Editor’s Note: Last night The Tennessean reported, on Wednesday, March 23, the “Bathroom Bill” was given new life in the House and advanced in the Senate. Although the House Education Administration and Planning Committee voted against the bill on March 22, when the committee reconvened on Wednesday, Rep. Jim Coley, R-Bartlett, made a motion to force the committee to reconsider its action. Tennesseans can still call their legislators to express

Bellevue pastor shares goals and hopes if elected convention president By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector BROWNSVILLE — Tennessee Baptist pastor Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, will be nominated for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt announced he would nominate Gaines on March 9. In an interview with the Baptist and Reflector

By Connie Davis Bushey News Editor, Baptist and Reflector HENDERSONVILLE — When Mike Pennington, director of missions, Bledsoe Baptist Association, began helping Cragfont Baptist Church, Castalian Springs, it was in trouble. He tried to assist the congregation for several years but it was still declining in attendance and could not meet its financial obligations. Then he approached First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, whose senior pastor, Bruce Chesser, agreed to try to

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector JACKSON – Nashville native Jim Henry has a love for deacons that grows stronger with each passing year. From the surgeon who shined the shoes of his prayer group members at First Baptist Church, Orlando, Fla., to the small group of deacons who “had his back” at a rural church in Mississippi during days of racial tension in the 1960s, Henry knows his