LIMESTONE — Craig Ponder’s first impression of the ATV four-wheeler gang congregating in the church’s parking lot was not good. “I thought they were a bunch of tourists coming to check out the flood damage caused by Hurricane Helene,” he said. “I was wrong, and I’ve since apologized. They were people coming to check on family members and friends cut off and stranded on the other side of the river.”
ROAN MOUNTAIN — The raging flood waters trapped one of Geren Street’s neighbors as he tried to escape in his truck. First responders were able to quickly answer the neighbor’s distress call and freed him from the vehicle as the force of the water pinned the truck door closed. In the days following that storm, Street housed the man at First Baptist Church of Roan Mountain along with several other
FRANKLIN — Union City pastor Justin Hiens will be nominated as vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention during The Summit, set for Nov. 11-13 in Murfreesboro. Ben Cowell, pastor of Brownsville Baptist Church, Brownsville, informed the Baptist and Reflector Oct. 21 that he will nominate Hiens. “He is a pastor whose leadership is unmatched when it comes to creating discipleship opportunities. Having developed a pipeline for identifying and raising
MOUNTAIN CITY — Long before disaster relief volunteers could even get into Mountain City, pastor David Hankal and members of Roan Creek Baptist Church were out in the community checking on neighbors and fellow church members. “We took meals provided by the Salvation Army to people who could not get out and did welfare checks, among a variety of things” said Roan Creek pastor David Hankal. “Our church people are
FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief incident command post, currently set up at First Baptist Church, Dandridge, will relocate to Grace Baptist Church, Elizabethton on Oct. 20, said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. The Dandridge site has been open for three weeks and the jobs are coming to an end, Jones said. Texans on Mission have operated the incident command post in Johnson
GREENEVILLE — Approximately 50 pastors, directors of missions and other church leaders gathered with community and business leaders Oct. 18 for the initial meeting of Operation Arise and Build, based on Nehemiah 2:18. The meeting was sponsored by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and hosted by First Baptist Church, Greeneville. Attendees also included Monty Burks and Suzanna Hendricks of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Division and Carol
NASHVILLE — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has filed an amicus brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case which will decide the constitutionality of a Tennessee law banning gender transition procedures or so-called “gender affirming care” for minors. The ERLC filed the brief Oct. 15 in conjunction with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. The case, United States v. Skrmetti, involves three transgender teenagers and the Biden administration suing
Generosity among Southern Baptists remains strong as evidenced by the most recent Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totals. When the books closed on the SBC’s 2023-24 fiscal year Sept. 30, the Annie offering totaled $74.7 million, and the Lottie offering totaled $206.8 million — record highs for both. The openhanded giving through both the Annie and Lottie offerings demonstrates Southern Baptists’ enduring commitment to North American and
MOUNTAIN CITY — As Roan Creek began to flood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, 15 Mexican men who were living alongside the creek had to vacate their homes and find higher ground. They gathered underneath a tree in front of the house of a member of a nearby Roan Creek Baptist Church who saw them and wanted to help. The member called her pastor, David Hankal, and asked if
NEWPORT — Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jay Hardwick witnessed the devastation Hurricane Helene caused throughout East Tennessee, first through news and social media channels, and then up close and personal. “The videos and pictures don’t do it justice,” he said. “Helene ripped through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and here in East Tennessee, leaving a path of destruction we have never seen in our lifetimes, but Tennessee Baptists are on the
LIMESTONE — Craig Ponder’s first impression of the ATV four-wheeler gang congregating in the church’s parking lot was not good. “I thought they were a
ROAN MOUNTAIN — The raging flood waters trapped one of Geren Street’s neighbors as he tried to escape in his truck. First responders were able
FRANKLIN — Union City pastor Justin Hiens will be nominated as vice president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention during The Summit, set for Nov. 11-13
MOUNTAIN CITY — Long before disaster relief volunteers could even get into Mountain City, pastor David Hankal and members of Roan Creek Baptist Church were
FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief incident command post, currently set up at First Baptist Church, Dandridge, will relocate to Grace Baptist Church, Elizabethton
GREENEVILLE — Approximately 50 pastors, directors of missions and other church leaders gathered with community and business leaders Oct. 18 for the initial meeting of
NASHVILLE — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has filed an amicus brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case which will decide the constitutionality
Generosity among Southern Baptists remains strong as evidenced by the most recent Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totals. When the books closed
MOUNTAIN CITY — As Roan Creek began to flood in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, 15 Mexican men who were living alongside the creek had
NEWPORT — Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jay Hardwick witnessed the devastation Hurricane Helene caused throughout East Tennessee, first through news and social media channels, and
