Athletes in Ministry founder Brian Ford’s vision for the organization blended faith and sports to inspire young athletes and create lasting community impact. The Anderson County nonprofit, which began in 2015, has now served nearly 1,000 boys and girls.
Athletes in Ministry founder Brian Ford first discovered a personal connection between faith and sports at a Christian sports camp, Crosspoint, in 1995.
“I attended the camp, and until that time, I never knew that sports and God could come together like that,” said Ford, a Clinton native.
The memories and impact never left him, he said, even as he went on to play collegiate baseball and raised five children with his wife, Anne.
While he had the idea for many years to offer a similar opportunity to others, it wasn’t until seeing a baseball hat advertising 323 Baseball, a sports ministry in East Tennessee, that Ford felt the Lord was giving him a true sign to start a similar program in Anderson County.
“I was serving as the youth director for Memorial United Methodist Church at that time, and 323 was our street address,” he said. “I felt that was the Lord telling me to go ahead and make it happen.”
Founded Jan. 18, 2015, Athletes in Ministry has seen nearly 1,000 area boys and girls come through its programs. Initially, it offered travel baseball, and it achieved nonprofit status in October 2019.
The 2025 Clinton Rotary Club Daddy- Daughter Dance will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Clinton Community Center.
The dance will host two age groups: newborn through 5-year-olds will dance from 4-5:30 p.m., and kindergarten age and up will dance from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Daddies with daughters in both age groups can choose either dance time.
In November, the Bowling family farm was recognized as a Tennessee Century Farm. In center front is David Bowling Sr., grandson of William and Pearl Bowling, who bought the farm in 1924. To Bowling’s right, is his wife, Judy. Bowling is surrounded by numerous family members and elected officials on the steps of the Anderson County Courthouse. To Bowling’s left is state Rep. Ed Butler. The third person from left on the second row is Anderson County General Sessions Judge Victoria Bowling, who is David Bowling’s daughter-in-law. The third person from left on the third row is Anderson County Commissioner Josh Anderson, who is Bowling’s nephew. To Anderson’s left is Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. On the far right of the third row is state Rep. Rick Scarbrough.
An Anderson County farm that has been in the same family for five generations was recently designated a Tennessee Century Farm.
The Tennessee Century Farms program, administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, recognizes farms in the state that have been owned and operated by the same family for at least 100 years.
During a ceremony held in November on the steps of the Anderson County Courthouse, the Bowling family farm was honored with a special sign and a proclamation from Lt. Gov. Randy McNally. Family members and elected officials attended the event.
In 1924, William and Pearl Bowling bought the 130-acre farm, at Brooks Gap and Pumpkin Hollow roads.
In 1948, their son James purchased the property.
Over time, the land was divided among family members.
In earlier years, the farm produced tobacco, corn, registered polled Hereford cattle, Holstein steers and replacement heifers.
A $50,000 state of Tennessee grant will help the Oak Ridge History Museum resurface and reline its parking lot.
The museum is at 102 Robertsville Road at the historic Wildcat Den building, and serves as an early voting site.
It features photos, artifacts and replica buildings showing everyday life in 1940s Oak Ridge.
The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, a private nonprofit, runs the museum through volunteers, and works to preserve other historic buildings as well.
Museum President Kathy Kelly said the facility has not set the date yet for when the paving will begin. She described it as a plus for people using the building, including for early voting.
The grant is part of a $5 million state fund through the 2024-25 Appropriations Act to help nonprofit or governmentally run museums.
Of the 157 that applied, full or partial awards went to 83 museums across the state, in 43 counties.
“We are thrilled to have received this grant,” Kelly said. “Repaving our parking lot has been a priority of the [museum].
“As a nonprofit that relies on donations, museum admissions and event rentals for revenue, $50,000 is a huge gift that allows us to make these needed repairs now.”
Pictured at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel are, from left, Oak Ridge jazz jammers Ken Grace, Kathy Bowers, Tom Johnson, Steve Bennett, George Lewis, Don Lordo, Will Lavender, Mark Burton, Paul Clay, Chris Brock, Darrin Sonnier and Art Mercurio.
Jazz musicians are getting a chance to perform with each other in Oak Ridge regardless of how skilled they think they are.
Oak Ridge Jazz Jam meets from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month at Burchfield’s Restaurant inside DoubleTree by Hilton at 215 Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge. Will Lavender, the event’s founder and one of its hosts, stressed it was for jazz musicians and enthusiasts of all skill levels.
“You’ll find students, amateurs, and professionals alike there— learning to improvise, polishing their chops, networking with other musicians, or just soaking up the beauty and joy of jazz,” he said, adding this made the event unique even among jazz jams.
“Many people who want to play jazz are discouraged from jamming with other musicians because they believe you have to be ‘good’ at it before you can play. Paradoxically, the only way to get ‘good’ at jazz is through playing with other musicians. While some jazz jams even foster this elitist image, the Oak Ridge Jazz Jam is open to all because we want to grow the jazz scene in East Tennessee.
The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association will hold its next meeting Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge History Museum’s Wildcat Den Room, 102 Robertsville Road. The meeting is open to the public.
The guest speaker will be Ron Evans, a board member of the association.
Evans served as vice president and president of the Anderson County Historical Society (formerly the Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society) from 2004 to 2013. He is a charter member and president of the Powell Station History Society of Knox County.
Evans has also been a family historian for the Evans, Paul, Humphrey, Darr and Underwood families of East Tennessee, conducting genealogical research since 1980.
His research has sparked an interest in the history of East Tennessee counties where his ancestors lived, including Knox, Anderson, Sevier, Union, Bradley and Polk counties.
A website creator since 1999, Evans is the administrator of the Anderson County TnGen Web page and other sites.
Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem James Dodson came to Canterfield Assisted living to present Frank Henry Janous with a proclamation from Mayor Warren Gooch. The proclaimation honored Janous on his 100th birthday in December.
This month’s Anderson County Veterans Breakfast has been rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, as a result of the forecast of possible inclement weather this coming Saturday, Mayor Terry Frank said Monday.
Military veterans from Anderson County are invited to come together at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 18 for the January breakfast at the Clinton Community Center.
These breakfasts are hosted monthly by Anderson County citizens, and this month’s event is sponsored by U.S. Army veteran Jerry Kelley.
At the Community Center, 101 S. Hicks Street, Clinton, the chow line will open at 8:30, and there will be a brief program at 9 honoring veterans. It also will include some Christmas fun.
All of the veterans breakfasts are held to recognize and honor local veterans and their families for their service to the United States.
