LEADERS Oak Street Baptist Church, Elizabethton, has called Joe Ledford as interim pastor. Jeff Harless recently was called as pastor of Doe River Baptist Church, Elizabethton. Mike Kemper is serving as interim director of missions for Gibson Baptist Association. He previously served the association from 1999-2006 when he and his wife returned to the International Mission board to serve as missionaries in Costa Rica and Argentina. He has also served

LEADERS Kevin Minchey, church revitalization team leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, moved from that role to Harvest Field 3 team leader, effective Aug. 15. Minchey is  former pastor, associational missions strategist (AMS) and church planter. Prior to joining the TBMB staff, he served as the AMS for Concord Baptist Association, based in Murfreesboro. EVENTS The Perry County Tent Revival will be held Sept. 25-28 on the lot beside

LEADERS Mike Burns has been called as pastor of First Baptist Church, Watertown, effective July 17. A native of Tennessee, Burns was reared in Nashville and served for four years as youth and children’s ministry director at Riverside Baptist Church. For the past 20 years an associate pastor/students at a church in Louisiana and as pastor of a church in Mississippi. He earned his master of divinity degree from New

LEADERS Joe Lovell joined the staff of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board July 8 as chief financial officer. He formerly served at the International Mission Board  where he has spent the last 23-plus years. Most recently he served as senior finance director where he was responsible for accounting, investments, payroll, tax and treasury functions. Lovell was reared in Knoxville and graduated from Carson-Newman University. After passing the CPA exam, Joe

LEADERS Pastor Juan Natal joined the New Churches Team of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board June 13 as a part-time new church catalyst. Juan is church planter and pastor of Renovacion Church in Nashville and is married to Marybel Sotomayor. Cross Roads Baptist Church, Greenbrier, called Al Hodges as pastor on June 12. He had been serving as interim pastor since November of 2020.

LEADERS Roger Stacy will retire June 30 after 15 years as director of missions for Gibson Baptist Association. Prior to Gibson Association, he served as director of missions for Central Baptist Association, based in McMinnville, for 10 years. He and his wife, Penny, also were the first International Mission Board missionaries to serve in western Ukraine in 1993 after the fall of communism. The association will hold a retirement reception

LEADERS Jason Hartley has been called as pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church, Elizabethton. He had been serving as interim pastor. Steve Evans has been called as pastor of Pilgrim New Covenant Baptist Church in Maryville. Five retirees of Carson-Newman University are inaugural members of the Robert Reedy Bryan Society. The recognition took place during C-N’s May 6 spring undergraduate commencement featuring 303 graduates. Those honored were Vickie Butler, Mark Heinrich,

CHURCHES Willie McLaurin, interim CEO of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, will be at First Baptist Church, Somerville, on May 22 from 2-4 p.m. to meet with pastors, staff and directors of mission in West Tennessee to answer questions about the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif. It is an open meeting to ask questions about leadership issues. Pleasant View Baptist Church, Martin, will hold revival services

CHURCHES Fall Creek Baptist Church, Norene, will celebrate 200 years of proclaiming the gospel on Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m. with Dave Shelley, director of missions for the Wilson County Baptist Association, delivering the anniversary sermon. The church was organized at the Copelands Meeting House in southeastern Wilson County on the first Saturday in May, 1822 with 21 constituent members. A fellowship meal and a time of remembrance featuring