Mid-South Viewpoint // Bott Radio Network

Dr. Bartholomew Orr, Senior Pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church talks about Brown Church inheriting Whitehaven Baptist Church, creating a new campus to bring their gospel centered ministry to this community. Pastor Orr also shares Brown Baptist's commitment to community with specific ministries and programs designed to address struggling businesses, addressing poverty, and providing job skills. Under Pastor Orr’s leadership, the church has experienced significant growth, expanding from 66 members to over 12,000.

We're diving into a critical issue that’s closer to home than many realize—human trafficking. Joining us are Claire Jaggers, Director of Anti-Trafficking for Tennessee and North Carolina, and Jamie Zeigler, Executive Director of Anti-Trafficking for One More Child. This Christ-centered organization is on the frontlines, working tirelessly to protect vulnerable children and families. From rescue operations to community education, they’re making a powerful impact—right here in Memphis.

Dr. Chuck Lester, Executive Pastor at Christ M.B. Church and author of “A Real-Time Miracle.” After 42 days in the ICU on a ventilator battling COVID-19, Dr. Lester emerged as a “Long Hauler,” facing chronic illness—but never losing faith. Hear how he and his wife leaned on Jesus Christ through the darkest moments and found strength, purpose, and healing.

Once you meet Steve Coplon, you’ll soon discover a bold, uncompromising voice for Jesus Christ. From city streets to stadium crowds, Steve is proclaiming the gospel with urgency and truth across the U.S. and beyond. Steve’s prophetic heart for Israel and the American Church, motivates him to speak out on rising antisemitism, global unrest, and spiritual compromise in these critical times. He’ll also share about the Indianapolis 500 outreach— where Steve and his team will share the gospel with over 300,000 people.

Live coverage from this morning’s Lakeland TN National Day of Prayer public gathering at the International Harvester Managerial Park organized by Lakeland City Commissioner, Connie McCarter. on this National Day of Prayer. Including Elected and Appointed Officials, area pastors, and Bott Radio Network’s Todd Payne praying for the media.

Pastor Shun Abram of Binghampton Community Church and Director of Send Relief Memphis Ministry Center is joined by sister-in-law Sonya Abram Ministry Center Coordinator, and by Claire Jaggers Director of One More Child, Anti-Trafficking for TN and North Carolina. We’ll discuss the center’s role by addressing community needs through their Good Samaritan Initiative along with various gospel centered outreaches.

More than 1,500 families in East Tennessee were devastated by the floods in late September 2024, caused by Hurricane Helene. The homes of over 500 families were destroyed. Additionally, NW Tennessee recently was impacted by flooding and tornados. Mike and Judy Sumrall and Dave Sorrell join us on location from East TN where they and their team have spent thousands of volunteer hours helping families rebuild their lives, both physically and spiritually.

Bible teacher and author, Sheila Stafford Rogers is our guest to discuss her new book, “I Believe in God, So I'm Saved, Right?” In her book, Shelia addresses some common misconceptions that people have about salvation.

This special Holy Week edition focuses on the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Rufus Smith, Senior Pastor of Hope Church in Memphis helps us to reflect on the events of Jesus Christ, final week in Jerusalem, culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection.

Bishop Sam Ram Paul of India tells how he forsook his family’s idol worship of Brahma to follow the living God, Who graciously sent Jesus Christ for the sins of the world.

Chris Turner, Director Of Communications at Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and Editor - Baptist and Reflector joins us to discuss steps being taken by Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief to respond to the recent flooding and tornado damage in West and Middle Tennessee. Learn how you can help meet the needs of our neighbors

Pastor Toby Stone of Rossville Baptist Church and Dr. Gregg Hauss, Director of Missions at Fayette County Baptist Association discuss relief efforts due to recent severe storms, flooding, and at least one confirmed tornado. The storms caused widespread damage and fatalities across West Tennessee leaving a path of major damage in Fayette, Hardeman and McNairy counties, and an EF-3 tornado struck the town of Selmer, TN. Bott Radio Networks, Faith Armstrong shares a word from Hope Church concerning their donation drive for tornado victims in Selmer, TN.

Pastor Derrick Anderson from Missionary Baptist Church is joined by Director of Marketing and Communications at Brown Church and host of The Early Morning Praise Party on 95.7 Hallelujah FM. They are excited to announce the opening of its new Whitehaven Campus with the inaugural worship service on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Listen for details on this and many more ministry outreaches.

Pastor John Horne of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Arlington is joined by Joe Dallas to discuss their upcoming conference, “LGBTQ: Speaking the Truth; Loving the People”, April 4-6. Joe Dallas directs a Biblical counseling ministry for those dealing with sexual and relational problems, and with their families as well. Joe says, “Working with people who want their lives conformed to God’s will is one of life’s greatest honors. Seeing that work bear fruit is one of life’s greatest joys.”

We’re back at the 2025 NRB Convention in Dallas, Texas to meet up with Daniel Cohen, News Director for The Real-Life Network. Three-time Emmy winner Daniel Cohen delivers regular reports from Tel Aviv, Israel on major events in the Middle East. Daniel recalls moving from California, where he previously served as morning co-anchor on Los Angeles’ highly rated “Good Day LA”, for his children to meet their grandmother, a holocaust survivor.

Another exciting program from the 2025 NRB Convention in Dallas, Texas at the Gaylord Texan with Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley from Pearls of Promise Ministries, helping women overcome life’s trials. Lisa is joined by three of her outstanding team members Michelle Burden, Renee Rollins, and Lane Jordan Burday. We’ll discuss their award-winning documentary, "Their Blood Cries Out", that explores Holocaust denial as well as winning the CVM Gold Crown Award for the Best TV Talk Show for their TV Show: “POP Talk”. Plus, a whole lot more!

We’ll take you to the 2025 NRB Convention in Dallas, Texas at the Gaylord Texan to meet former pastor and film producer James Alford of Kingdom Authority Films. Renowned for his exceptional talent in producing thought-provoking and impactful documentaries with a deep-rooted commitment to his faith, James has dedicated his creative endeavors to shed light on often avoided spiritual topics through the art of filmmaking.

Dr. Jim Whitmire, Minister of Music at Crossroads Baptist Church shares plans to take the Mid-America Passion Play on the road to Living Water Church in Poughkeepsie, New York. We’ll also talk about their newly released CD by the Crossroads Choir, “Let Jesus Christ Be Praised”. These ten hymns have meant the most to Jim throughout his years in music ministry and was arranged by GRAMMY and Dove Award recipient, David T. Clydesdale.

From the Exhibition Hall at the 2025 NRB Convention in Dallas, Texas at the Gaylord Texan we’ll meet Michal Yabo and Orel Galula Lapid from Chimes Israel, improving the lives of people with disabilities. We’ll also meet up with Tap and Katie Horner, missionaries in Mexico, who have discovered how to fund their ministry through the Flamingo Advantage, teaching entrepreneurs learn to maximize the impact of their expertise without compromising their faith.

Guest host Rachel Davis fills in for Byron Tyler with her guest, Greg Sukert, Pastor of Evangelism and Equipping at Central Church in Collierville. Pastor Greg shares how he came to know Jesus Christ and the multi-opportunities that he engages to reach people from all walks of life and from all nations of the world with the same life changing message that God offers the entire human race. Greg is also the co-founder of Anchored North, a ministry creating media that is beautifully produced, theologically sound, and intentionally crafted to reach non-Christians with the gospel.

We pulled from our audio archives and go back to 2008 with an interview with Dr. Kenneth Whalum, Pastor of the New Olivet Baptist Church. Although, some of the conversation is dated, such as Kenneth’s service on the Memphis City School board. We hope you’ll draw from the heart of our conversation, as Christians, we’re called to be salt and light. The conversation was recorded around the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday celebration that year.

Have you noticed that It’s becoming harder to hear God’s voice in modern life and culture with ceaseless distractions? Joy Steorts shares her heart behind City Retreat Memphis. Joy, along with her husband Ken Steorts, Founder/President of Visible Music College, have purchased three acres in the middle of the city to create a retreat to focus on activating Christians towards spiritual formation and creating spaces to personally experience God in deeper ways and connect with other believers.

PJ Moore, Executive Director and Wayne Denny, Director of Church & Community Engagement from World Relief Memphis discuss how recent immigration changes are affecting their work here in our city and how local churches can become a valued resource among their efforts. Persecuted Christians population are another concern and it’s increasing numbers compared to just a few years ago. The criteria refugees must meet to receive assistance, the preparation that World Relief Memphis staff makes before receiving refugees, and the services and support that they provide locally is also a part of our conversation. World Relief’s eighty-year history in the United States, specifically, focuses on helping refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations rebuild their lives in a new country.

Carol Jackson and Mike Arnold share about the 20-year work in Memphis to build stronger inter-city families through Families Matter Memphis. We’ll discuss their program “AFIRM” (A Father’s Involvement Really Matters) designed to empower, enhance, encourage, and support men through fatherhood coaching and parenting support as well career building and job placement. Dr. Samuel Williams, a client of this program, shares how “AFIRM” helped put him on the right track towards fathering his children.

Pastor Derrick Anderson and Helen Walls from Brown Baptist Church provides information about the Free Tax Preparation Services being offered in collaboration with the Internal Revenue Service for the entire community. Each volunteer tax-preparer is trained by the IRS to accurately prepare your taxes for free. Before the show ends, we’ll welcome Sherry MacKey, Morning Show Producer and Radio Personality on 95.7 Hallelujah FM. Sherry tells us how she first got into radio and how much she love the people and community of Memphis.

Mike Forbis of F & F Construction, Sam Mullins of Automatic Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electric, and Andy Price, Headmaster at Desoto Christian Academy share how they gather to study God’s Word each week. Hear how listening to Bott Radio Network Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible, weekday’s at 6:00 am helped to initiate what’s becoming a movement of God in the Mid-South and beyond!

On this edition of Sponsor Spotlight our guests include Rob Mynatt of Scout Land Company, Brent Nowlin of Bluff City Gutters, and Randall Linn of Choate's Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing And Generators. We feature Sponsor Spotlight the 5th Friday of every month to help you learn in depth about the advertisers you here on Bott Radio Network Memphis

Legendary entertainer, Pat Boone continues sharing his 70-year journey in music, television, and movies on this second half of our interview. Pat Boone was ninety years old when the interview was conducted over a Zoom call. Host, Byron Tyler normally records up to thirty minutes in order to produce the Mid-South View Point show. However, on the afternoon that Byron and Pat did the interview, Pat from his home in Beverly Hills, California, the conversation quickly turned into two hours. Pat Boone is the #10 all-time top recording artist. Pat was married to Shirley (Foley) Boone (daughter of Country star ‘Red’ Foley) for over 65 years before her passing. Pat Boone made his first appearance nationally on “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour” (in which he became the original American Idol, selected week after week by the viewers), and later appeared on “The Arthur Godfrey Show.” Those appearances would introduce his talent to record producer Randy Wood of Dot Records who thought Pat Boone could sing rock ‘n roll. He became the youngest person in history to have his own weekly musical variety show (ABC), at times the number one show in television featuring many first time-on-TV artists like Sammy Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole. Elvis Presley once opened for Pat Boone at a big disc jockey “sock hop” in Cleveland in 1956. “I had to follow him,” recollects Pat. “Thank God I had 3 million-selling hit records already and I was the star that night. But I never wanted to follow Elvis again!” Pat Boone is also a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. This is the second half of a two-part interview with Pat Boone.

Legendary entertainer, Pat Boone shares his 70-year journey in music, television, and movies. He has sold nearly 50 million records and had 38 Top 40 hits. Pat was Elvis Presley’s main competition back in the 1950’s too. Today at ninety, Pat Boone is the #10 all-time top recording artist. He is host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, “The Pat Boone Hour” on SiriusXM’s ‘50s Gold channel 72, and “The Pat Boone Show,” which features contemporary gospel music on many local stations across America. Pat was married to Shirley (Foley) Boone (daughter of Country star ‘Red’ Foley) for over 65 years before her passing. Pat Boone’s made his first appearance nationally on “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour” (in which he became the original American Idol, selected week after week by the viewers), and later appeared on “The Arthur Godfrey Show.” Those appearances would introduce his talent to record producer Randy Wood of Dot Records who thought Pat Boone could sing rock ‘n roll. He became the youngest person in history to have his own weekly musical variety show (ABC), at times the number one show in television featuring many first time-on-TV artists like Sammy Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole. Elvis Presley once opened for Pat Boone at a big disc jockey “sock hop” in Cleveland in 1956. “I had to follow him,” recollects Pat. “Thank God I had 3 million-selling hit records already and I was the star that night. But I never wanted to follow Elvis again!” Pat Boone is also a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

David Neff, retired pastor and Church Partnerships Representative with TWR is our guest. Since 1954, radio and other forms of media have given us unique opportunities to share the good news of Jesus in places like China, the Middle East and other nations. David shares how churches can partner with TWR through these unique opportunities sharing the good news of Jesus across the world.

Sean and Heather Ellis, founders of Promise4Hope Ministries, share the tragic story of their fourteen-year-old son, Michael, who died as a result of an ATV accident. In July of 2016, Michael and his friends were enjoying the thrill of off roading when a sharp turn flipped the ATV throwing his friends but pinning Michael underneath the vehicle. Not only were Sean and Heather dealing with their own emotional pain and grief, but the pain and grief of Michael’s younger sister, Abigale. As a result of finding for their own healing, the Ellis’ felt the need to create a ministry to help other parents and their surviving children to walk through similar devastation with God’s hope and peace. Promise4Hope Ministries offers Biblically based weekend retreats for families that have experienced the loss of a child/sibling to connect with other families who understand their grief and be encouraged by the hope that is promised in Jesus.

Dr. Mitchel Godat with Mid-South Mission of Mercy, a free two-day dental clinic for under-served and under-insured people living in Memphis and the surrounding Mid-South area. We’ll provide all of the details on the upcoming free clinic Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25, at Bellevue Baptist Church.

In 2021, Memphis's poverty rate was 22.6%, nearly double the national rate of 12.8%. Structural disparities based on race are persistent and seem to have accelerated in 2023. Carey Madison Moore and Cheryl Henderson discuss how My Cup of Tea provides fair-wage jobs to help women overcome poverty living in the Orange Mound community. Orange Mound is the oldest African American Community in America. In 1895, a portion of the land from the vast Dederick Plantation was sliced into narrow lots and sold to African Americans. These women are provided with the tools they need to thrive financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Their premium teas imported from some of the world's best and most seasoned blenders can be purchased to support their efforts fighting poverty.

In 2022, there were about 18.3 million children in the US without a father in the home, which is about 1 in 4 children. Hassan Saleem founder of Memphis Fathers Love shares his passion for family and efforts to address this sobering reality. These statistics are what helped to motivate Hassan, former pastor at Fellowship Memphis, to invest in the lives of the fatherless by Instilling character, confidence and courage that brings about hope, while equipping them to Impact their community. Memphis Fathers Love partner with single mom’s by providing tangible support to help prepare their children to navigate life.

This is the fourth show in the series from Coffee Central- Southaven, MS. Our guest is Rebecca Treadway Executive Director and Family Advocate with THE ARC NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. The Arc is a non-profit serving the disability communities of Northwest Mississippi by offering programs, education, and connection to achieve the best life possible.

We’re back at Coffee Central, Southaven with our guests from “Engage for More” Pam Pegram, Kim Ball, and Gwen Neal. “Engage for More” aims to assist women in integrating their faith into all aspects of their lives. It’s a great way to start the New Year!!!

Spend New Year’s Day with us from Coffee Central, Southaven with our guest Stacy Dodd. Stacy’s newest book is out, "Backpack and Beyond: Discovering the Keys to the Kingdom.” Stacy shares about overcoming personal challenges, including homelessness and substance abuse, before finding faith in Christ. Stacy is a Certified Addiction Interventionist and founder of The Hope Community Center. If you or someone that you love is trapped in addiction, you’ll want to hear this incredible story.

Carole Ward is the founder of Favor International. Carole Ward lives a life many would not believe is real in Africa. Before moving to Africa, Carol was a registered nurse caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Even though she knew the value of her skilled profession she prayed and asked God to send her any place in the world that no one else wanted to go. Little did Carole know at the time, how God would answer her prayers by sending her to Northern Uganda that had been ravaged by a brutal war for over twenty years. Carole was told repeatedly by U.S. authorities she would come back in a body-bag. Carole with her team of hundreds of nationals is being used by God to impact lives through the Gospel in Northern Uganda, South Sudan, Chad, and surrounding nations, since arrival to Africa in 2002. They have witnessed thousands of Muslims and Muslim terrorist respond to the Gospel to become mighty warriors for the Kingdom of Christ. This show originally aired October 23, 2024

Clair and Wesley, students from First Assembly Christian School in Memphis, TN, provide details on their service with Operation Christmas Child of Samaritan's Purse. FACS broke their record by collecting over “500 Shoeboxes” this year through a joint effort among student’s Pre-K-12 grades! Recently, Clair and Wesley joined a team of hundreds of volunteers at the Processing Center in Atlanta to ship the boxes to children around the world. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations. This show originally aired 12/11/24

Are our traditions and celebration at Christmas time a true reflection of the miracle of Christ birth? Pastor and Bible teacher Ronnie Stevens unpacks the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ according to what took place. From the virgin birth to the shepherds in the fields, and the visit by the long traveling Magi, we’ll look at these events and discuss how this miracle birth is relevant to us today. This show originally aired 12/22/22

On location from Coffee Central, Southaven location for our first in a series of four shows. On this first edition our guest is Tina Tatum, owner of Coffee Central. We’ll discuss how this shop has become the community stop for fresh tasting specialty grade coffee that roasts in-house from a variety of imported beans worldwide. Tina sees her shop has a tool to minister hope by genuinely serving her customers. Many local pastors use Coffee Central as a meeting place. A portion off all proceeds go to help survivors of human trafficking locally and around the world. Their monthly live music night benefits a different non-profit each month, people who are making a difference in our community!

Clair and Wesley, students from First Assembly Christian School in Memphis, TN, provide details on their service with Operation Christmas Child of Samaritan's Purse. FACS broke their record by collecting over “500 Shoeboxes” this year through a joint effort among student Pre-K-12 grades! Recently, Clair and Wesley joined a team of hundreds of volunteers at the Processing Center in Atlanta to ship the boxes to children around the world. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.

Dr. Chuck Herring, Senior Pastor at Collierville First Baptist Church is joined by Dr. Joshua McClain, Worship Pastor with details about, “Experience Christmas” and the special “Candlelight Services” for your family to focus on Christ this Christmas.

In a world where relationships break, regrets lurk, and anger rules, what if peace is always possible? More than that—what if peace is the answer? Mark Blair, Minister of Music at Bellevue Baptist Church, Lisa Parker, and Mark Alexander stop by with all of the exciting details about the 48th Singing Christmas Tree, December 12–15. The Singing Christmas Tree, a time-honored tradition that features singing, drama, dancing, and a signature 44-foot tree. This year’s original storyline will transport you to the charming town of Merryvale and help you discover the life-changing power of the Christmas story.

On this edition of Sponsor Spotlight you’ll meet Rob Tragarz from Pro-Life Garage Doors Germantown, Kamika Wall with Design Your Wellness, and Andrew Gibson from Germantown Plantation Senior Living Community.

It's always time to give thanks! So much we have to be grateful and thankful to God for in our lives, our nation, this world, and His plan for redemption through Christ. Join me and dear friend, retired pastor, Grover Westover on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a time of reflecting on the blessings of God and thanking Him for those blessings. Grover brings his guitar into the studio for a few songs too!

This is a continuation of our interview with Pastor Jonathan Calheiros of Church at the Park. Jonathan shares what it’s like to pastor a church where different ethnicities and cultures come together for worship at a city park. He recalls when he first learned to play the guitar, something that’s incorporated in his family’s worship music together with his wife and three children. Jonathan also shares some unusual things that have happened since he started Church at the Park. He stresses the importance of ministry to immigrant families through workshops, activities, and networking opportunities. Church at the Park, a muti-international group of Christ believers that gather each Sunday afternoon at Shelby Farms Park for worship, fellowship, and proclaiming the Gospel to park visitors.

Dr. Hal Kitchings discusses his latest book, “Dog Gone, It Hurts”. A life-long dog lover, Hal knows how difficult it is to grieve over a beloved pooch. Dog-Gone, It Hurts is a thirty-day devotional that mixes relevant scripture with gentle encouragement and includes the wisdom of thinkers, pastors, and celebrities like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Billy Graham, and Tim Tebow. Dog-Gone It Hurts will provide support for anyone who has lost any pet (not just dog lovers). Hal also shares about his sister, Kathy’s passing from Covid, impacted his perspective on grief, and how it translates into the book's message. He recalls how a childhood dog named, JAB-O helped to prepare him for future grief, grief associated with the untimely deaths of several close friends, and some dear family members. Dr. Kitchings currently serves as pastor of Easthaven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, MS

Discover the story behind what lead Pastor Jonathan Calheiros, Brazilian born, living in Colombia to move to the Unites States. Eventually, Jonathan brought his family to Memphis to start Church at the Park. This muti-international group of Christ believers gather each Sunday afternoon at Shelby Farms Park for worship, fellowship, and proclaiming the Gospel to park visitors. Born in Brazil and raised as a Buddhist by his parents, Johnathan recalls an invitation from a neighborhood lady to visit her church. That invitation would become something that would change the course of his life forever.

Ozark Mountain Christmas with Byron Tyler and co-host Pam Yancey, President of ExploreBranson.com continues with this Third Show in the Series. Guests include Grace Lugo from Mel’s Hard Luck Diner. Mel’s Diner is a 1950’s style diner with the singing waiters. Grace sings for us on the show! Next is Ty Lewis with Shepherd of the Hills with info on the Trail of Lights, longest running and #1 favorite Branson drive-through Christmas lights attraction as well as the North Pole Adventure, and host of Christmas themed dinner shows. We’ll wrap this fourth show in our series with Valerie Coleman from College of the Ozarks. The college charges no tuition for full-time students due to its student work program. Valerie also shares Christmas festivities at the Keeter Center where you can experience farm to fork dining along with the best ice cream made from their campus dairy cows! These shows were produced in the Bott Radio Network studios in Branson, Missouri. Learn more about making plans to spend Christmas in Branson at www.explorebranson.com