By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The “pastor’s heart” in Kevin Ezell would not let him say no when Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville asked him to serve as their interim pastor.

The North American Mission Board president had intentionally not taken any interims after he joined NAMB in September of 2010 although he has filled the pulpit on occasion at First Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., where he is a member.

With as much traveling as he does for NAMB, he felt interims would put “too much wear and tear on his family.”

Yet, the offer from Long Hollow was one he had to consider.

Long Hollow lost their pastor David Landrith last November after his gallant fight with cancer. [Read more…]

By Randy C. Davis
TBC Executive Director

BRENTWOOD – During his report to the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention at its March 25 meeting, Executive Director Randy C. Davis reflected on the past five years.

“It was five years ago this spring that God started preparing Jeanne and me to leave our beloved pastorate and begin ministry from a different place with a different perspective,” he said. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

GATLINBURG — On March 21 Vickie Anderson was installed as executive director-treasurer, Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union, as part of the Missions Get-Together held here.

Anderson began serving in the role Jan. 1, succeeding Candy Phillips. Anderson, who formerly was missions growth/leadership development specialist, has served on the staff for 21 years. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD – The Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board unanimously approved a change in its organizational structure during its March 25 meeting held at Brentwood Baptist Church here.
The Executive Board will now be structured around the Five Objectives adopted by messengers at last year’s annual meeting held during The Summit in November.

The Five Objectives are: [Read more…]

Compiled by Baptist and Reflector

LENOIR CITY — A Knoxville television station reported last week that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has charged the director of nursing and the former administrator of Baptist Health Care Center in Lenoir City with tampering with records.

BHCC is affiliated with Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes, based in Brentwood.

The investigation stemmed from allegations of alleged abuse at the facility in early 2014, according to WBIR in Knoxville. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

8,017 students, leaders attend annual Youth Evangelism Conference held in Nashville

NASHVILLE — A total of 655 teens attending the YEC or Youth Evangelism Conference made professions of faith.

In addition, 140 teens made commitments to specific roles in ministry including missionary work, 149 requested baptism, and 82 were other decisions.

A total of 1,026 students made public spiritual commitments and recorded them.

The YEC — sponsored annually for the past 46 years by the Tennessee Baptist Convention — was held March 13-14 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Tennessee Baptist churches baptize 23,499 new believers in 2014

BRENTWOOD — For the second year in a row, baptisms have increased in the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

As of March 26, 2,603 churches reported a total of 23,499 baptisms in 2014. Churches can continue to send in their numbers throughout the year so the number could actually increase.

It is the largest number of baptisms recorded by TBC churches since 2010 when baptisms fell from more than 23,900 in 2009 to 21,472. In 2013, TBC churches reported 21,979 baptisms. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Despite war, even Russians in Slavic Baptist Church are helping Ukrainians

FRANKLIN — Slavic Baptist Church here is a mixture of nationalities. The congregation includes people from Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Bulgaria. All of these countries except Bulgaria were a part of the Soviet Union and declared their independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,481,982 through the Cooperative Program in February.

After the first quarter of the current fiscal year, Tennessee Baptists have given $11,129,645. The amount is $470,188 or 4.1 percent below what was given at the same time last year. It is, however, only $287,022 or 2.51 percent below budget needs. [Read more…]