I first walked into the sanctuary of First Baptist Knoxville in the fall of 1976. I had just moved to Knoxville to complete an Administrative Residency at Fort Sanders Presbyterian Hospital (as it was known then), as a requirement for my master's degree in healthcare administration. In...
Young adults don’t exist. Those who think of them as adults don’t think of them as young and those who think of them as young don’t treat them like adults. Young adults are too old to be making mistakes but not experienced enough to be given serious responsibility. It’s...
As a kid growing up in a Baptist church, Promotion Sunday was a big deal. It was the day we went on to the Next Big Thing. In preschool, it meant moving on from a group of sweet women who loved on us, told us we were pretty and handsome, and taught us about Jesus and his love for us, to a new...
Leaving a Legacy Ministers’ Recollections The following recollections are from three of the many ministers who praised Dr. Brown. Dr. Louie D. Newton, pastor of Atlanta’s Druid Hills Baptist Church for four decades Among the speakers at the Fred Brown Chapel’s dedication...
Knowing the Man View of Ministry and Life Philosophy When asked why he became a minister, Dr. Brown replied, “I couldn’t help myself.” Although he had originally planned to be an attorney, he realized during college that he was destined to enter the ministry and that he...
To hear Dr. Brown quote, ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help’ was to hear the rich resonance of a man whose soul was in tune with the God of the mountains. (from the printed program distributed at the Fred Brown Chapel dedication service) First...
During my 7th grade year of school, something happened that I felt drastically unprepared to face. I began that awkward and challenging journey known as adolescence. Suddenly daily life was quite a challenge, especially when it came to school. I felt as though middle school was a place where I...
An Interview by Patrick Walsh Bob Money, one of First Baptist’s icons, served as Minister of Counseling and Family Life for 30 years. He and his delightful wife, Sydnor, have selflessly contributed to our church and the wider community. Bob’s life story is fascinating. The following...
One Thursday a few months ago as I was leaving work, I remarked offhandedly to a colleague that I was headed to a deacons meeting. A puzzled expression passed over my friend’s face. About 20 years my junior, she attends a large conservative church in...
Amazing is the love and grace Jesus showed in his willingness to go to Calvary, submit to human hands nailing him to the cross, remaining on the cross and enduring incomprehensible agony until he could proclaim “It is finished”. In Garden of Gethsemane, the physical and...