COVINGTON — Pastor Kirby Ownby of Mount Olive (South) Baptist Church in Knoxville recently went on an exploratory trip to West Tennessee to explore opportunities related to Blue Oval City. Ownby said Mount Olive would “love to partner with a new church plant” in the Blue Oval City area in the future. Meanwhile, after meeting with Mike Melton, pastor of Charleston Baptist Church, Stanton, and Clay Gilbreath, director of missions

CHATTANOOGA — The opening night of the 2023 Summit focused on two of Tennessee Baptists’ favorite “ships” — worship and fellowship. Continuing a long-standing tradition, the annual meeting began with two separate worship services, held simultaneously, at two different venues. One service, the Tennessee Reunion, was held at Chattanooga Convention Center (the host site of this year’s Summit), while the annual All Nations Worship Celebration was held at nearby Red

FRANKLIN — Despite his relentless efforts to always remain behind the scenes, Andy Gunn has gained rock-star status at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. He has been with the organization for more than four decades, performing a list of duties that range from dangerous (driving forklifts) to delicate (watering flowers) and all in between. His tenure spans from his teenage years, when he worked in the kitchen at Linden Valley

FRANKLIN — Messengers to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention will consider amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws on a variety of topics. Among them: • Convention preacher-elect — Suggested by the Convention Committee on Arrangements — “Convention Preacher-Elect” instead of “Alternate Preacher” would elevate the role of the speaker by ensuring an actual opportunity for him to speak while securing names and dates well in advance for

KNOXVILLE — When Jay McCluskey celebrated his 37th anniversary as pastor of North Cleveland Baptist Church, Cleveland, in September, it was a major achievement for him personally. Though he acknowledged that crossing the “37th year milestone does not merit the notoriety of other major anniversaries” it did have special meaning for him. Jay McCluskey finally caught up with his dad — longtime pastor and former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Jim