura on Aug. 27, then inundated by torrential rains from Hurricane Delta only six weeks later, Louisiana endured a double hit prompting a multi-state response by Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers — including DR teams from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention — that is bearing fruit. DR crews serving in the Bayou

ICE STORM WILL BE TENNESSEE’S 250TH DR RESPONSE

November 10, 2020

Baptist and Reflector MOUNT JULIET — Most people were expecting one of this year’s hurricanes to be the 250th disaster relief response for Tennessee Baptists since their first response in 1978. Instead, it will be a response to damages caused by the recent ice storm in Oklahoma. “We thought Hurricane Zeta would be response No. 250, however, to this date no states have asked for assistance,” Wes Jones, disaster relief

LONGTIME FRIENDS HELP REVITALIZE HISTORIC CHURCH

November 9, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] BLAINE — Attendance at Mouth of Richland Baptist Church in Blaine, one of the oldest churches in the Tennessee Baptist Convention and in Grainger County, had dwindled to under 20 people in the summer of 2018 and the congregation was searching for a pastor. Meanwhile, Nick Wright and Brad Bales, two ministers and lifelong friends, were looking for a new place of

SPROUTS SHOWING IN CLARKSVILLE

November 6, 2020

Two-year-old church plant now planting a church of its own By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] CLARKSVILLE — Barely two years old, Real Life Church in Clarksville, or Real Life Sango as it is known locally, is not the typical new church. The church was born out of the prayers of a great many people, both in and outside of Montgomery County and not all of them were

CHANGING CHATTANOOGA

November 5, 2020

Through acts of service and prayer rallies, Mount Canaan Baptist is sharing the gospel and promoting racial harmony in ‘Scenic City’ By David Dawson [email protected] CHATTANOOGA — Ternae Jordan, like so many pastors in the nation, has been given the difficult task of helping his congregation, and his community, navigate through the emotionally draining developments that have emerged over the past six months. Racial unrest, deadly storms and a worldwide

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CHESSER: NOW MORE THAN EVER, PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF THE LORD