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2023 SBC MEETING: BARBER WINS REELECTION AS SBC PRESIDENT

NEW ORLEANS — Bart Barber was reelected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday, winning by a wide margin against Mike Stone at the SBC’s annual meeting.  Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, received 68 percent of the votes in his bid for a second term. His reelection holds true to a long-established pattern in SBC leadership, as presidents have typically served two terms during

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2023 SBC MEETING: MERCY NEEDED TO FOLLOW JESUS’ EXAMPLE, ORR SAYS

For his sermon on mercy, Bartholomew Orr turned to a text that might seem surprising — the story of Jesus cleansing the temple in Matthew 21. Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, had been tasked with unpacking Matthew 5:7 — “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” — at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference on June 12. As he talked about how Jesus turned over the

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2023 SBC MEETING: COLLINS, OTHER PASTORS EXAMINE JOY, MOURNING

NEW ORLEANS — Roc Collins, strategic objectives director for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said the source of joy for Christians should never be in question.   “Joy is the overflowing expression of the Lord Jesus living in us,” said Collins while addressing attendees at the 2023 SBC Pastors’ Conference. “When the Holy Spirit sets up residence in our lives, joy is what is produced.” Collins was among the speakers

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2023 SBC MEETING: PASTORS CONFERENCE UPDATES FUNDRAISING

— The officers of the 2023 Southern Baptist Pastors Conference have partnered with the Southern Baptist Foundation to create an endowment that will allow the event to fund itself in the future, said Daniel Dickard, president of this year’s Pastors Conference. Dickard, pastor of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina, spoke briefly about the endowment between messages at the conference in New Orleans. A video explaining the fund is

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C-N STUDENTS PARTNER WITH TBC CHURCHES

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University students and staff teamed up with members of True Life Church, Jefferson City, and Blue Springs Baptist Church, Rutledge, on a recent mission trip to Honduras.  The 14-member team helped spread the gospel and love of Christ May 6-13 through the areas of Rio Dulce, Tegucigalpa, Trujillo and Tocoa Colon.  Carson-Newman University’s Uliset Alexander said the experience is one that will leave a lasting impression.

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YOUTH-LED REVIVAL HAVING POWERFUL IMPACT

WEBER CITY, Va. — A Tennessee Baptist church on the Virginia side of the Tennessee state line discovered recently that good things happen when you “pray first and let God lead.” “Pray first” was the theme of a series of messages by pastor Justin Smith of First Baptist Church, Weber City, Va., near the end of February into early March. First Baptist, Weber City, is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist

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MISSION:DIGNITY SUNDAY SET FOR JUNE 25

DALLAS — In the Old Testament, these words are found in Psalm 92:14-15a (CSB): “They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare, ‘The Lord is just.’ ” On June 25, Southern Baptists have the opportunity to honor righteous, unsung heroes of the faith — namely, retirement-aged Southern Baptist pastors, workers and their widows who served and abundantly blessed those in their care during their years

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BURTON: GOD IS AT WORK AT ALL NATIONS CAMP

More than 20 children have made professions of faith this week during the first three days of All Nations Camp at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center.  “The Lord has been at work,” said William Burton, ethnic church planting specialist and new churches team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. “We’re praying that God will continue to move in the hearts and lives of the (300-plus) campers that are registered

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CHAPLAIN’S MISSION FIELD HAS MANY TWISTS

PIGEON FORGE — The backdrop for Joey Buck’s mission field looks quite different from most others. It contains roller coasters, log flumes and funnel cakes.   And yet, Buck shares the same roles and goals that most ministers have. His aim is to “provide Christlike care and compassion” to those in his harvest area.  Buck is the chaplain of Dollywood, the popular theme park and resort in Pigeon Forge that

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KNOXVILLE PASTOR SUBMITS SBC RESOLUTION FOR CONSIDERATION

KNOXVILLE — Todd Stinnett, senior pastor of Black Oak Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville, has submitted a resolution on women in pastoral ministry to the Resolutions Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Stinnett told the Baptist and Reflector that he submitted his Resolution on Women in Pastoral Ministry for several reasons. “For starters, there is a growing confusion about the role of men and women in the home and in the

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