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BLAYDES ADDS NEW MINISTRY ASSIGNMENT TO BUSY SCHEDULE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — Donna Blaydes readily admits that it is hard for her to use that two-letter word — no — especially when it comes to serving her Lord. As a result, Blaydes was excited to accept a new assignment with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board to go with her role as childhood specialist. Beginning in March, Blaydes is now the TBMB’s childhood/women’s

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EVERYONE NEEDS A ‘BOOTSIE AND SHIRLEY’

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] Bootsie Coggins died on Mother’s Day. Very few people in Tennessee know who Edward “Bootsie” Coggins is. But in heaven and northern Greenville County in South Carolina, Bootsie Coggins is a spiritual giant, even though he was about five feet, four inches tall and 130 pounds or so soaking wet. Other than my mother, grandparents and my Aunt Lynn and Uncle Bill,

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IT’S MORE THAN MEDICINE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] JOHNSON CITY — A physician and nurse team from Heritage Baptist Church in Johnson City have returned after providing medical care and showing the love of Jesus to orphans in war-torn Ukraine. Johnson City physician Sabrina Miller was asked several weeks ago to consider traveling to Ukraine to treat orphans through New Horizons for Children (NHC), an agency that has partnered with

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TBC PROVIDES UPDATE FROM SEXUAL ABUSE TASK FORCE

Baptist and Reflector BRENTWOOD — During the 2021 Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church, messengers of the Tennessee Baptist Convention commissioned Tennessee Baptist Convention president Clay Hallmark with the duty of appointing a Sexual Abuse Task Force. Hallmark recently released an update on the task force (SATF). The full report can been read below this story.   The task force was assigned to do a thorough evaluation of how the TBMB responds to

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FORMER TBC PRESIDENTS LOOK TO THE FUTURE, DISCUSS TWO-YEAR TERM

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN  — Thirteen former presidents of the Tennessee Baptist Convention gathered May 12 at the Church Support Center to discuss opportunities and challenges, including future needs for churches in the convention and a question of whether the TBC president should have a second term. The meeting was initiated by Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

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SBC TASK FORCE RELEASES REPORT

Southern Baptist leaders react swiftly to ‘devastating’ news  Editor’s Note: The Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force released the results of an independent investigation by Guidepost Solutions on Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m. CST. The following story contains a synopsis of the results of the nearly 300-page report which can be read in its entirety at sataskforce.net. By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] NASHVILLE — Southern

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IMB TRUSTEES APPOINT 56 MISSIONARIES, CELEBRATE WITH MISSIONARY EMERITI

By Leslie Peacock Caldwell IMB news office  ORLANDO — International Mission Board trustees approved 56 new fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 18-19 meeting in Orlando, Fla. The meeting was conducted in conjunction with the Celebration of Emeriti event held every five years to recognize retiring missionaries who have completed their service with the IMB. New missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on

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EXPERIENCING GOD’S SALVATION SYMPHONY

By Johnnie C. Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R  In September 2001, I was in Moscow at the Cosmos Hotel when my phone rang at 11 p.m. Surprisingly, it was Andrei — a friend we had met in 1989. Andrei urgently wanted to meet with me before he and his family would emigrate from Russia within 48 hours. We agreed to meet in a fast-food kiosk near the hotel; and I learned

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EVANGELIST CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF MINISTRY

By Dianne Barker Contributing writer JOHNSON CITY — Tennessee evangelist Charles “Toonie” Cash recently surpassed a ministry milestone — 50 years in fulltime evangelism. Cash has served four terms as president of the Fellowship of Tennessee Baptist Evangelists. He has ministered in 18 states, preaching revival meetings and leading special conferences, teaching Bible studies and speaking for banquets and other events. “I understand the average stay for an evangelist in

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THE BLIND ONLY WANT TO SEE

By Clay Hallmark President, Tennessee Baptist Convention Listen to these words from John 9:1-5 from the Christian Standard Bible: As he (Jesus) was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed

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SBC TASK FORCE RELEASES REPORT

Southern Baptist leaders react swiftly to ‘devastating’ news  Editor’s Note: The Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force released the results of an independent investigation

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