BRENTWOOD — Doctors, dietitians, nurses, community health workers and more bustled around Brentwood Baptist Church for MedAdvance 2023, a Southern Baptist International Mission Board conference held Aug. 3-5 for believers interested in using healthcare strategies to open doors to a hurting world and gain access to unreached peoples and places in unique ways. Approximately 300 attendees, including 60 percent who are students, were given opportunities to connect with IMB missionaries

MOUNT JULIET — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board has sent $15,000 in disaster relief funds to aid Hawaii Baptists ministering in the wake of a wildfire that devastated the island of Maui in early August. CNN reported Aug. 17 there have been 111 deaths and hundreds of others are still missing. The efforts of Tennessee Baptists coincide with efforts of Southern Baptists nationwide.

FRANKLIN — By now, most churches across the state have taken down the decorations and packed up the cardboard and scissors.  Another year of Vacation Bible School is in the books. But what many people don’t realize is that VBS is actually a year-round ministry, not a week-long event. The planning process is perpetually taking place — and more importantly, the impact of VBS, in many cases, lasts a lifetime. 

KNOXVILLE — North Knoxville Baptist Church, once a thriving congregation in Knox County, has fallen on hard times in recent years with an average of 40 to 60 people on any given Sunday. But under the leadership of an interim pastor (actually two interims), the church is beginning to bounce back. A key part of the revitalization has been the willingness of the older congregation to reach out to its