Tennessee Baptist and Reflector

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TEAM SEES 9,000-PLUS DECISIONS

Baptist and Reflector

Latonya Chilcutt of Woodland Baptist Church, Brownsville, shares a testimony during a crusade in the Philippines.

Latonya Chilcutt of Woodland Baptist Church, Brownsville, shares a testimony during a crusade in the Philippines.

SOMERVILLE — A team of nine missions volunteers serving on the Cross Partners Ministry team recently returned from two weeks in the Republic of the Philippines where they served with about 40 churches in three different Baptist associations.  

The team participated in more than 100 evangelistic crusades with Filipino Baptists on Luzon Island and saw 8,663 professions of faith and more than 400 other decisions for Jesus Christ.    [Read more…]

HELPING REFUGEES IN LIGHT OF U.S. POLICY

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Ilsa Nagel, a student at Belmont University, Nashville, tutors Sangolo Mtambala, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, during a tutoring session at Woodmont Baptist Church, Nashville. Mtambala is a member of the Swahili Baptist Church of Woodmont, which meets at Woodmont.

Ilsa Nagel, a student at Belmont University, Nashville, tutors Sangolo Mtambala, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, during a tutoring session at Woodmont Baptist Church, Nashville. Mtambala is a member of the Swahili Baptist Church of Woodmont, which meets at Woodmont.

NASHVILLE — Refugee resettlement is in the news.

President Donald Trump recently issued a revised policy on refugee resettlement in the United States which is being challenged in court.

Refugee resettlement agencies are downsizing and closing offices in Tennessee in response.

Tennessee became the first state in the nation to sue the federal government over refugee resettlement. The lawsuit filed on March 13 argues that the federal government has unduly forced states to pay for the refugee resettlement program, reported The Tennessean.  [Read more…]

RALLY: TALK ABOUT JESUS AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY

By Nathan Handley
Union University

Steve Gaines speaks March 5 at the second annual West Tennessee Evangelism Rally in Union University’s G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel. -Photo by Kristi Woody

Steve Gaines speaks March 5 at the second annual West Tennessee Evangelism Rally in Union University’s G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel.
-Photo by Kristi Woody

JACKSON — Steve Gaines, pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said evangelism should be the priority of every Christian.

“Heaven and hell are looming in the balance, and that’s a lot more important than anything else,” Gaines said March 5 at the West Tennessee Evangelism Rally at Union University.

Gaines was the featured preacher at the rally, sponsored by Union and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. He spoke to pastors and church members from churches across the West Tennessee area. [Read more…]

PHOTO GALLERY: 712 TEENAGERS ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR DURING ANNUAL YEC

Read the article here: 712 TEENS ACCEPT CHRIST AT YEC

All photos by Cari Griffith

  • Students across Municipal Auditorium in Nashville raise their hands to show their profession of faith during the Youth Evangelism Conference March 10-11. These students were among 712 teenagers who accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

712 TEENS ACCEPT CHRIST AT YEC

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Members of Tennessee Valley Community Church, Paris, worship at YEC 2017. From left are Dan Hassell, Haleigh Henegar, Hannah Henegar, Alayna Fuson, Michael Flowers, and Joey Craig. On the right is Shane Webb, youth director at Hamblen County Substance Abuse Coalition, Morristown, who brought a group of teens associated with the coalition. He is a member of Witt Baptist Church, Morristown. — Photo by Connie Bushey

Members of Tennessee Valley Community Church, Paris, worship at YEC 2017. From left are Dan Hassell, Haleigh Henegar, Hannah Henegar, Alayna Fuson, Michael Flowers, and Joey Craig. On the right is Shane Webb, youth director at Hamblen County Substance Abuse Coalition, Morristown, who brought a group of teens associated with the coalition. He is a member of Witt Baptist Church, Morristown.
— Photo by Connie Bushey

See also: YEC 2017 Photo Gallery

NASHVILLE — Youth Evangelism Conference 2017 drew about 7,383 participants to Municipal Auditorium here March 10-11. At least 712 teens made professions of faith during the Friday evening session.

In addition, 392 students recorded that they had been a lukewarm Christian but were ready to follow Christ as a dedicated disciple, 210 teens reported that they felt called by God to serve in missions and ministry, and 578 made other commitments.

Also, thousands accepted the “Oikos” challenge of YEC 2017. Kent Shingleton, coordinator of Youth Evangelism Conference for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, told the teens that “Oikos” (oiee-kahs), a Greek word, means extended family.  [Read more…]

THE KEY TO REACHING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Stefani Varner
Church Initiatives Team, International Mission Board

students-international-ethnicDuring my senior year of college, I was invited to join more than 500 Chinese students and their families to celebrate Chinese New Year. I spent several hours eating authentic food, watching talent shows and videos from celebrations around the world, and learning about various customs and traditions.

The time came for the door prize drawing, and suddenly, I heard my name called. I realized that most of the students in the room were cheering for me and encouraging me to go on stage to claim my prize. I had won a gift certificate for a Peking duck at the local Chinese restaurant.  [Read more…]

RCBA PROVIDES ELL FOR 18 YEARS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Judy Hurst, center, who is director of the English for Language Learners ministry of Robertson County Baptist Association, stands with new students at a recent meeting. From left are Isidro Silva of Mexico, Samuel Nageeb of Egypt, Hurst, Naftali Piña of Mexico, Yaneth Morales of Mexico, and Karla Caballero of El Salvador.

Judy Hurst, center, who is director of the English for Language Learners ministry of Robertson County Baptist Association, stands with new students at a recent meeting. From left are Isidro Silva of Mexico, Samuel Nageeb of Egypt, Hurst, Naftali Piña of Mexico, Yaneth Morales of Mexico, and Karla Caballero of El Salvador.

SPRINGFIELD — Robertson County Baptist Association (RCBA), based here, has offered an English for Language Learners ministry for 18 years.

The ELL program of RCBA, draws about 100 people weekly from Spanish-speaking countries, Iran, Egypt, Brazil, and China to Springfield Baptist Church, said Judy Hurst, member of Springfield Baptist, who is ELL director.

Students attend Thursday evening classes which are offered simultaneously with the RCBA’s HiSET classes, or Thursday morning classes. Aspects of the program that make it popular are that childcare is provided and five levels of classes as well as a citizenship class are offered, Hurst added.  [Read more…]

MINISTERING AMONG HISPANICS, ETHNICS

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Luis Lopez, right, coordinator for Hispanic work, Robertson County Baptist Association, based in Springfield, speaks to Bartolo Eduardo Perez Juarez, center, and Argenis Zarate Gutierrez at a HiSET class of RCBA held at Springfield Baptist Church, Springfield.

Luis Lopez, right, coordinator for Hispanic work, Robertson County Baptist Association, based in Springfield, speaks to Bartolo Eduardo Perez Juarez, center, and Argenis Zarate Gutierrez at a HiSET class of RCBA held at Springfield Baptist Church, Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — With only two Hispanic Baptist congregations in this area and about 10,000 Hispanic residents, opportunities abound to reach Hispanics here with the gospel, said Luis Lopez of the Robertson County Baptist Association (RCBA).

Also the Hispanic population here is expected to grow 30 percent in the next five years — to 13,000, added Lopez, coordinator for Hispanic work of RCBA.

“The harvest is here. We just need to reap it,” he stated. [Read more…]

GAINES TO HEADLINE RALLY

Compiled by B&R

Steve Gaines, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, fields questions about topics of interest to Southern Baptists, from President Trump to the need for revival, during the annual meeting of state Baptist paper editors. -Photo by Lonnie Wilkey

Steve Gaines, at the recent the annual meeting of state Baptist paper editors.

JACKSON — Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines will be the keynote speaker at the second annual West Tennessee Evangelism Rally March 5 at Union University.

Ernest Easley, professor of evangelism at Union, said last year’s rally was much more successful than he had hoped, with more than 800 people attending.

He said the need for such an event is clear. [Read more…]

BELIEVER’S BAPTISM – MUCH MORE THAN NUMBERS

By Nathan A. Finn
Dean, School Of Theology & Missions, Union University

Nathan Finn

Nathan Finn

As Baptist followers of Jesus Christ, we Southern Baptists have always emphasized the importance of believer’s baptism.

As we see it in Scripture, believer’s baptism is:

  • A public testimony of a new believer’s faith in Christ and the church’s recognition of that faith (Acts 2:38-41; I Peter 3:21).
  • A pictorial representation of the gospel the believer has responded to in faith (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:11-12).
  • The new covenant sign that a believer is part of the body of Christ (Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:5).
  • A key component in faithfully fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

[Read more…]

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