Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men…
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
The world’s greatest institutions are usually founded by great men, and no doubt the greatest institution of all was founded on the principles of the greatest man of all, Jesus Christ. That institution being the “Christian Church.” This “Great Church” has been tasked with the “Great Commission” to spread the gospel of Christ, teaching and administering the love of God to all people. Within the framework of this institution God chose to preserve His word through the Holy text, to speak to His people through the Holy Spirit, and to dwell among us through that Spirit that lives within us. God has ordained this institution through his son Jesus Christ, and has led many great men and women to pursue their own unique leadership roles in order to reach, disciple, and unify His Church for this great cause of glorifying the Kingdom of God.
In our own little corner of the world, God saw fit to send us a great man and leader with unique vision and ability to shepherd our community and be a witness to so many. At a young age, our founding pastor, Brother Fred Allred, felt called to the ministry and was led to start a church here in Jamestown, Tennessee at the age of 25. Faith Baptist Tabernacle was the fruition of that calling. With the support of his wife Brenda, and a host of church family, his vision and leadership missions have led us to support missionaries and ministries in countries around the world. At home he was instrumental in building a strong bus ministry, in conducting church visitation, and in helping build ministries for our young people and seniors alike. Brother Fred started Bible Believers Network and New Life Studios, which broadcasts Christian radio at home and to the Great Smoky Mountain region twenty-four hours a day. As part of his ministry, Mission Point Jubilee was founded and began in 1989. As a student of theology and Bible prophecy, he has led several trips to the Holy Land. He produced two video presentations on the subject of Bible prophecy and conducted seminars and provided messages on the subject across the country. For many years he has maintained a television and radio broadcast called Foundations of Faith. But perhaps one of his greatest undertakings has been the founding of Faith Christian Academy in 1998, as an extension of our church ministries, providing Christian education to children from Preschool through twelfth grade.
It has been a wonderful season for Faith Baptist Tabernacle. It’s been a season of foundation, a season of growth, a season of vision, and a season of change, as we have always sought to navigate the best way to minister to our own church family and seek opportunities to reach the lost. As a church we strive to always be grounded in the uncompromising truth of the gospel, sharing a never changing message to an ever-changing world. We have been blessed to have had great associate pastors through the years, serving in music, youth, media and senior pastoral positions. Likewise, we have had men and women in both leadership and servant-minded positions who have played a vital part on our journey. We have worked together, unified as flawed beings, with humility and grace to accomplish that which we are called to do, to serve our heavenly Father. However, as happens with all great institutions, the time has come for change. When our founding pastor’s health declined, to the point he was no longer able to perform his pastoral duties, he commissioned the church leadership to seek a new lead pastor. As we sought to fill this position -- with much prayer and deliberation -- we knew that God would send us another Great Man to take the torch and carry on the ministry. Faith Baptist Tabernacle would like to give honor and express our deepest gratitude for Brother Fred and Mrs. Brenda’s many years of service, commitment, leadership and devotion to the work of the Lord and the people of our congregation and community. We have been truly blessed. In this same spirit of gratitude, we would like to announce that Faith Baptist Tabernacle has appointed a new pastor, as Brother Fred moves into the position of Pastor Emeritus, and should his health allow, hopes to return to the pulpit on occasion.
It is with grateful hearts, we introduce our new pastor, Brother Joshua Grubbs. A native Tennessean himself, Pastor Grubbs graduated from Tennessee Temple University in 1998 and spent fifteen years serving at Shenandoah Baptist Church in Cleveland, TN. For the past six years, he has served at Somerville Baptist Church in Somerville, AL under the leadership of Dr. Shane Lewis. Pastor Josh has been married to his wife, Kim for over twenty years. They have three children: Jordyn (19), Jarrett (18), and Jackson (16). The entire Grubbs family is excited to serve both the Faith Baptist Tabernacle and the surrounding community and are honored and humbled to continue the vision that Pastor Fred and Mrs. Brenda Allred had nearly forty years ago. They have a strong desire to reach the lost and the next generation with the gospel and to help build strong Christians and strong families for the glory of God. Pastor Josh desires to lead a ministry that will help people love God supremely, grow together in faith, and serve others humbly. We are confident that as this Torch of Leadership passes, God will guide us under this new leadership into a bright and vibrant future that ultimately glorifies Him in all things.