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PREGNANCY CENTER PROVIDES ‘HOPE, HELP AND HEALING’ IN LAWRENCE COUNTY

May 25, 2023

LAWRENCEBURG — Hope Haven Pregnancy Center in Lawrenceburg is appropriately named. As the pregnancy center approaches its first anniversary on Aug. 1, Hope Haven is living up to its mission of removing the need for abortion by “providing hope, help and healing” by meeting “the practical, emotional and spiritual needs of families facing an unplanned pregnancy crisis” in Lawrence County and surrounding communities. Tiffany Huskey, director of Hope Haven and

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GROW IN ATTENDANCE, BAPTISMS IN 2022

May 24, 2023

BRENTWOOD — For the second straight year, baptisms and giving increased among Southern Baptist congregations. In-person worship service and small group attendance also rebounded, but total membership and the number of congregations slid. The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions paints a complicated picture for the Southern Baptist Convention but contains some positive news. In 2022, baptisms increased by more than

CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE ‘SQUEAKY WHEELS’

May 23, 2023

I have heard all my life that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” According to Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) the phrase is “an American proverb or metaphor used to convey the idea that the most notable (or loudest) problems are the ones most likely to get attention.” According to a Pew Research report in June of 2022, only 1.6 percent of the United States population identifies as transgender or binary;

COWELL EXCITED ABOUT BLUEOVAL OPPORTUNITIES

May 22, 2023

BROWNSVILLE — Rather than simply praying for the pastors in the Stanton area, Ben Cowell felt called to become one. In the spring of 2022, Cowell read a story in the Baptist and Reflector about the potential impact that BlueOval City — the massive Ford Motor plant being built in West Tennessee — could have on the city of Stanton and the surrounding communities. The article not only piqued Cowell’s

THE ‘MIRACLE WEDDING’

May 18, 2023

We waited. I was the first to arrive. The bride was the second. We waited for the groom. Others began arriving. Suddenly, we heard a siren. It was a Tennessee state trooper, going in a direction nobody we knew would be coming from. Then an ambulance, followed by a Sherriff’s deputy. All went in that direction where we thought we had nothing to worry about. I began taking pictures of

C-N BEGINS ITS LARGEST-EVER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

May 17, 2023

JEFFERSON CITY — Carson-Newman University broke ground April 20 on its largest construction project in the university’s history. Members of the campus community were joined by local representatives and friends of Carson-Newman who gathered for a special ceremony marking the event. West Campus Commons, a new residence life complex, is slated to welcome students in Fall 2024. “What a tremendous day for Carson-Newman,” said C-N President Charles A. Fowler. “We

TITHING REMAINS A DIVISIVE TOPIC FOR MANY

May 16, 2023

BRENTWOOD — Most churchgoers say tithing is a biblical command and give at least 10 percent of their income. But they have more diverse opinions on the “where” and “how” of tithing. More than three in four American Protestant churchgoers say tithing is a biblical command that still applies today (77 percent), according to a Lifeway Research study. One in 10 (10 percent) say it is not. And 13 percent

MICHIGAN AVENUE BAPTIST MERGES WITH PARKWAY

May 15, 2023

CLEVELAND — Members of Parkway Baptist Church and Michigan Avenue Baptist Church voted April 23 to merge the two churches. With the vote, Parkway Baptist was dissolved and the two congregations met at Michigan Avenue Baptist for their first service as one church. Organized in 1934, Michigan Avenue Baptist Church (MABC) has served the community for nearly 90 years. As a church, they have given over $470,000 through the Cooperative

MY MOM WAS A CHEAPSKATE (AND I’M GLAD)

May 12, 2023

I’m so thankful for my mother. She made it to heaven this past year, but she left an indelible mark on my life. Growing up, I thought my mother was the strictest, most penny-pinching woman on the planet. As an adult, this theory has been confirmed. I used to think this was a flaw more than a virtue. I was wrong. Mom was prepared for every crisis. The apocalypse, the

AFTER HUSBAND’S DEATH, PASTOR’S WIFE ON NEW ‘MISSION’

May 11, 2023

FRANKLIN — As a registered nurse, Leah McLemore fluently speaks the complex jargon of the medical world. She knows and understands the elaborate-sounding words and intricate diagnoses that are frequently used in hospitals and doctors’ offices. But when discussing the recent death of her husband, McLemore uses terms that anyone can understand: He died from stress. Yes, there were other factors involved, she said, but the foremost cause of his

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PREGNANCY CENTER PROVIDES ‘HOPE, HELP AND HEALING’ IN LAWRENCE COUNTY