Beeson podcast, Episode 489 Jennifer Davis Rash March 24, 2020 Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your hosts, Doug Sweeney and Kristen Padilla. Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I am Doug Sweeney here with my co-host Kristen Padilla and we are glad you've joined us for another conversation that we pray will edify your faith and strengthen your walk with God. We are excited to have a Beeson alumna in the studio today. Now onto today's conversation. Kristen, who do we have with us in the studio today? Kristen Padilla: Hello everyone. We have Jennifer Davis Rash. Jennifer is the president of TAB Media and editor in chief of the Alabama Baptist Newspaper. Throughout her time on staff at the newspaper, she has helped lead the editorial team to win more than 250 national awards. And I should say that Jennifer was my first boss after seminary. She gave me a job at Alabama Baptist and I'm so grateful she did. She's also married to Jason and they are members of North park Baptist Church, Trussville. Jennifer, we're delighted to have you on the show today. Jennifer Rash: Well, I am so excited to be here and yes, everyone, I will take credit for Kristin. Yes, yes. You're welcome, Doug. Doug Sweeney: Thank you. Kristen Padilla: Jennifer, I'm so excited for people to get to know you better. So, why don't we begin by you introducing yourself. Where are you from? How did you come to faith in Jesus Christ? And who's Jennifer? Jennifer Rash: Oh, goodness. Well, not very exciting, I'm afraid, but basically I am a farm girl from Phil Campbell, Alabama and I grew up in a Christian family and a church going family and all of that kind of thing pretty routine. I did not actually fully surrender my life to the Lord until 19 years old, but at that point everything changed and I surrendered to Christ, I surrendered to a call of Full Time Christian Ministry. I had no idea what that meant, but I did it and I knew it and I knew it was there. And then I'm off to finish college and about last semester of my senior year in college, I knew what that call meant and that led me to the mission field, I spent two years with the International Mission Board and Caribbean Christian Publications on the mission field. And then at age 24 landed at TAB Media at the Alabama Baptist. And crazy enough, that was 24 years ago. So, half my life has been spent with the Alabama Baptist Newspaper and TAB Media and all that we're doing there. Doug Sweeney: Jennifer, I learned just today about the two years you spent at the International Mission Board in South Florida working with Caribbean Christian Publications. What was that like and what did you learn about Baptist life in the Caribbean? Jennifer Rash: Oh, that was such a special time in a lot of ways, because I had just found my way through what I was going to be doing in my spiritual life, I guess and learning about God at a new level. Again, I grew up in church, grew up understanding but not really grasping. And so my hunger level was really, really there. And so just all that I did spiritually and grow in there and the people that God put in front of me, the mentors he placed in my life, it was such a special, special rich time. And then on top of that I got to serve in what I was trained to do, which is communications. And so that was a blast. I had so much fun working with the editorial team at Caribbean Christian Publications. Basically, we produced the Sunday school curriculum and any other supporting resources that churches might need for the English speaking Caribbean. Jennifer Rash: So, we spoke us there, which was a good thing because my Spanish was not really that great. So, I was very glad to see when I got there it was for the English speaking. It was just... I loved it. I can't put words around it. I was able to assist six editors and help them in whatever they needed. It might be proofreading, it might be copy editing, sometimes it was writing. And then with one editor, she had some health issues and so there were a few moments where at the last minute she could not fly to the area where she was supposed to be leading a conference and I was always her backup. So, I learned how to think quickly on my feet and to learn a lot of things really fast to be able to turn around and teach them. Jennifer Rash: So, that was a great experience. It was all scary, but it was a great experience and I loved that opportunity. The trust they put in me and what I learned through all that. And then to get to be with the people in the Caribbean and see just how much they love Jesus and how much they wanted to share the Gospel. And they were just looking for our help with resources. And so all of that tied in together. It was an amazing, amazing two years. Kristen Padilla: So, you just said that you have now spent half of your life at the Alabama Baptist Newspaper. Jennifer Rash: If you do the math, you will figure out that yes. Kristen Padilla: And you actually blogged about this. I read your blog post on rational thoughts, your blog about what you've learned over the last 24 years and all the things that God has done. But let's begin with explaining for our listeners who might be unfamiliar with the organization, what is TAB Media and the Alabama Baptist Newspaper. And then how did you get started there? What roles did you have and how did that develop? Jennifer Rash: Well, you will love this story because the reason I landed at the Alabama Baptist and it was at that point in 1996 it was one newspaper. That's what it was. It is a full media group now and I'll explain all of that, but one newspaper that it has been around since 1843. February the fourth 1843 and the newspaper needed a news writer, entry level news writer. I was coming to none other than Beeson Divinity School at Sanford University in Birmingham, Alabama. You might know a little bit about that. And funny thing, as my time on the mission field wrapped, I had to make some decisions, what's next? And after lots and lots of struggling through what that meant, I determined I needed theological education, I needed to attend seminary or divinity school and ended up with Beeson. Jennifer Rash: So, okay, great. I'm going to go to Beeson, get my degree, and then figure out where God has called me to serve, but I needed to eat and live. So, I needed some kind of income and thought, we'll I'll put my journalism communication degree to work and by way of another neat story, that's a really, really cool of a connection and a network opportunity. I ended up at the Alabama Baptist thinking, "Hey, I'm a journalism major, they need an entry level news writer, we're two miles away from Beeson Divinity School where our headquarters are, and so that was perfect. I'll go there, work, do my best, give them three good years and I'll be off on my way to wherever God's called me." And so boom, here we are all this time. Believe it or not, that's where he called me and it's been so much fun to watch what has happened in the industry. Jennifer Rash: There have been moments where it was a little bit scary, we weren't sure what was happening with newspapers in general and then also denominational life. All of it there's been so much change in these 24 years, but we have morphed into a full media group. So, we are a print publication that also has a digital counterpart that is fully interactive. Then we have a robust website with more than 40,000 articles and resources available. We have social media presence and we have a radio show and a podcast and coming up soon we will have three new podcasts being added to what we're already doing. So, that's a little bit about TAB Media. Doug Sweeney: Our listeners Jennifer, will probably be interested to know that you're the first female editor and chief and president of an autonomous State Baptist news outlet. So, what was that like for you- Jennifer Rash: what does it mean? Doug Sweeney: What does it mean? But I bet a lot of our listeners who thought especially who are women and are thinking about ministry opportunities for themselves, we'd love to hear a word from you about what that's been like as a kind of ministry for you? Jennifer Rash: I honestly never really thought about it. It just coming in the way I did and it just happening and realizing all of a sudden this is where God has called me. It has always just fit. It has always been the right place. The opportunities have been amazing. A lot of what we do is relationship centered, I guess is the way I want to say that. And my heart is built for relationships and loving people and networking and wanting people to be their best and finding ways to connect and network people together. That has always just been a part of who I am, no matter where I'm serving. And so what we do at TAB Media and how it all works with all of Alabama Baptist and beyond really, that role is a core piece. And so it made sense to me. I don't know the difference of female male on that part, but for me it just fits and I never really thought about it any differently than it'd be in a heart fit. Kristen Padilla: And working with you, I can testify to your passion and dedication to this work and it is such a good fit for you. And I think our listeners would be interested Jennifer, to hear more about, you mentioned this already, but just how newspaper and media has changed over the last 24 years. I remember when I was on staff before I left, we were at that time looking at how do we bring the newspaper to an online readable format and so much has changed since I left. How has the Alabama Baptist faced these challenges and what has all that looked like? Jennifer Rash: Well, I had the privilege of working for DR, Bob Terry for 23 of those 24 years that I've been in there. President's role now, a little bit more than a year. So, he led a lot of efforts where he allowed us to try a lot of things and to explore and to experiment. That in itself, I think was very important. Did we throw a lot of things at the wall that... Yeah, we probably wish we hadn't have. Yes. But it gave us that opportunity to start eliminating what looks good, what works, what's going to survive, what's not going to survive. And to find our way through it and figure it out. But I think one of the main pieces is we actually stayed one step behind for a long time and we watched, we watched and we watched and we let some others who were jumping out really fast go ahead and get out there and let them throw it at the wall and see what happened. And we learned from what they did well and we learned from their mistakes and then we would step in and then we had that benefit. Jennifer Rash: So, sometimes that was difficult to be that patient because you saw, okay, we're behind, we're behind, we're behind. However, when we finally pulled the trigger and we moved into the slot, we had learned from so many others that we did it really well. And that was kind of neat. The industry is constantly in flux. So, I don't know that we've actually made it through it yet. We're still trying to figure it all out and we're still watching and learning from others. The neat thing now is we have moved into a level where a lot of people are also watching us and so that's been kind of fun to be part of the core group who's making a difference in figuring it out. Jennifer Rash: So, we're out there listening to our audience and saying, "Hey, what is it that you want? How do you want to get your information?" You know everybody knows that how toxic the communications industry, media type things are becoming and how can we be that calming, rational, no pun intended with my name. A calming voice for people of faith, not only in Alabama, but across the United States. Maybe across the world. Doug Sweeney: 24 years is a long time. You've covered a lot of stories about Baptist life and the period of time you've been at the Alabama Baptist and probably lots of people think first of all, when they think about 24 years worth of stories about the controversies or the more political stories, but could you encourage our listeners with some stories that you've been able to cover during your time at the newspaper where you just got to see God at work in an amazing way and it really was an encouragement to your own faith? Jennifer Rash: That's a great question. There are so many moments and you're right. You can start labeling those at different levels there. I think we could be here all day if I really started listing, but I think if I went back to one, a recent one, last fall, we got to tell an amazing story where a family at a church in Birmingham, Alabama who had for decades or years at least participated in the Shoebox Ministry, Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan's Purse, ShoeBox Ministry. And was just a routine thing that they did. And the mom would always include a picture of her children and write a little note with their name and included in the shoe box. And so the story is that in 1999 the particular box they packed that year went to a particula little girl in Kosovo. Jennifer Rash: And this was in a difficult time. And this little girl got this box and she clung to this box, this box gave her hope, she connected with this picture and the note that was written and there were a pair of socks. Maybe they had lace on them, I think this is what I'm remembering, but this pair of socks just meant so much to her. And long story short, you know where I'm headed, right? So, she actually, they get to meet in 2018. So, the box was packed and delivered in 1999 and in 2018 the little girl who is now a career woman got to meet the family who packed the box and the family from Birmingham flew her from Florida to Birmingham to meet them because she and her dad had eventually made their way to the United States and she had looked for them for a years. Every year, she said she would spend some time trying to find them and it was until 2018 that she actually did. Jennifer Rash: So, that was just one of those moments where... We've covered Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes since they started. And it's a great ministry and so many people are a part of it. But after a while, those stories really do become routine and start sounding the same. So, to be able to actually see the result of one of these things that we all do and check a box off every year. And to be reminded that there might actually be a moment. That child's life was so changed in the hope she was given and the fact that she held onto that picture and clung to them. And she now is a very advocate for shoe boxes and in leads her effort in her church. And so to still all that. So, that was just a recent story, but we've had so many. I've walked with people through serious illnesses to tell their story. Jennifer Rash: One girl early in my tenure at the Alabama Baptist that got, just to tell the whole story of a girl who was needing a triple transplant and the family, they were new to the faith and it was just a devastating time. And so I stayed with them, I sat in the hospital day after day. I took the younger children out to play and get something to eat, just to get them out of the hospital waiting room. Just all kinds of opportunities that I got to sit and become part of their family to tell that story. And it was a good story, it was a heartbreaking story, it was a touching story. But for me personally, just to walk with them and to not know that a decade later I would be walking that same path with a very dear family member of my own. So, for God to have put me in a place to let me learn and grow and watch and then be able to apply that. Kristen Padilla: The Alabama Baptist has done a wonderful job not only in telling stories but reporting the news reporting aspect I think is one of your strongest features. One thing that comes to mind is all the reporting debt you all have done following natural disasters and the work of Alabama Baptist, but you've also have helped Baptist brothers and sisters address challenges in the state with the government and other issues. And the paper has become a place where I have seen personally that Baptist really trusts you for truthful, accurate reporting. So, talk to us about that aspect of your work and the importance that you all see in that kind of reporting for Baptist in the state. Jennifer Rash: It's shocking to me that any news outlet, anybody have trained level of media would not do it that way. That is hard for me to accept, but it is real and there are with all that is available through technology and social media, everyone's a journalist now, everyone's a reporter whether they were trained or not. And so sometimes it's hard to distinguish who is truly skilled and capable of reporting the news. So, I do think that it's always been important, but now more than ever a while, the truth, the accuracy part, fact checking, just common sense. Fact checking, but it's not done and it's not always done well if it is attempted. And so we do work really hard. We take that very seriously, that we are trusted at that level. Do we make mistakes? Yes, but it's not because we didn't try. Jennifer Rash: Things will happen, but as soon as we know we made a mistake, we clarify it, correct it, change it, do what we need to do, but we work really hard to make sure that what we're reporting, we are telling you the facts as best we can figure out, find out, report, check, fact check, double check. A lot of times people won't give you the full story and so you have to do the best you can with what you're given, but we've been able to deal with legislation. In fact, a few years ago the Alabama Press Association awarded us one of their top awards, which is the Freedom of Information Award for our news reporting. And it was during the time when there was some gambling expansion legislation happening. And the topic was about basically that we need to expand gambling, but the concern was not even about that part. Jennifer Rash: The concern that we had was that the reports and the documentation and the pieces they were trying to use to say, "Here's why you should do this. Here are the numbers, here's why this would be good for our state." All of that was misrepresented. And there was a report that was put together with false information and with skewed information. And then it was used as the piece that was being touted as, "This is why this will work." And so Alabama Baptists traditionally will oppose gambling expansion anyway, but where we fit in was not to just preach to the choir, but it was to say, all Alabama citizens who are going to be part of this discussion doesn't matter. Not right now, whether you're a person of faith or not, this is about our state. This piece of information is wrong and they're using it. And we proved it in our reporting. Jennifer Rash: And so that was a fulfilling moment as a reporter because you're part of the big pool of all media. And who was it that exposed this piece? It was TAB Media. The Alabama Baptist. The little old religious newspaper over here. So, that was a fulfilling moment to be able to do that. Not only for our Alabama Baptist family, but for the entire state of Alabama to be able to make that right. Because again, debate it all out, talk about it, have the conversation we should, but do it with truth and with accuracy and with the facts, not with trying to exaggerate or make up information to get something your way. Actually everybody come to the TABle and talk about it with the facts. Jennifer Rash: And so that's what we're trying to work really hard, that everything we do models that and that we are helping people learn how to find credible news sources, not areas or people or broadcasters or content outlets. I'll say that. Say, things what you wish would happen or that you might prefer, but actually be able to trust this information and I know that they will have done everything they could to make sure we're getting the facts. So, we hope we're modeling that and we take it very seriously. Doug Sweeney: We are proud Jennifer, to remind our listeners that you are a Beeson alum and as you know, we at Beeson are always trying to promote the value of theological education for God's people. Can you say a word to our listeners about the difference that Beeson made in your own life and in your own ministry at the Alabama Baptist? Jennifer Rash: Absolutely. I know with what I do at the Alabama Baptist, probably a little confusing that they want it and you just do a seminary that's through the Southern Baptist and they're all some amazing work there and opportunities there as well. But Beeson was just right for me. It allowed me to grow in areas that didn't even realize I needed to grow in. I needed to understand all levels of people of faith who believe in Jesus Christ and want to follow him and understand how to live out their call in ministry and it not be so small I guess. Or in my worldview at that point was very limited. And so to be able to be around so many amazing, amazing people of faith and to learn from so many different professors and to be part of the staff, to be mentored by Dr. Robert Smith, hey what else can I say? Jennifer Rash: But to have all of that... And Kristen, I wouldn't have met Kristen and just all the different people that had been there, but what you can learn theological education in general. Yes. Advocate of that. No matter what your role, no matter what you do, it will help. Now, did I learn everything about every piece of the Bible? No, I learned how to study, I learned how to research, I learned how to find different things, I learned how to think broadly and think more abstractly, but so many things I learned how to do so that I could then grow and deepen in my own faith as well as be able to work in the ministry that I ended up in. I would say business people, anybody, whatever it might be, ministry or any job you're in, it will only enhance that. Jennifer Rash: And then for me, Beeson was the right place. It was really... It was small enough that I was known a number, I was known the network, the community, the spirit there. I loved having all the different cheerleaders, if you will. Everybody was cheering us on and helping us and working with us as individuals. Some of the professors, maybe I won't get them in trouble. Some of the professors knew that I was a journalism major in communications and my career took in that path. So they would adapt the style of the papers and instead of forcing me into what is it you guys use all the theological Turabian or something, I don't know. But they would let me use the AP style because that's what I do. Right? Jennifer Rash: So, I did press style and so... Who does that? Right? How awesome to say the mowing point is, we want to make sure that you're getting this and we understand that you're understanding and we know you're not going to become a professor in a seminary, but you're going to become... You are a career journalist. So, just just little things like that changed the world for me because that one level of stress was removed in order I could spend more time learning. Kristen Padilla: Jennifer, we always like to end by hearing what God is doing in your life and teaching you that would encourage our listeners. So, is there anything that you would like to share today about how you see God at work and you personally or maybe among Baptist that you could encourage us with? Jennifer Rash: I think I'm learning every day, but I think right now the main thing is that he's teaching me is that he gives me enough for each day. I may want to get ahead, I want to be on top of things, I want to get more done than anybody else around me type of personality. And right now he's teaching me what's in front of you today and he will give me what I need and to trust the people that he's put in place. So, I think that's the big lesson I'm dealing with right now. Doug Sweeney: That is a good word and a great way to bring to a conclusion this conversation. You have been listening to Jennifer Davis Rash, a wonderful Beeson alumna, the president and editor in chief of the Alabama Baptist. We are proud of Jennifer and her work and grateful to her for being with us today and we're grateful to you for tuning in as well. God bless you. We love you. Goodbye for now. Kristen Padilla: You've been listening to the Beeson Podcast. Our theme music is written and performed by Advent Birmingham of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Our engineer is Rob Willis, our announcer is Mike Pasquarelli. Our co-hosts are Doug Sweeney and myself, Kristen Padilla. Please subscribe to the Beeson Podcast, @beesondivinity.com/podcast or on iTunes. 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