coronavirus

CHURCH STARTS NEW MINISTRY BY OFFERING ONLINE ASSISTANCE

April 22, 2020

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector [email protected] MURFREESBORO — In keeping with social-distancing guidelines, many churches have elected to use online streaming in place of their normal worship services and other gatherings. The transition hasn’t been easy for all churches, especially those who had never before used live streaming. And that’s where New Vision Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, comes in. New Vision has developed a ministry in which the church is

PANDEMIC HAVING DRASTIC IMPACT ON FUNERALS

April 21, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — A side effect of the worldwide COVID-19 has been the way funerals are now conducted. No longer can large crowds congregate to say goodbye to loved ones or console family members. ‘The pandemic has created an unprecedented time in our society,” said Roc Collins, strategic objectives director for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

CHESSER: PASTORS FINDING NEW WAYS TO MINISTER

April 21, 2020

‘Shepherding the flock’ looks, feels different with social distancing Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted churches, not just in terms of altering worship services, but well beyond that. Funerals, weddings, small group gatherings, hospital visitation — all of these things, and more, have had to be changed in accordance with social distance restrictions and other guidelines.

FLOYD: WE WILL NOT RETREAT: THE REAL REASON FOR SUPPORTING THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

April 21, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. April 26 is Cooperative Program Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention. By Ronnie Floyd NASHVILLE — When the coronavirus (COVID-19) began to spread across the globe, our work as Southern Baptists did not stop. And as we approach and celebrate Cooperative Program Sunday in the SBC on April 26, it’s possible that in our lifetimes,

FINDING BALANCE IN THE PANDEMIC

April 17, 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted all of us. While some are dealing with the illness, or possibly even the death, of a loved one, others are struggling to adjust to what is being called “the new normal” in regard to social distancing and quarantine guidelines that have been implemented nationwide. So, what is the best way to handle the tidal wave of emotions? Although there certainly is not one clear-cut

WILL COVID-19 MAKE YOU REEVALUATE PRIORITIES?

April 15, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] COVID-19 has turned lives upside down all over the world. Thousands of people have died and thousands have gotten the disease. Thankfully, many have survived and have recovered from the virus. Millions of people, however, have not gotten the disease but their lives also have changed. Whoever heard of “social distancing” a month ago?

TBMB PROVIDES PRAYER HOTLINE

April 15, 2020

Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is providing a Prayer Hotline that will be answered 24 hours a day for the foreseeable future by trained Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief chaplains. The phone number is 844-600-8262 (844-600-TBMB). The prayer hotline, which launches at 11 a.m. (CST) on Wednesday, April 15, is for anyone looking for prayer or conversation with an experienced chaplain, said Bill Choate, director of

DAVIS: BE KNOWN BY YOUR FAITH

April 14, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — In his weekly COVID-19 update on April 8, Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, reminded Tennessee Baptists that the world is watching. “How is this generation going to remember how we, as Christians, responded to this crisis?”

MORE CHANGE — BUT THE MISSION REMAINS

April 14, 2020

By Randy C. Davis TBMB President & Executive Director There are two things about which we can be certain in these uncertain days: God is on His throne sovereignly ruling over the universe, and change seems to be a regular occurrence and comes quickly. About a year ago I wrote about a change that few Southern Baptists would have ever anticipated. LifeWay Christian Resources sent ripples through denominational life when

TENN. BAPTIST DR TEAMS FAN OUT

April 14, 2020

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector [email protected] FRANKLIN — Wes Jones is accustomed to dealing with the unpredictable. It’s his job. He’s been involved with flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, power outages and all in between. But even Jones, the Disaster Relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, admits that the current confluence of instability, uneasiness and confusion — created by the COVID-19 pandemic — has been a major challenge.

coronavirus

CHURCH STARTS NEW MINISTRY BY OFFERING ONLINE ASSISTANCE

PANDEMIC HAVING DRASTIC IMPACT ON FUNERALS

CHESSER: PASTORS FINDING NEW WAYS TO MINISTER