ERWIN — For the past four years, Central Baptist Church in Erwin has participated in the Christmas Backpacks Ministry of Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.  This year was to be no different, according to Kerri Kite, who spearheads the ministry at Central Baptist. The church held a Christmas in August event and had collected enough to provide 52 backpacks, she said.  Then, along came Hurricane Helene.  Erwin and Unicoi County were

JOHNSON CITY — As the end of the fall semester draws to a close many campus organizations cut down on activities so students can finish projects and report and begin studying for final exams.  At East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, the first full week in December is known as “dead week,” said Jonathan Chapman, collegiate ministries specialist at ETSU, adding that the school cancels all classes during the

NEWPORT — Nearly two months after the Pigeon River flooded its banks due to Hurricane Helene, leaving behind a wake of destruction in its path, Riverview Baptist Church is on the road to recovery.  Numerous DR teams and other volunteers have helped the church get to the point where it can begin repairs and restoration.  The church sustained major damage as flood waters rose to about 10 feet high in

FRANKLIN — Ten years ago messengers at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention adopted the Five Objectives, a strategic 10-year plan for the ministry of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and churches throughout the TBC to reach the state for Christ. As the decade for the massive effort draws to a close at the end of the month, Tennessee Baptist leaders assessed the impact the Five Objectives have

Wayne Strong, a member of the Tennessee Baptist Historical Committee and Colonial Heights Baptist Church, Kingsport, manned the TBHC booth at the recent Summit in Murfreesboro with a display he developed featuring the 17 oldest Baptist churches in Tennessee. Over the past six months, he has worked to contact those 17 churches while gathering historical document and developing notebooks for each one. Following the annual meeting, he delivered the materials