News

TRUMP CALLS CHURCHES ‘ESSENTIAL’ AS BAPTIST LEADERS URGE EQUAL TREATMENT IN REOPENING

By Tom Strode Baptist Press WASHINGTON — Southern Baptist leaders are urging government officials to treat churches and other religious groups more justly in their reopening policies regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The calls for change came after churches in Minnesota and California told their governors they would begin holding in-person services in defiance of policies they consider to be unequal in treatment. Guidelines issued by Govs. Tim Walz of

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BIBLE READING PLAN TRANSFORMS UNIONVILLE CHURCH

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector [email protected] UNIONVILLE — Getting a free steak dinner is a nice incentive for reading through the Bible, but the members of Longview Baptist Church, Unionville, are motivated  by more than meat. They’ve seen their church rejuvenated by the power of God’s Word — and that’s been the real reward. Jonathan Osterhaus, pastor of Longview, formulated a daily Bible reading plan for church members when

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TBC CHURCHES BEGIN TO REGATHER

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — As June approaches, some Tennessee Baptist churches have started back while others are looking to return in late May and in June. As churches reopen, other larger gatherings are also being held. Gov. Bill Lee’s latest executive order issued on May 15 offered guidelines to facilitate the safe reopening of larger, non-contact attractions on or after May 22.

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NO FACES, NO PROBLEM FOR MCNAIRY COUNTY PASTOR

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] MICHIE — Like many pastors across Tennessee the past six to eight weeks, Ben Martin has gone to the sanctuary at his church and preached a sermon that was livestreamed to his congregation on Sunday mornings. But Martin, who has been pastor of First Baptist Church, Michie, for six years, missed seeing his congregation.

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TBMB CONFERENCE CENTERS PLAN ‘SOFT REOPENING’

Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — As COVID-19 began to spread in March, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board officially closed its two conference centers — Carson Springs in Newport and Linden Valley in Linden — on March18. Mark Proctor, associate administrator of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, called the action a “hard close” because “everything was taken off the books at that point.” Beginning June 23, the hard close ends and

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ARE YOU PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF YOUR VIRTUAL MEETINGS?

By Chris Turner [email protected] The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has forced a significant amount of life change and possibly no part of our lives have changed more than the way we “do business.” Globally, organizations have shifted in-person meetings to virtual meetings. Churches are certainly included with worship services, staff meetings and small group meetings all adapting to some form of “video conferencing.” The use of technology has been a useful

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STILL A FUTURE FOR VOCATIONAL EVANGELISTS

Tennessee Baptist evangelists optimistic despite COVID-19 challenges By Lonnie Wilkey [email protected] FRANKLIN — COVID-19 has affected every vocation imaginable, but one group that has flown under the radar is vocational evangelists. For most vocational evangelists, spring through fall is the busiest times for conducting revivals and other evangelistic events. “Certainly this virus has put a stop to all revivals and other events (special Sundays, conferences, etc.) that involve evangelists,” observed

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CHURCH SENDS TEAM ON VIRTUAL MISSION TRIP

By Shawn Hendricks Contributing Writer, Baptist and Reflector HENDERSONVILLE — For members of First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, the news that their church led 30 people on a mission trip last week to New York City in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis could have seemed a little shocking. “That’s right. They traveled right into the hotbed of the COVID-19 virus,” Bruce Raley, executive pastor of the Nashville area church,

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OLIVER SENDS PERSONALIZED VIDEO TO ALL 595 UNION GRADUATES

Union University news office JACKSON — Spring graduates from Union University received a special message on Saturday on what was supposed to be their graduation day – a personalized video greeting from Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver. Oliver recorded videos, typically between one and two minutes in length, for each of Union’s 595 graduates. The videos were sent to each student by email and text message May 16, the

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