News

SUMMIT 2023: TARA DEW OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT TO MINISTERS’ WIVES

CHATTANOOGA — “A pastor’s wife can either fan his flame or snuff it out.”  Tara Dew remembers exactly where she was when Adrian Rogers pointed his finger at her from a pulpit and spoke those words. She recounted the story Nov. 14, for pastors’ wives attending the annual Ministers’ Wives Luncheon at the Chattanooga Convention Center during this year’s The Summit: A Gathering of Tennessee Baptists.  Two months into her

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TENNESCENE: DEC. 6

LEADERS Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, McKenzie, recently honored Gene Price on his 39th anniversary as pastor with a monetary gift. First Baptist Church, Nashville, voted Nov. 19 to call Thomas West as senior pastor, effective Jan. 1, 2024. A native of Montgomery, Ala., West comes to Nashville from Queen’s Redeemer Church in England, where he served for the past five years. He also worked as an Equip teacher for Southeastern

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SUMMIT 2023: COMPASSION MINISTRIES TURN IDEAS INTO ACTIONS

CHATTANOOGA — When Greg McCoy, president of Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, was asked why Christians should be involved in compassion ministries, McCoy said the answer comes from the only source that really matters. “We’re told all through scripture that there’s a group of people (that we are instructed to care for),” said McCoy. “Those are vulnerable people. Those are widows, those are the stranger, the alien, the refugee … (and)

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SUMMIT 2023: SOME EXPERIENCE TROUBLE WITH QR CODES AT ANNUAL MEETING

FRANKLIN — In the wake of the recently concluded Summit, the annual gathering of Tennessee Baptists, a small number of attendees reported an issue in scanning the Quick Response (QR) codes that were used during the event. Some attendees reported that the QR code directed them to sites that required users to pay a fee to continue. Messengers and guests who experienced that scenario are victims of malware.  “The known

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NEW PRESIDENT SEEKS TO BE AN ENCOURAGER

NASHVILLE — New Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jay Hardwick is “humbled and honored to have the opportunity to serve and to be a part of what God is doing in Tennessee.” Hardwick discussed his goals and dreams for the convention in an interview last week with the Baptist and Reflector. The new president has a unique perspective. He moved to Tennessee three years ago to become senior pastor of Forest

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2023 SUMMIT: PASTORS CONFERENCE OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE WHO’VE ‘HAD ENOUGH’

CHATTANOOGA — Preachers at the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference at the Chattanooga Convention Center Nov. 13 addressed the theme “When You Have Had Enough.”  Ternae Jordan Sr., pastor of Mount Canaan Baptist Church in Chattanooga, was president for this year’s conference and selected the theme, based on Elijah’s struggles in I Kings 19. He said pastoral ministry can often be difficult and depressing.  “But God has brought us to this

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2023 SUMMIT: HALLMARK: THERE’S POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS

CHATTANOOGA — Clay Hallmark, president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, felt right at home on Tuesday night at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Moments before Hallmark delivered his “president’s sermon” to the messengers at the annual meeting, the praise team from First Baptist Church, Lexington — where Hallmark serves as senior pastor — set the tone for service with a series of powerful worship songs.  “It is a privilege to get

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2023 SUMMIT: GREEN: GOD OFTEN TURNS NOBODIES INTO SOMEBODIES

CHATTANOOGA — Picking a “fantasy team” of Biblical heroes might prove to be much harder than it looks, said John Green IV, pastor of Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, Knoxville.  Why? Because God often uses seemingly “small” people to do big things. Delivering the convention sermon at Summit on Wednesday afternoon, Green examined the many ways in which God often turns “nobodies into somebodies.”   Green opened his message by noting

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B&R STAFF THANKFUL FOR ‘OUR FAMILY’

FRANKLIN — As we approach Thanksgiving Day, the staff at the Baptist and Reflector wants to say that we are thankful for our readers!  We consider each of you to be a part of our B&R “family,” and we consider it an honor to bring you the news about Tennessee Baptists.

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TENNESCENE: NOV. 22

LEADERS Jamie Bodiford began serving Nov. 5 as pastor of First Baptist Church, Mountain City. Ray Gilder retired Oct. 22 as pastor of First Baptist Church, Gordonsville, after eight-and-a-half years. He formerly served as bivocational ministries specialist with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and executive director of the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network.

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TENNESCENE: DEC. 6

LEADERS Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, McKenzie, recently honored Gene Price on his 39th anniversary as pastor with a monetary gift. First Baptist Church, Nashville, voted

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TENNESCENE: NOV. 22

LEADERS Jamie Bodiford began serving Nov. 5 as pastor of First Baptist Church, Mountain City. Ray Gilder retired Oct. 22 as pastor of First Baptist

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