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Holston Baptist Association to celebrate 223rd year of ministry

Published September 7th, 2009 | 0 Comments

JONESBOROUGH — The Holston Baptist Association, Tennessee’s oldest Baptist association, will celebrate its 223rd year of ministry with a Holston Family Gathering Wednesday through Saturday at New Victory Baptist Church near Jonesborough.

The event, which has as its theme “Heritage and Hope,” will highlight the work and ministry of the 42 rural churches that make up a part of the 109 churches of the association. Keynote speaker will be Jimmy Draper, past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and recently retired CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources.

The family gathering will begin with prayer sessions at the host church on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, followed by a Brush Arbor on those evenings. Speakers for the Brush Arbor include the Rev. Ken Kyker, pastor of Boones Creek Baptist Church, and the Rev. Jamie Ferguson, pastor of Chinquapin Grove Baptist Church.

A special fifth-quarter Youth Rally will follow the David Crockett High School home football game on Friday night, where area youth will gather for food, fellowship and worship, led by Byron Tolley and speaker Billy Wayne Arrington of Lamplight Theatre.

Activities on Saturday begin at 10 a.m. with a shaped-note singing school and an international missions market, where goods made by Baptists in Asia, South America and Africa will be on sale. Proceeds go to support those who made the goods.

Richard Skimore, a representative from GuideStone, will lead a workshop. The day will end with a river baptism.

Other activities include inflatables, clowns, face painting, apple butter making and barbecued food. In addition, exhibits from Holston churches as well as disaster relief equipment will be on display. The association’s shower/laundry trailer, dubbed the “Clean Machine” will make its debut.

The afternoon worship and annual meeting will convene at 1:30 p.m. and will feature mission reports and special music by the Shaped Note Choir. Moderator Steve Pate, pastor of Harmony Baptist Church, will bring the moderator’s message, and Draper will preach.

All events are open to the public.

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