TBC Leadership Day exceeds expectations

by AMY DAVIS
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE — It was a session of "reasoning together" as area church leaders and other interested individuals gathered for Tennessee Bible College's 13th annual Leadership Day on Feb. 23 in Cookeville.

The theme was "Come Let Us Reason Together," and a variety of topics was addressed by speakers, exceeding the expectations of TBC President Malcolm Hill and others taking part in the event.

"The lessons delivered were in the best of spirit — very inspirational and very enlightening," Hill said. "I believe we had the greatest interest and some of the best material ever presented at Leadership Day. The crowd overflowed the chapel."

Speakers included Kerry Duke of Cookeville, dean of TBC, who discussed "Small Things Which Divide"; Mac Deaver of Denton, Texas, who addressed "Divine Providence, Prayer and the Holy Spirit"; and David Hill of Cookeville, director of public relations and missions at TBC, who spoke on the college's upcoming mission plans. A question-and-answer panel was held afterward with panelists Glenn B. Ramsey, TBC vice president, Clarence Deloach and panel chairman Malcolm Hill, all of Cookeville.

Audio files of the sessions are available on the TBC web site, www.tn-biblecollege.edu.

The first speaker of the program, Kerry Duke, shared his thoughts about his discussion on "Small Things Which Divide."

"My topic was about small issues that divide the church," Duke said. "Sometimes we lose sight of things that are more important, and brother Hill wanted me to speak on how we know which things are more important and which things are less important, according to the Bible."

Up next was Mac Deaver, who spoke on "Divine Providence, Prayer and the Holy Spirit."

Hill said of the lesson: "Brother Deaver showed that there is tremendous power in the prayers of faithful Christians. His discussion on providence was excellent as well. He explained that God is still working in the world today — not through miracles, but through providence. It was a tremendous encouragement to us to trust in God and know He's with us."

David Hill, who was recently appointed TBC's new director of missions, discussed the college's plans this year for evangelizing the United States eastern seaboard.

"It's a culmination of several years' work in which we have surveyed primarily the northeastern states," Hill said. "We visited with churches and a number of individuals there, and I wanted to introduce that into discussion during Leadership Day."

A highlight of the day, Hill said, was having two men from New Hampshire and Rhode Island in attendance.

"It was great to have them here to tell us firsthand what they are experiencing," Hill said.

Leadership Day concluded with a question-and-answer panel.

Glenn B. Ramsey, one of the panelists, said, "We had some good discussion and good participation from the audience. We responded to questions on church unity, better fellowship between church members, creating more interest in the local church, and cooperation between different congregations. I thought the discussion was quite interesting and helpful."

Leadership Day is held at TBC each year on the last Saturday in February. For more information, call (931)526-2616, or visit www.tn-biblecollege.edu/leadershipday.shtml.

Malcolm Hill, president of Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville, speaks during the school's recent Leadership Day event. The theme was "Come Let Us Reason Together."