BTTBM 3RD YEAR ANNIVERSARY

BACK TO THE BASICS MINISTRIES UPDATE THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION

At 8:32 a.m. on July 10, 2009, a new ministry, A FRESH START MINISTRIES, was chartered by the state of Tennessee. A few weeks later, in a letter announcing the founding and purpose of the ministry I wrote:

I resigned my full-time pastorate in October, 2008, in what I call a “lean not to your own understanding faith moment” because I desired to expand the range of my ministry for Christ beyond the pulpit of a local church and pastoring personally, for the most part, the members of that church. My desire is to minister to people of all ages and all backgrounds, helping everyone I can to live life to its fullest at a time when many people are dealing with difficulties they never imagined they would face.

I formed A Fresh Start Ministries because “At Sometime We All Need A Fresh Start.” There are countless “fresh starts” that may be needed in life when you take into account the life issues and situations of millions of people individually. All of us have experienced times when we had to make a fresh start, such as going through a divorce, losing a job, the death of a mate or loved one, alcohol or drug addiction, a rebellious child, personal health problems, maybe even being convicted of a crime and serving jail/prison time, even joining another church, for various reasons, after leaving a church where you were a member for many years, and the list goes on. I want to provide examples and principles from a Christian point of view, but in an upbeat, motivational, non-condemning manner that will help someone face whatever fresh start they need to make.

I also shared in that initial mailing a goal to begin a television program:

MY DESIRE FOR THE INITIAL FOCUS OF A FRESH START MINISTRIES IS THE WEEKLY AIRING OF A TELEVISION PROGRAM TO BE TITLED, “A FRESH START.” It will give a face to the ministry, and will help us promote other avenues of ministry under the umbrella of A Fresh Start Ministries. Each program will have special music, for the most part, provided by Melody, Mallory, and/or me, then a message addressing from a biblical perspective the fresh starts people face in life.

Thanks to the generous giving of the financial supporters of what is now Back To The Basics Ministries (changed the ministry name in November 2010 because of a name similarity with another Tennessee non-profit group), “A Fresh Start” TV program premiered on WVLR in the Greater Knoxville/Smoky Mountain Corridor area the first week of November 2009 with a Tuesday night airing at 8:30 p.m. and a repeat airing each week on Saturday at 7;00 p.m.

SOME MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

July 10, 2009 A Fresh Start Ministries is chartered by the Secretary of State of Tennessee

August 14, 2009 General Announcement via e-mail and standard letter of the formation of A Fresh Start Ministries and appealing for financial support

August 14 , 2009 First donation received to the ministry

November, 2009 A Fresh Start TV program premiers on WVLR TV airing main broadcast at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and a repeat airing at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday

January , 2010 First ministry newsletter, AFSM January Update, sent via e-mail and hard copy

November 19, 2010 A Fresh Start Ministries is renamed Back To The Basics Ministries

March, 2011 Tuesday 8:30 p.m. broadcast of A Fresh Start is moved indefinitely to Sunday at 11:30 a.m.; 7:00 p.m. Saturday broadcast becomes main broadcast.

December, 2011 Ministry reaches the $100,000.00 mark in donations received

January 3, 2012 A Fresh Start returns to its Tuesday airing at 8:30 p.m. as a repeat airing with the Saturday airing remaining the main program broadcast. The program continues indefinitely a repeat airing at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

February 18, 2012 A Fresh Start begins airing on WTWV in Memphis, Tennessee with main airing at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, a repeat airing at 1:00 a.m. on Monday, and a repeat airing at 2:00 p.m on Saturday.

THE BENEFITS OF TELEVISION: PREACHING AT BOTH ENDS OF THE STATE TWO DAYS A WEEK

Since January 8, in addition to my work with Back To The Basics Ministries I have also been the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Hernando, Mississippi. I stayed at my mom’s home in East Memphis and commuted the 25 miles to the church, until Wanda and I recently rented an apartment in Hernando,. Until we moved into the apartment July 1, I would make a Monday to Saturday trip to Knoxville once a month and Wanda, who was staying at our Knoxville home and getting things ready for an eventual move, would come to Memphis/Hernando for a few days each month. Melody is staying at our Knoxville home until it sells.

One Saturday, I left Knoxville about 1:30 p.m. to head to Memphis. It was about 3:00 p.m. EST and 2:00 p.m. CST when I had past through Cookeville, but I was about to preach in Memphis. Later in the drive, as I had just passed through Jackson, about 6:00 p.m. CST and 7;00 p.m. EST, I was about to preach in Knoxville. On that particular Saturday, Melody had sung a solo and was performing in Nashville as part of a praise team from Sevier Heights Baptist Church, Knoxville before several thousand teenagers, youth leaders, and chaperones at the Tennessee Baptist Youth Evangelism Conference, yet she sang solos with the Sevier Heights choir and orchestra that afternoon and evening in Memphis and Knoxville. All this was possible because of A Fresh Start TV program.

We have all made the statement, “I can’t be two places at the same time.” Well, through a television ministry I can be several places at one time that, of course, would be impossible otherwise. On Sundays now, I preach in the morning and evening at Fellowship Baptist Church in Hernando, but about the time our morning worship service is beginning at Fellowship, I am preaching in Knoxville via A Fresh Start. Then on Sunday evening a couple of hours after the evening service is over at Fellowship, I preach in Memphis via A Fresh Start. Even though television is no longer considered cutting edge technology by today’s standards, it’s one of the most effective ministries for the cost that a church or non-profit ministry could have. Thank you, financial supporters of Back To The Basics Ministries, for making it possible to multiply our witness for Christ through television.

LOOKING BACK WITH NO REGRETS, LOOKING AHEAD WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION

I often close out a Facebook posting or e-mail with the words above. I will write more on those words in the next BTTBM Update. Like you, I have had times in my life that were difficult and experiences that I would have preferred not to have had! But, I can say without hesitation that since I have been in the ministry, I have never intentionally made a decision that I felt was not the way the Lord would have handled it and wanted me to handle it. I have done so, knowing that some people, even some of my closest friends, may not agree with me or understand why I came to the decision I made. But, I have always sought to hear all sides of the story, and then find God’s side. And, it has caused some to turn on me, and sadly, even on my family. But, had I looked back over some of those difficult decisions and, for the sake of not being disliked or losing friends, I had compromised or disobeyed what I felt to be God’s will, I would look back with regrets. Because I can look back with no regrets in knowing that I have sought to follow God’s will concerning all the issues of life, and God has seen through the good times and the bad times up to this point in my life, I look ahead with great anticipation to what God has in store for my life, my family, and my ministry. I believe the best is yet ahead. And, I pray that the best is yet ahead in your life, and it will be if you live it in accord with the Lord’s will for your life. Blessings!

Bobby Mullins
(Please send your donations to the address below or through Paypal via my web site Donations link)
Back To The Basics Ministries     P.O. Box 32486      Knoxville, TN 37930 www.drbobbymullins.com     brobmullins@aol.com