Baptist & Reflector The year 2015 has been a milestone for the Baptist & Reflector, the official newsjournal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. This year the Baptist and Reflector is celebrating its 180th anniversary. It began in 1835 as THE BAPTIST. The paper is one of the oldest newspapers in the Southern Baptist Convention. The paper is mailed to nearly 25,000 homes 26 weeks a year, reaching a potential readership of about 63,000 people. In addition, the B&R has become one of the top two most viewed pages on the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s website at www.tnbaptist.org. With the shift to a biweekly format, the goal is to increase the B&R’s web presence. A new dedicated website for the B&R will be launched this year. It will replace the “virtual edition” and will make it much easier to share articles and columns. It will be “user friendly.” The website will have new material added regularly and an update will be sent weekly to those who are used to receiving the “virtual edition.” The virtual edition will no longer be published once the new website is ready for use. The goal of the paper is to "tell the story of Tennessee Baptists" through news, feature stories and photographs. As in the past, the paper this year placed a major emphasis on what Tennessee Baptists are doing to reach the world for Christ by focusing on stories related to missions and evangelism. This year the paper has focused on timely topics for Tennessee Baptists and our churches. Issues have focused on addictions, issues related to same-sex marriage, and the Supreme Court decision in June and others. The Baptist and Reflector continued to utilize social media tools in 2015 such as Twitter. Editor Lonnie Wilkey regularly writes a blog that provides information for Tennessee Baptists between print issues. The paper also will introduce a Facebook page this year. The staff monitors trends that could affect Tennessee Baptists and prints those stories to keep readers informed. In addition, opinions, both from the editor and others, are printed and are intended to make readers think, reflect, and act. The paper continually seeks to enlist new subscribers and will be offering a simplified subscription plan in the near future. We need more churches to send the paper to their leadership such as deacons, Sunday School teachers, etc. For more information about subscription plans, call the Baptist & Reflector office at 1-800-558-2090 or (615) 371-2003. Lonnie Wilkey, Editor

Baptist Memorial Health Care System Memphis, Tennessee

Jason Little, President and CEO Baptist Memorial Health Care began as a 150-bed hospital in downtown Memphis in 1912. It was formed by the Southern Baptist Conventions of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas because they recognized a tremendous need for a health care facility in this part of the country. The hospital’s early days were rough – at one point, it almost closed – but eventually it grew to become the largest private hospital in the world. The hospital played a very important role in the history of health care in the 20th century, celebrating many firsts along the way.

The Baptist Memorial Health Care system was created in 1981 to provide an integrated health care delivery system offering a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. Today, a total of 14 hospitals in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi; a 500-member physician group; and dozens of other entities are affiliated with Baptist.

Baptist Memorial Health Care’s staff chaplains are a part of the health care team. Patients, family members or employees can ask that a chaplain be involved in spiritual or emotional care. In our hospitals, our chaplains represent their own faith but deal with spiritual issues that transcend denominational lines.

Baptist launched a new, faith-based program called Baptist Healthy Communities that is dedicated to reaching out to congregations of all faiths to promote healthier lifestyles and improve overall wellness in the Mid-South. As part of the program, Baptist is encouraging its employees to become connectors to their places of worship.

The Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital opened on January 28. The new facility, located within Baptist Women’s Hospital in Memphis, includes a 10-room, 17,000-square-foot emergency department and a 2,000-square-foot diagnostics area. In its first five months of operation, the facility has treated 6,000 patients.

The Baptist Patient Placement Center officially opened in April. The center has a team of experienced nurses and case managers who eventually will track the status of and manage all 2,300 hospital beds in the Baptist system and help transfer patients more quickly and efficiently.

The mayors of Memphis and Shelby County joined Baptist executives and community leaders at Baptist Women’s Hospital to dedicate one of the nation’s first two Universal Parenting Places. UPPs are judgment-free zones where parents can receive free professional counseling, information, and emotional support for family-related issues.

Baptist recently partnered with the Church Health Center ‒ a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides affordable health care to low-income Shelby County residents ‒ to launch a new family medicine residency, a major initiative aimed at improving

health and access to health care in Memphis. Baptist is funding the program and providing inpatient experience and supervision to the medical residents.

Baptist has also partnered with Acadia Healthcare and St. Francis Hospital to build a new 61,000-square-foot, 60-bed psychiatric hospital in Germantown, Tenn. Construction on the new facility, called Crestwyn Behavioral Health, is underway and the opening is slated for spring 2016.

Baptist Medical Group-The Doctor’s Clinic opened its new location in Union City, Tenn. The clinic, adjacent to Baptist Union City’s helicopter pad, measures 16,000 square feet and is designed to facilitate two patient tracks: those with appointments and walk-ins.

Baptist Hospice-Union City has been named a 2015 Hospice Honors recipient, an award recognizing hospices that provide the best patient care as rated by the patient’s caregiver. This is the second consecutive year Baptist Hospice-Union City has receive the award.

Premier Inc., honored Baptist Union City and Baptist Huntingdon for achieving top performance in areas measured in its QUEST collaborative—cost and efficiency, inpatient and outpatient evidence-based care, mortality, safety, patient experience and appropriate hospital use. Baptist Union City was a top performer in six of the seven areas and was a QUEST Award for High-Value Healthcare finalist. Baptist Huntingdon achieved top performance in five of the seven areas and received a Citation of Merit.

Baptist Medical Group-Memphis Primary Care was named a “Most Valuable Care Provider” after a Stanford University study found it excelled at delivering high-quality care at a low cost. It was one of only 11 primary care practices in the nation to earn the distinction; Stanford researchers studied 15,000 groups.

Doctors at Baptist Memphis began using a new technology system called Spyglass DS, which helps doctors diagnose and treat diseases and conditions of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and bile ducts. Spyglass DS allows for high-resolution imaging during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. Baptist Memphis is the first and only hospital in Memphis to have this technology.

The Baptist Heart Institute’s transplant program – located at Baptist Memphis – recently celebrated 30 years of service with a reception. The gathering was full of grateful transplant recipients from all over the Mid-South. The Baptist Memory Care Center – which provides free clinical memory assessments – celebrated its one-year anniversary. In its first year of operation, the center, located in Collierville, Tenn., has seen more than 160 patients. It provides free clinical memory assessments to those who may be suffering from dementia-related illnesses. The Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation provided funding for the facility. Baptist Medical Group-Stern Cardiovascular Foundation physicians performed the region’s first two MitraClip procedures at Baptist Memphis. The new procedure is a

revolutionary, minimally invasive way to treat mitral regurgitation. Both patients are doing well. The Baptist Women’s Health Center recently became the first in the Memphis area to offer patients automated breast ultrasound, which makes it easier to find tumors in dense breast tissue. Approximately 40 percent of women have dense breasts, which are more likely to hide masses and lumps when analyzed with a standard mammogram. Women who have dense breast tissue have a four to six times greater risk of developing breast cancer than women who do not. A Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation grant made it possible for the Women’s Health Center to purchase the technology.

Christian Education Report Carson-Newman University

2014-15

Dear Fellow Tennessee Baptists, There are special activities that mark the seasons in our lives. One of those for me is opening weekend of the school year. At the end of a very busy Saturday that is filled with unloading cars and unpacking boxes, new students and their families gather on the west lawn of Henderson Humanities Building. Following a few minutes of devotion, those gathered walk to the sanctuary of Jefferson City’s First Baptist Church. The blocked off street from Henderson to the church is lined with faculty, staff and student leaders who pray for those walking. They pray for the year ahead and for the education and edification that will take place.

We take our calling of Christian higher education seriously. The good news contained below is directly connected to that commitment, fervent prayer and the support we receive from the Tennessee Baptist Convention, its churches and others whose gifts make this work possible.

The University had a record total enrollment of 2,362 for the 2014-15 academic year, up nearly 16 percent from 2013-14. While the number of freshman and undergraduates increased, the most significant growth was seen in the graduate program, which saw a substantial 82 percent increase (605 students) over the previous academic year.

The dedicated efforts of Baptist Builders volunteers have saved Carson-Newman $1 million in labor and maintenance costs since 2009. This summer, 30 volunteers focused on cleaning and enhancing HVAC units, painting projects and moving hundreds of chairs and other furniture pieces. Greeneville First Baptist Church members Margaret and George Bradley coordinate the effort and solicit participating churches.

Carson-Newman’s Oxford Studies Program has been endowed, thanks to the support of Dr. Paul and Imogene Brewer. Both are alumni and retired employees of the institution. Offered in conjunction with Regent’s Park College of Oxford University, the program allows students to pursue original research in one of the world’s most comprehensive repositories of Baptist history.

The 34th annual Ashe-Henderson Worship Series featured Dr. Ronald L. Bobo, senior pastor of St. Louis, Missouri’s West Side Missionary Baptist Church and Rev. John Greene, worship pastor for Morristown’s First Baptist Church. The series is part of the Community Life & Worship Program. Other notable chapel guests included South Korean evangelist Dr. Billy Kim, the Far East Broadcasting Company Children’s Choir, Long Hollow Baptist Church’s Dr. Jeff Lovingood, Barna Group President David Kinnaman, World Vision’s Ambassador for Children Marilee Dunker and The Simple Way’s Shane Claiborne.

Almost 200 students, faculty and staff members used their fall and spring breaks and May-term to serve on mission teams. The 196 volunteers were comprised 11 teams spread across 10 states and two countries. Nursing and pre-med students and faculty supervisors saw more than 900 patients in Haitian villages, and Atlanta inner-city volunteers helped three men connect with recovery programs. The BeachReach team reported 40 professions of faith in Panama City Beach, Florida. Four teams were dedicated to Tennessee service opportunities, including a YOKE backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains and a team based at the Chattanooga Children’s Home.

Eighty-five students served as summer missionaries in 16 states and four international countries since the 2014-15 academic year ended in May.

A dozen students and three professors studied the history and practice of spiritual pilgrimages during a May-term class in Spain. The class blended intellectual, spiritual and physical health as the group hiked some 75 miles on the Way of St. James.

Carson-Newman sophomore Tori Parker, a business major and religion minor, is fulfilling a sense

of calling that began in middle school. To date, she raised more than $5,000 and has given it to help East Tennessee cancer patients, including providing mammograms to 22 women who would otherwise not have gotten the tests.

In April, I was privileged to serve as the Tennessee State Senate’s “Chaplain of the Day.” It was humbling to represent Carson-Newman and Tennessee Baptists while thanking our governmental leaders for their service and opening the body’s session with prayer. My wife Kay and I were also blessed to be guests of U.S. Congressman John J. Duncan Jr. at the National Prayer Breakfast.

The 9th annual Operation Inasmuch Community Service Blitz last September saw 635 individuals provide 1,905 service hours to the local community. The effort was one of several initiatives that amassed 100,000 cumulative community service hours by Carson-Newman students last year.

Members of Carson-Newman’s Alpha Chi honor society chapter brought home four student awards at the group’s national convention in March. The University also received the Star Chapter Award for the 17th straight year, making us one of only four schools to have won the award every year it has been presented.

The Forensics Team earned its second consecutive state championship following a top showing at the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association Championship. It marks the team’s seventh state championship in nine years.

Carson-Newman announced three Associate of Arts degree offerings that begin this fall. The AA degree offers financial opportunities for students through the new Tennessee Promise initiative.

The institution’s Best Buddies program was named Tennessee’s “Outstanding College Chapter of the Year,” which is the second time in three years it has been so honored. Best Buddies creates integrated employment and leadership development opportunities for those it serves. There are 425 campus chapters spread across 51 countries.

In May, professors David Crutchley and Wayne Ballard led 20 students on the Religion Department’s eighth annual study trip to southern Africa. Courses in leadership and spirituality were enhanced by service opportunities, visits with ministers and tours of historical sites.

Carson-Newman will observe the Golden Anniversary of an American milestone during the 2015-16 Academic Year. “A Simple Justice: The Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act” will celebrate the history of the law while examining its impact today. The institution will present several programs in the coming academic year, a schedule of which will be available at cn.edu.

Washington Monthly national magazine named Carson-Newman the nation's No. 7 baccalaureate college and No. 2 for community service. U.S. News & World Report cited the institution as both an “Up-and-Comer” and “A Great School at a Great Price.” Other accolades include “Best in the Southeast” by The Princeton Review and inclusion as a “Christian College of Distinction,” which credits our commitment to engage students with great teaching, a strong community and equipping them to make a difference in the world.

This annual recap is but a glimpse of what happens because of the Cooperative Program and this partnership between Tennessee Baptists and Carson-Newman University. Great Commission Christians can know they have in East Tennessee a University that seeks to reach the nations and serve the Lord by serving His creation. We are grateful for your support and request your continued prayers.

Submitted by J. Randall O’Brien, President

Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy (dba The King’s Academy) These times are surely among the most exciting days in the academy’s 135-year history! Students are achieving amazing academic success, student lives are being changed dramatically in our spiritual development program, and academy athletic teams are experiencing unprecedented victories. To offer a few illustrations:

- Two seniors achieved perfect scores on different sections of the major college entrance exams (ACT, SAT).

- Nineteen students were baptized in the school auditorium at the conclusion of Fall and Spring Spiritual Emphasis Weeks. They boldly shared powerful and deeply personal Christian testimonies with their fellow students.

- Niamh Shumacher is State Champion in the 3200 meter race. In only its second season, the girls’ softball team played in the TSSAA state championship game, eventually taking second place after a thrilling ten-inning game. Three girls on that team, including an 8th grader, earned 1st Team All-State honors! The football team tied its best season record with eight wins.

The academy proudly celebrates the 83-year partnership with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, appreciative of the Boards of Trustees who have guided the academy well for over eight decades, and grateful for Cooperative Program support which has enabled the academy to extend its outreach around the world. The academy’s distinctive boarding program continues to attract students from throughout the United States and the world. What a unique opportunity to be intensely involved in international missions right here in Tennessee! Additionally, three Chinese teachers reside on campus while they teach Chinese language and culture on campus as well as a nearby public school. The King’s Academy established an all-time record enrollment of 524 students in the 2014-2015 school year. However, due to reduced funding, necessary increases in tuition and student fees are expected to result in a slight decrease in enrollment in 2015-2016. Significant facilities’ development continues throughout the academy’s 67-acre campus. A new softball stadium is nearing completion and a new soccer field has been constructed. New football field seating is being installed this summer. These athletic facilities improvements are made possible by generous designated donations. The academy’s capital campaign continues to move toward the construction of a much-needed new classroom building. HCBA’s other divisions continue to play vital roles. The Bible Training Center for adults offers Seminary Extension courses at convenient times for bi-vocational ministers and others who desire greater understanding of the Bible. The Chilhowee Retreat Center provides housing, meals and facilities for educational groups and churches during summer months. It is an honor to serve with Tennessee Baptists in this unique educational ministry.

Walter Grubb, President/Headmaster

Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes

Some years have more milestones than others. The 2014-2015 fiscal year has certainly been one of those years for your Tennessee Baptist Adult Homes (TBAH). This year witnessed the twentieth year that TBAH has conducted Special Friends Camps (the TBC conducted them for the thirteen years prior). There were a total of 260 campers during the two weeks of camp, one at Carson Springs and one at Linden Valley. Assisting those campers were 75 staffers, most of them high school and college students from Tennessee Baptist churches. As always, the campers had a wonderful time. The love and help offered them by the staff is such a wonderful witness to the love of Christ. These camps are made possible through funding provided by the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions. Without this support, we could not make the camps affordable for most of the campers.

Baptist Health Care Center in Lenoir City had wonderful state survey results recently with no deficiencies in nursing care and only three building issues needing attention. We are nearing the end of the R.A.R.E. campaign solicitation for funds to renovate the rooms in the nursing home. Churches and individuals have up to five years to contribute their pledged amounts. We hope to begin some renovation work soon. Also in process is the conversion of the assisted living wing into skilled care with therapy services. These changes should make the facility both more inviting and accessible to people with a greater variety of care needs.

The group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities are thriving with happy residents and a quality staff. One sad note during the year was the death of a resident at Brooks House for women after a long illness. Even though hospice care was involved, the house manager wanted to care for the resident at the home so she could die in a familiar place surrounded by her friends there. This kind of care is only possible because of the prayerful support of those who give to underwrite the cost. The Father’s Day Offering funds are used almost exclusively for the support of TBAH’s six group homes. To date this year, Tennessee Baptists have given $334,150 to the offering. It appears that the goal of $350,000 will be reached by the end of this fiscal year October 31st!

There have been a number of key employees reaching retirement since the report last year: Cindy Wilmoth, Administrator at Baptist Health Care Center; Hudson Clark, Manager of Deer Lake Retirement Community; and, Jim Highland, Director of Development. We are thankful for their many years of good service. We have welcomed Melissa Franklin as Administrator at Baptist Health Care Center and Ann Davenport as Manager at Deer Lake. Both of these are members of Tennessee Baptist churches and have a lot of experience in their respective management areas. Due to the recentness of Jim Highland’s retirement, a new development person has not yet been selected. And, in the spring I announced my retirement effective at the end of this year. It has been a deeply gratifying experience to have been a part of the TBAH ministry for the past twenty years. I am thankful for the board members and staff colleagues I have been privileged to work with. Likewise, I have had the wonderful support of TBC leadership and staff who have been helpful in every way that they could. And, last but certainly not least, I am grateful for the prayers, financial support, especially through the Cooperative Program, and the encouragement of so many Tennessee Baptists all across the state. For you all I give thanks to God. Kenny Cooper President-Treasurer

2015 Annual Report

Of

The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes

To the churches

Of the

Tennessee Baptist Convention

2015 has been an exciting year in the 124 year history of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes. It has been a year of transition, a year of growth, a year of accomplishment, and a year of achievement.

In the fall of last year, the President/Treasurer Search Committee of the TBCH Board of Trustees recommended that Greg McCoy, pastor of First Baptist Church, Portland, be named the new leader of the TBCH statewide ministry. Bro. Greg joined our staff on November 1st and is near completion of his 14 months of learning the details of the day to day operations of the ministry.

Dr. Bryant Millsaps will officially retire from active ministry at TBCH on December 31st, 2015. Having assumed the position of President/Treasurer on January 1st, 2000 and having served two years prior to that as Assistant to the President, Dr. Millsaps, upon his retirement, will have served the Lord and Tennessee Baptists for 18 years.

Over this past year, TBCH has experienced growth in a number of ways. First, we have seen a gradual increase in the number of certified foster homes across the state. Second, with the expansion of available homes, we have seen more and more children being place in TBCH Foster Care. The Denise and George Shinn Foster Care Program is expanding at an impressive rate. Where our original age cap on children coming into our foster care program was originally 10 years old, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has exercised its option to increase that age cap to 12 years of age. This will allow TBCH Foster Care homes to take in more sibling groups and keep brothers and sisters together.

One of TBCH’s Core Values is Excellence. We believe that we are called by God to excellence in every aspect of our ministry “as unto the Lord” (Col. 3:23). For over a year, TBCH has been diligently working toward accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA is an accrediting body that sets best practice standards for many types of organizations. TBCH’s programs (residential and foster care), financial management, maintenance of all records (both personnel and children in care), quality assurance, and engagement of both internal and external stakeholders have been reviewed for compliance with their standards. This has been a rewarding process that has affirmed most of our preexisting operational standards and provided us with

valuable input for improving our ministry. At the writing of this report, it is anticipated that TBCH will be an accredited member of COA by the time the convention meets in November.

Finally, the closing of the 14/15 fiscal year on October 31st, is expected to be one of the most financially stable years in recent history. This is due to three things:

(1.) The faithful provision of the Lord through His people; (2.) The dedicated service of the Trustees and Senior Staff to monitor our

expenses and responsibly manage our assets to bring financial stability to the day to day operations of TBCH, and;

(3.) The increasing number of evangelicals who have responded to TBCH’s entrance into foster care therefore providing a biblically based, Christ-centered vehicle to participate in caring for children who are at risk.

THANK YOU TENNESSEE BAPTISTS for your faithfulness to pray and give so that the love of Christ can be shown to children and families all across Tennessee whose lives are in varying stages of crisis.

Dr. Bryant Millsaps

TENNESSEE BAPTIST FOUNDATION Serving Tennessee Baptists Since 1938

2015 Annual Report For over 77 years the Tennessee Baptist Foundation has been of service to Tennessee Baptists and Kingdom causes around the world. Since 1938, the assets under management of the Foundation have grown from $6,577 to $142,849,331. God continues to bless this ministry and we are pleased to make our report to the convention as to highlights of the audited activities and performance for fiscal year 2013-2014. The Foundation is pleased to offer the following services to Tennessee Baptists:

Presenting informational Christian estate-planning seminars for churches and church-related groups

Working with individuals, helping them develop distinctively Christian personal estate plans Consulting with individuals on the preparation of their Wills and Powers of Attorney Assisting individuals in their establishment of various Charitable Trusts Serving as Trustee of trusts and funds committed to its care Providing investment services to Tennessee Baptist churches and institutions Serving as executor of estates, upon request, in which a Baptist cause(s) is a beneficiary Offering construction loans/permanent financing to Tennessee Baptist churches/associations Providing grants for qualifying new ministries and projects

Highlights of the Foundation’s stewardship this past fiscal year include: Funds under management: Over 1,100 Dollars under management and administered In Trust: $142,849,331

New funds under fund management agreements: $3,602,915 (19 new funds) Educational grants and scholarships: 215 - totaling $188,050 for 2015-2016 academic year

(Over $4.7 million since 1987) Special Project Grants: $16,200 distributed to assist 4 new ministry projects Cooperative Program: $551,272 Individual beneficiaries of charitable trusts: $721,018 Other Baptist and charitable causes: $5,233,719

Please contact us when your Tennessee Baptist Foundation can be of service to your church, your association, or any of your members. C. William (Bill) Gruenewald, III Christopher L. Kelly, Esq. President-Treasurer Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Annual Report Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union

September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015 “All For You – Surrender, Sacrifice, Serve” was the 2014-15 emphasis for Woman’s Missionary Union based on Mark 8:34. Vickie Anderson was unanimously elected as Executive Director-Treasurer by the TN WMU Executive Board November 1, 2014. She assumed the role January 1, 2015. The Executive Director-Treasurer Search Committee included Chair Phyllis Cobb, Springfield; Vice-Chair Shelby Lord, Lenoir City; Frank Green, Sparta; Rhonda Poore, Kenton; and Delores Coffey, Morristown. The Tennessee WMU Missionary House, officially named “Mary’s House”, is finished – built, furnished and decorated! Six years ago Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union took on the God sized task to build a missionary house on the grounds of the Missions Mobilization Center in Mt. Juliet to commemorate our 125th anniversary and to provide a place for larger missionary families to reside and rest during their stateside assignments. Together we raised over $200,000 for building and furnishing the house and another $100,000 to establish an endowment for the future care of the house. Over $60,000 worth of services and items were also donated to build and furnish the house. We are very grateful for these gifts, as well as, for the many people who poured countless hours into making this dream become a reality. We broke ground on April 6, 2013; dedicated the house on November 1, 2015; held an open house on August 1, 2016; and will welcome the first missionary family in September 2016. To God be ALL the Glory! Missions Get-Together and Connection were held on March 20-22, 2015 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center with a total attendance of 1,634. Jean Roberson, from Birmingham, Alabama was the keynote speaker for Missions Get-Together. Rachel Lovingood, from Hendersonville was the keynote speaker for Connection. The annual offering totaled $9,035.03 with 90% designated to the 2013-14 Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions; 10% benefited Tennessee N Touch Endowment at the WMU Foundation. Through the event ministry project, participants brought items to support Baptist Collegiate Ministries across Tennessee by giving: $4,464.83 in cash, checks and gift cards; 3,707 Pop Tarts/snack bars; 262 rolls of toilet paper; 458 other paper products; 340 office supplies; 366 packages of drink mix/tea; plus much more! Vickie Anderson was installed as Executive Director-Treasurer during the Tennessee WMU annual session on March 21, 2015 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Bobby Turner from First Baptist Church, Lenoir City was elected for her fourth year as President. Other officers elected include: Recording Secretary, Susan Kellough from Newbern; and Vice Presidents: Kathy Neely, Greenback; Lynda Ryan, Hendersonville; and Linda Pratt, Somervillle. The 2014-15 State Acteens Advisory Panelists were Susanna Clouse, Caney Fork Baptist Church, Cookeville; Hannah Schussler, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Greenbrier; and Emily Bartlett, Caney Fork Baptist Church, Cookeville. Currently there are 17 Christian Women’s Job Corps and 8 Christian Men’s Job Corps sites in Tennessee. The new state coordinator is Janice Carter from Jasper. Baptist Nursing Fellowship is currently without leadership and did not meet in 2014-15. There are fifteen nationally trained literacy missions workshop leaders who are equipping church and associational leaders to serve through literacy ministries: English as a second language, adult reading and writing, and tutoring children and youth. Two TN WMU prayer-walking teams went to Italy in cooperation with the convention partnership. Colleen Richardson, from Livingston, led a team in October, 2014. A second team led by Ann Davenport and Carolyn Outland, both from Murfreesboro, went to Italy in August, 2015.

The goal for the 2014-15 Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions was $1,650,000. The theme for the 2014 Week of Prayer for State Missions was “Wake Up!” based on Romans 13:11. As of July 31, the total amount given to the 2014-15 GOTM was $1,595,802. The GOTM giving year is September 1 – August 31. TN WMU planned, promoted and/or conducted these events in 2014-2015: September 7-14 Week of Prayer for State Missions and Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, “Wake Up!” September 19-20 Prayer Retreat, “Joy in Your Presence” led by Page Hughes from Louisville, Kentucky October 4, 11, 25 JAM (Journey into Adventures in Missions), “Missions Possible” for school age children

at Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro; First Baptist Church, Morristown; and First Baptist Church, Bemis

October 17-19 Royal Ambassador Camporee, Linden Valley Conference Center, Linden November 3 Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer November 11-13 Missions Extravaganza at the Summit at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood November 30-December 7 Week of Prayer for International Missions and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering February 9-15 Focus on WMU Week February 14 Children’s Ministry Day February 27-28 Missionary Parents Fellowship Retreat, Missions Mobilization Center, Mt. Juliet March 1-8 Week of Prayer for North American Missions and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering March 20-22 Missions Get-Together and Connection, “All For You” at the Gatlinburg Convention Center April 10-11 Royal Ambassador Wilderness Challenge, Boxwell Reservation, Lebanon May 1-2 WMU Frameworks, training event for associational WMU leaders and TN WMU LEAD

Team members, Crievewood Baptist Church, Nashville May 17-24 Associational Missions Emphasis Week August Christmas in August August Church Missions Leader Training events lead by associational WMU leaders Challenging Christ Followers to understand and be radically involved in God’s mission, Bobby M. Turner, President Vickie Anderson, Executive Director-Treasurer

The mission of Union University is to provide Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to Church and society. We are blessed at Union to partner with the churches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention as we pursue Christ-centered, excellence-driven, people-focused, and future-directed learning. We steward the generous Cooperative Program gifts from the churches across the Convention so that thousands of students who attend Union may have a life transforming educational experience. Many of the dollars from you went directly to provide scholarship assistance for students whose parents serve on the mission field, in local churches, and with denominational agencies. It is a special privilege for us to be the higher education destination for young men and women coming from our TBC churches. One of the highlights for me this past year was my inauguration as the 16th President of Union. It was a blessing to gather as a community to affirm Union’s mission and recommit to its purposes. The task remains, as always, to affirm and focus the university’s mission, to see God active in all its parts, and to sustain faithfully the ethical, spiritual, and intellectual foundations of a truly great Christian liberal arts institution. We are thankful for our long-standing partnership with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. We pray for God’s ongoing blessings to rest upon Union University as we seek to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education as Southern Baptists. We are grateful to the churches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention who are faithful friends of Union University. Please continue to pray for us, encourage us, refer students to us, and support us financially so that we may advance our mission and vision. With a grateful heart,

Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, Ph.D. President

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17