Pump Springs Baptist Church in Harrogate, Tennessee, has a mission field that is less than five minutes from the church — Lincoln Memorial University, a four-year, private liberal arts university.
During the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. was quoted as famously saying that “11 a.m. on Sunday mornings was the most segregated hour of American life.” Roughly 60 years later, King’s statement continues to ring true …
With snow and ice and single digit temperatures hitting the country in recent days, some areas in Tennessee have experienced water shortages — and Disaster Relief volunteers in the state are responding.
“It was explained to us that if we waited until we had to close the doors, this would possibly not be a church anymore,” church deacon David Prine said. “It could be a McDonald’s. And we didn’t want that to happen.”
Fourth-grader Kate Hancock raised $28,000 by selling hot cider on two weekends, surpassing her initial goal of $7,000, to fund the construction of four churches in Haiti.
Nearly two decades later, their legacy is being carried on by four of their grandchildren who recently came to volunteer at Western Heights Baptist Center, said current director Shannon Washam.
Lyle Larson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Goodlettsville, wasn’t exactly sure how the church could be of service in the wake of the deadly tornadoes that ripped through parts of Tennessee on Dec. 9.
Katherine Fortner, a member of Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, Knoxville, has volunteered at Western Heights Baptist Center for at least 35 years.
“I’ve just never been the one that … truly has this big need — and someone comes in and rescues me. That was a true answer to prayer,” homeowner Brandie Lee said of Baptist volunteers.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part 2 in a three-part series on the spiritual challenges college students face their freshmen year of college.
