Baptist and Reflector FAIRFIELD GLADE — Former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Leonard Markham will retire July 30 after 11 years as pastor of First Baptist Church, Fairfield Glade. The 69-year-old Markham has served six churches in Tennessee as pastor — First Baptist Church, Elk Valley; West End Baptist Church, Knoxville; Ball Camp Baptist Church, Knoxville; First Baptist Church, Sweetwater; Bluegrass Baptist Church, Hendersonville (now Indian Lake Peninsula Church); and FBC,

By Courtney Swaw Summer Intern, Linden Valley LINDEN — Cypress Creek Baptist Church in Martin brought a large contingent of students to this year’s Journey Camp Weekend. And why wouldn’t they? Last year the church saw five young people accept Jesus Christ as Savior as a result of attending the weekend camp geared toward children having fun and learning from the Bible at the same time. Of those five, four

By Kara Bettis ERLC Writer CORDOVA — Born and raised in the “birthplace of Rock and Roll,” Donna Gaines returned 25 years later armed with a background in education and a heart for the county that claims one of the highest rates of childhood poverty. Gaines is a women’s ministry leader and wife to Southern Baptist Convention president and Bellevue Baptist Church pastor Steve Gaines, where they minister together in

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — Driven by the belief that “school safety” should not be limited to fire drills and first-aid kits, many churches in Tennessee are doing their part to protect the spiritual safety of students, too. Numerous initiatives and programs have been designed in recent years to cover students in prayer as they enter a new school year. One of the most prominent programs is

Photo gallery. See also: KNOXVILLE IMPACTED THROUGH CITY REACH