WMU event maintains message, purpose at new spot  BRENTWOOD — More than 600 women from 132 churches attended this year’s Woman’s Missionary Union Missions Get-Together, held for the first time at Brentwood Baptist Church on March 23-25. The annual event traditionally has been held in Gatlinburg.  With a theme of “Overflowing Hope,” women heard from missionaries, worshiped the Lord and connected with friends old and new over the three-day conference. 

NASHVILLE — When Dani Bryson was initially asked to consider a nomination to serve on the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, she said the offer was completely unexpected. “I never aspired to be on the Executive Committee,” Bryson said. “I never considered that I would be on the Executive Committee, like it was the last thing from my mind. I’m just an ordinary church-goer in the Southern Baptist Convention.” Bryson, assistant

KNOXVILLE — Applications are now being received for grants from the Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee Medical Missions Fund. The Baptist Healthcare System of East Tennessee was started by Tennessee Baptists soon after the end of World War II.  More than $2 million was contributed by 800 churches in 32 counties of East Tennessee. The hospital began service on Nov. 30, 1949.

FRANKLIN — Every pastor knows that a growing congregation is a blessing, but it can come with challenges, too — like space. What happens when a church outgrows a building’s capacity?  The Tennessee Baptist Foundation (TBF) is helping answer that question thanks to a partnership with WatersEdge Ministry Services. Based in Oklahoma City, WatersEdge is a nonprofit, Southern Baptist financial services ministry.  The organization has worked to meet church financing

FRANKLIN — Educating and helping church members understand the critical need for foster parents is an important element of compassion ministry, according to Beth Moore. “Tennessee Baptist compassion ministries exist to serve churches as churches serve others,” said Moore, compassion ministries specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

NEWPORT — As a former youth minister, Kevin Perrigan understands that discipling middle and high school students is “vitally important” to help them face the challenges they encounter every day. “Every church should be pouring themselves into their students to encourage them in their spiritual walk,” observed Perrigan, now manager of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center in Newport. For many years, a Disciple Now Weekend has been an avenue that

God’s call leads Kingsport couple to Denver’s urban core DENVER — Derick Sherfey answered the phone in his Denver home in March 2020. A local Denver public school principal was on the line.  The COVID-19 quarantine was just starting and the principal and his team were concerned about the large number of students receiving free and reduced lunches. With schools closed, Sherfey recalls, the team was afraid these children might

JACKSON — Pastor Greg Gilbreath of Madison Baptist Church has always enjoyed both playing and repairing his own guitars. Two of his sons — Sam and Ben — also enjoy playing the guitar while his third son, Nic, is a woodworker. Sam Gilbreath is minister of youth and plays in the worship band at Meridian Baptist Church in Jackson while Ben is a folk musician. “Nic does not play an

BROWNSVILLE — Ben Cowell stood before nearly 80 of his peers and offered a testimony to the power of prayer and the emerging opportunity Tennessee Baptists have to reach the nations for Christ.  “Our church has been praying that God would do something through us in relation to Blue Oval City,” said the pastor of Brownsville Baptist Church. “Then I met a man visiting our church who was from Michigan,