The great English evangelist, Leonard Ravenhill, who went home to be with the Lord in 1994, has this challenging epitaph on his headstone: “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?” As Tennessee Baptists, these are some of the questions we have spent the past 12 months answering with our Acts 2:17 Initiative vision team. We have diligently evaluated the things we are living for. Throughout this
ELIZABETHTON — Jason Holly, the youth minister at First Baptist Church in Elizabethton, remembers when Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter was a boy playing in the local Grasscutter football league for 6-8-year-olds. Holly had a tiny Superman logo printed specifically for Carter. “I stuck it on the back of his helmet, and only his,” Holly said. “And I said, ‘You’re Superman.’ He was just that good.” Rangers fans are starting
GOODLETTSVILLE — Giving their members and guests a safer alternative to traditional trick-or-treating, many Tennessee Baptist churches host Fall Festivals in October. The events — which serve as vital outreach for churches all across the state — often include “Trunk or Treating,” along with many other family-friendly activities. First Baptist Church, Goodlettsville held their Fall Festival on the church grounds on Oct. 22. In the photo to the right, Anna
Editor’s Note: With the focus on Israel, following the bombing attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, I am yielding my space to Jeff Iorg who has written an excellent and concise summary of how Christians should respond to this situation in the Middle East. Continue to pray for Israel and for those who will be ministering in the country. Tennessee Baptists, along with Southern Baptists across the country, are
JACKSON — Madison Baptist Church, a rural Southern Baptist congregation near Jackson, saw a need in the community and decided to make a difference. The church opened a free health clinic in 2015 and serves a mixed community of Hispanics, African-American and Caucasians, said pastor Greg Gilbreath. After Gilbreath received a letter on how churches could start a free health clinic as a mission, he passed the information on to
I recently had the opportunity to preach during the 80th anniversary of my home church, Shiloh Baptist Church, in Saraland Ala. That church and its people had a significant impact in my life and ministerial calling. It’s been years since I’ve been back, but it is a sweet homecoming every time I return. Such sweet memories. Jeanne and I were married at Shiloh. My brother, Rob, and I were ordained
DYER — For Doug Duncan, there was peace in the Middle East. It was the peace that surpasses all understanding — even in the face of powerfully frightening circumstances. Duncan, a retired pharmacist and a lay leader at First Baptist Church, Dyer, was in Israel when Hamas militants attacked the country on Oct. 7. Duncan was traveling with nine other members from the church. The group, which had arrived in
FRANKLIN — “Every” is the key word in the recommendation the Acts 2:17 Initiative Task Force will present to messengers during the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention at The Summit on Nov. 12-15 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The task force was launched at last year’s Summit in Cordova and the TBC president appointed the task force, led by Nashville pastor Jay Hardwick, for the purpose “of engaging
JACKSON — More than 250 youth, parents and church youth leaders attended the EQUIP Youth Apologetics Conference at Union University’s Carl Grant Events Center last month. Hosted by Union University’s School of Theology and Missions in partnership with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the conference sought to equip middle schoolers, high schoolers and recent high school graduates to properly wrestle with doubt. Four talks throughout the day sought to answer
I’ve been a Southern Baptist church member for 54 years and I was on the cradle roll six years before that. I know all about Mission Friends, RAs, and even the WMU and GAs (I went to GA camp in college as a lifeguard and I attended WMU meetings as a preschooler with my grandmother.) I know children’s choir, Celebrate Life, committees, Wednesday night Baptist business meetings and prayer meetings,
The great English evangelist, Leonard Ravenhill, who went home to be with the Lord in 1994, has this challenging epitaph on his headstone: “Are the
ELIZABETHTON — Jason Holly, the youth minister at First Baptist Church in Elizabethton, remembers when Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Evan Carter was a boy playing in
GOODLETTSVILLE — Giving their members and guests a safer alternative to traditional trick-or-treating, many Tennessee Baptist churches host Fall Festivals in October. The events —
Editor’s Note: With the focus on Israel, following the bombing attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, I am yielding my space to Jeff Iorg
JACKSON — Madison Baptist Church, a rural Southern Baptist congregation near Jackson, saw a need in the community and decided to make a difference. The
I recently had the opportunity to preach during the 80th anniversary of my home church, Shiloh Baptist Church, in Saraland Ala. That church and its
DYER — For Doug Duncan, there was peace in the Middle East. It was the peace that surpasses all understanding — even in the face
FRANKLIN — “Every” is the key word in the recommendation the Acts 2:17 Initiative Task Force will present to messengers during the annual meeting of
JACKSON — More than 250 youth, parents and church youth leaders attended the EQUIP Youth Apologetics Conference at Union University’s Carl Grant Events Center last
I’ve been a Southern Baptist church member for 54 years and I was on the cradle roll six years before that. I know all about
