STANTON, Tenn. (BP) – It’s not often that the nations move to your backyard, especially if your backyard is a rural hillside in West Tennessee. But for Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field 1 Team Leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, and his team at TBMB, a dream has become a reality with Blue Oval City, a new Ford Motor Company plant under construction in the tiny town of Stanton (population 414). The plant is estimated to attract 90,000 residents in the next 10 years.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for West Tennessee,” Sinquefield said. “Most of our churches … are in small, rural and declining cities, and they have been for years, for decades. Part of the vision is that there’s a spark of hope and life and a reminder that we’re in the people business. So, the vision is, what an opportunity God is bringing to us with this massive influx of people from not just from the deep South, but from across our country, and some of them from around the world. Some South Korean folks are already here.”
God is already at work in this up-and-coming city. Even though construction is incomplete, Baptists have taken the opportunity to begin evangelizing, building relationships and making connections throughout the Blue Oval City.
“There are a lot of seeds being planted – prayer seeds, relational seeds,” Sinquefield said. “We’ve built really good relationships with the workers and the executives at Blue Oval, so they’re inviting us to do things like … a luncheon for [the] workers … and we have been given great favor from the leadership there that are doing the construction, and they trust us, and our churches have shown great servant-hearted leadership. They really are there to serve those individuals.”
TBMB has developed strategies to reach the “impact zone” in Blue Oval City – a 20-mile radius that touches parts of seven counties and is home to dozens of churches. Baptists are helping to strengthen the local churches in the impact zone through prayer and partnerships.
Sinquefield said that the journey to a unified vision for Blue Oval City has been a joint effort of Baptists not only in West Tennessee, but across the state and beyond. Many coalition churches across the state have been meeting for years to pray for the initiative at Blue Oval City. There was even a church 400 miles away in East Tennessee that wanted to take part in what God was doing, so they fully funded a $50,000 project that purchased a building for a church plant.
Mission teams are on the ground in Blue Oval, completing hands-on projects like prepping playgrounds and doing maintenance, all in effort to help prepare churches to reach the masses that are on their way to the area.
“It’s really been fun to watch,” Sinquefield said. “It’s one of beautiful things that’s happened, is that there’s been a real rally point for our churches here that has brought a unity in the associations. The associations are meeting to just talk about this, strategize, pray about this.”
Although much progress has been made at Blue Oval, the team of leaders is asking for prayer for remaining needs to be met. Among the biggest needs? Church planters and properties for churches to call home.
The support of Baptists has played a huge role in what has been done for the glory of God at Blue Oval City thus far, and Baptists have continual opportunities to embrace the vision from no matter where they are.
“The most encouraging thing that’s happening right now is the unity among our churches and our associations. And really, a rally point and huge momentum across our state. We still want to reach the [North American Mission Board] Send cities and go to all the nations, but this is a great opportunity right here at home, and we’ve embraced it. Tennessee Baptists have embraced this, and I think God’s going to bless it as a result of that.”
