By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Editor’s Note: The following story first appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of the Baptist and Reflector. In light of the June 26 ruling by the Supreme Court we felt that this article is more relevant today than even when it was first published.

JACKSON — Tennessee Baptist church leaders should pay attention to a situation that occurred last month in Colorado, says Southern Baptist ethicist C. Ben Mitchell.

A Denver-area congregation received national media attention for moving a funeral with people already seated to a funeral home across the street because a video was playing that showed the deceased kissing her lesbian partner.

The family of the deceased woman paid to have the funeral in the church and had even provided the church a copy of the video in advance but church ministers failed to preview the video and said later that it had been lost, according to news reports. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Scenic Drive Baptist gives facility, belongings to Arabic congregation in Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO — On what could have been the saddest day in its history, the final service of Scenic Drive Baptist Church was actually an answer to prayer.

“This was His (God’s) way of filling that parking lot that we have been praying for,” said Belvin Cox, pastor of the congregation which held its last regular worship service May 3.

The next Sunday, about 15 members of Scenic Drive Baptist worshiped with about 30 members of the Arabic Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, the new recipients of the facility.

Some words of Arabic were heard in conversation and prayers though most of the service was in English. Also in consideration of the great gift and the emotions of Scenic Drive members, a portion of the service was allocated for sharing of memories by them. Several people stood and shared. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

MANCHESTER — To say The Jesus Tent was a popular site during Bonnaroo is an understatement. About 13-17,000 Bonnaroovians visited the tent for its 24/7 offer of shade cooled by fans, snacks, water, smartphone charging stations, WiFi, and conversation.

In other words, The Jesus Tent was a peaceful oasis in the midst of Bonnaroo, a camping music festival drawing about 80,000 folks to a 700-acre farm here June 11-14.

While at The Jesus Tent, many folks had life-changing conversations, explained several Baptist volunteers. Though many visitors held the popular belief that all paths or religions lead to God, they were open to conversation, reported the volunteers.

The huge response to The Jesus Tent makes this the largest evangelistic event of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and possibly of other denominations in Tennessee, reported David Evans, evangelism specialist of the TBC. [Read more…]

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

LAWTON, Okla. — A trailer being used by a Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief team serving here June 23 was stolen and then found unharmed and intact that evening. The reporting of KSWO-TV Channel 7 and a lot of prayers were the keys to the recovery, reported Doyle Pittman, director of the team.
The trailer was stolen from First Baptist Church West in Lawton overnight as the team slept at the church. Thankfully a viewer of the reporting by the TV station saw the trailer which was picked up by the team. [Read more…]

By Landon Dickerson
B&R Intern

MURFREESBORO — Eight students from Middle Tennessee State University recently traveled to Embera, Panama, to record Christian songs in order to spread the gospel to different areas around the country.

Though the team worked with local people in Embera who already had heard the gospel, the MTSU students were there to target surrounding areas of the city that have not heard the gospel, said Glenn Wallace, Baptist Collegiate Ministries director at MTSU.

Because it is hard to reach those people with traditional missions projects, the MTSU group came to “record the indigenous tribes singing praise and worship in their native language,” Wallace said. [Read more…]

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Midland Baptist distributes more than 3.5 million pounds of food annually

BELL BUCKLE — The premise behind the Journey of Hope Ministry Center is simple.

“There are as many hungry people in rural America as there are in urban America,” said Doug Mitchell, pastor of Midland Baptist Church in Bell Buckle which has operated the center since 2009.

In addition, he said, people need to hear about Jesus.

The ministry center actually began with former church deacon Dean Cantrell who would pick up bread from local outlets and deliver it to needy families in the neighborhood.

In January of 2009 Cantrell’s health worsened and he later died, but before he did he asked the church to take over his bread ministry. “We didn’t know what to do with it,” Mitchell admitted. [Read more…]

By Baptist and Reflector

BRENTWOOD — Tennessee Baptist Convention churches gave $2,554,264 through the Cooperative Program in May.

For the year-to-date, Tennessee Baptists have given a total of $19,631,103.

The amount is $535,536 or 2.7 percent below what was given during the same time frame last year.

After seven months of the 2014-15 fiscal year, the total is $348,064 or 1.74 percent below budget needs.

“The key component of our Cooperative Program giving consistently and sacrificially is not the financial support demonstrated month after month, but cooperation around doing ministry and missions together,” observed Randy C. Davis, executive director/treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

“I am thankful for the cooperation of so many Tennessee Baptists to lock hearts and arms together for the cause of Christ across our beloved state!”