Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

SOME CHURCH PLANTS BEING UPROOTED

COVID-19 poses challenges for church plants that gather in schools

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
[email protected]

Living Water Church in Murfreesboro meets at Blackman Elementary School. It is one of 30 or so Tennessee Baptist churches that meet on school campuses. Most do not know yet if they will be allowed to return due to concerns with COVID-19.

FRANKLIN — As Tennessee Baptist churches begin to regather all across the state, it’s not that simple for every congregation, especially for church plants that meet in local schools.

“We’ve got quite a few of our church planters right now who are scrambling to find alternative spaces other than being an all online digital church,” observed Lewis McMullen, church planting specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

McMullen estimated that in the last three to four years, about 50 church plants have begun in schools and of those, about 30 are still meeting in a school. “As long as schools are closed, those churches cannot meet.” [Read more…]

A YEAR WITHOUT THE SBC MEETING

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
[email protected]

FRANKLIN — In a normal year, hundreds of Tennessee Baptists would be gathered in Orlando, Fla., this week for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. But thanks to COVID-19, 2020 is not a normal year.

Tennessee Baptists who planned to go to Orlando this year expressed disappointment that the annual meeting was canceled due to the pandemic, but they certainly understood why. [Read more…]

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GATHER TO VIRTUALLY CELEBRATE SENDING 61 MISSIONARIES

By Caroline Anderson
IMB writer

Chris and Sara and their two children were living the American dream in Montana. They loved their home and their business. Chris said after he committed his life to Christ at age 25, the Lord gave their family opportunities to serve at Madison Valley Baptist Church in Ennis, Montana. God told Chris and Sara to sell their possessions and share the gospel with those who’ve never heard. Chris and Sara are moving to the Americas to serve with the IMB.

On June 9, the International Mission Board commissioned 61 missionaries in a virtual Sending Celebration. The missionaries represent churches in 15 states and will be serving in all nine of the IMB’s affinities. 

Sending Celebrations provide a forum for Southern Baptists to commission new missionaries and hear their call to missions. 

IMB trustees voted on and approved 59 of the missionaries this spring in a virtual board meeting. Two missionaries were appointed in January. The 61 missionaries were to be commissioned at this summer’s SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, before the conference was canceled due to COVID-19. 

The cancellation of the annual meeting didn’t keep Southern Baptists from celebrating the missionaries. Southern Baptists gathered around computer screens across the country to watch a video of the missionaries’ testimonies of how the Lord called them to the mission field.  [Read more…]

VBS HAS NEW FORMAT, SAME FOCUS

Rather than canceling VBS, many churches change methods 

By David Dawson
[email protected] 

Rebecca Ramsey, Rachael Ramsey and Regan McKeehan perform a music video during ‘Virtual Vacation Bible School’ at Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church. All across the state, churches used new and creative ways to have VBS this year as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented many churches from hosting on-campus VBS.

FRANKLIN — With a mixture of determination, imagination and inspiration, many churches in Tennessee are finding ways to host Vacation Bible School this year.

Despite the challenging circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many VBS leaders have elected to move forward, even if it means changing the traditional format and veering away from their tried-and-true formulas of the past.  

“We never really considered ‘canceling’ VBS,” said Tim Thompson, children’s pastor at First Baptist Church, Morristown. “Our thoughts as a team were to always look for a creative and safe way to do it.” 

That was the prevailing attitude across the state, said Tennessee Baptist Mission Board childhood specialist Vicki Hulsey, who noted that churches are finding all kinds of new approaches — such as Neighborhood VBS, Alternative Schedule VBS and Virtual VBS (see list below this story and also see related sidebar HERE). Hulsey said she has been encouraged to see that a large number of churches have adopted a “show-must-go-on” mentality.    [Read more…]

‘VIRTUAL VBS’ ALLOWS CHURCHES TO SAFELY CONNECT

By Ashley Perham
Baptist and Reflector

VBS preschool teachers Rebecca Jane and Kim Capps record a segment for Victory Baptist Church’s online VBS.

FRANKLIN — Confetti poppers, bulldozers and science experiments are just three of the ways Tennessee Baptist churches are engaging children involved in virtual Vacation Bible Schools this summer.

Rather than calling off this annual summer outreach event due to concerns about COVID-19, many Tennessee Baptist churches are hosting some form of VBS online.

All eight campuses of Brentwood Baptist Church are participating in a three-day video VBS July 13-15. However, the videos will be available for families until the end of July so that families can work around their summer plans at their own convenience, said Taylor Johnson, children’s minister of the Church at Station Hill campus. [Read more…]

A DILEMMA: PERSONAL LIBERTY VS. PUBLIC GOOD

By Larry Robertson
Pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville 

One of our sources of conflict these days is personal liberties versus public good. And opinions are rarely vague.

Masks or no masks? Social distancing or up in each other’s faces? Stay at home or live and let live (or die, whatever).

Some are writing, “Give me liberty or give me death!” on their protest posters. Seriously? Can we all say mel·o·dra·mat·ic?

Listen, I’m not suggesting that any of this is easy. And nobody wants to get back to “normal” more than me. But we need to find balance in our approach. [Read more…]

HOUSEPARENTS, TBCH MOVE ON IN ‘NOTHING IS NORMAL’ WORLD

By Shawn Hendricks

Contributing writer, B&R

BRENTWOOD — When it comes to navigating the COVID-19 pandemic while houseparenting four elementary kids and their 15-year-old daughter, Nathan and Laura Mankin have become firm believers in a daily routine.  

Or, what they have humorously referred to as the “apocalypse schedule.”

“We’ve had to adjust it like six times,” Nathan said with a laugh in a phone interview with the Baptist and Reflector. “Now we have a pretty good one.” [Read more…]

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PANDEMIC OF 2020

By Phil Young
Director of Missions, Knox County Association of Baptists

Last month I shared with you a quote from Tod Bolsinger regarding the rapidly changing culture we live in. Bolsinger writes, “The world in front of you is nothing like the world behind you.”  Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world we live in.  We have all made adjustments in our lives – some we like, some we don’t, and some we never dreamed possible.

As the time period extends, our thoughts and efforts are beginning to shift from “how do we get through this” to “how do we emerge out of this better and stronger.”

[Read more…]

UNION TO RESUME IN-PERSON CLASSES FOR FALL SEMESTER

Union University news office 

JACKSON — Classes for the fall semester at Union University will meet on campus and in-person, with the university taking necessary safety precautions to protect students, faculty and staff from COVID-19.

“We’re excited to welcome new and returning students back to campus in the fall,” Union president Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “Our students thrive in the Christ-centered community they find at Union, and we’re looking forward to seeing that community re-established as we continue to provide students with an excellent education.” [Read more…]

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