Middle TN
Worship Summit
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Belle Aire Baptist Church
1307 N Rutherford Blvd
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Conference Leaders
Mark Blair
Track: Worship Leaders/Ministers of Music
Mark Blair has been the Minister of Music at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, TN, since 2007 and has served in full-time music ministry since 1985. He grew up in Hixson, TN and was encouraged at an early age to use his love of music in the church. Originally planning to be a band director, he still carries a love for high school bands and all things Drum Corps International. He directed his first church choir when he was in 7th grade, the “Young Musicians” at Memorial Baptist Church and continued to work with children’s choirs at Hixson FBC during high school. Encouraged by his musical and spiritual mentors he went on to earn a BS in Music Education from UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga. Feeling a call to ministry, he joined the staff of Central Baptist, Hixson while in college and then full-time upon graduation. Mark has used his love of worship music, pageantry, and the theatrical and performing arts to build diverse musical ministries. Bellevue’s music ministry involves choirs for all ages, orchestra, contemporary bands, theatrical productions, an in-house recording studio and also has a School of Performing Arts offering private instruction along with a Homeschool Children’s choir, a Homeschool Middle and High School choir, and a Ballet studio. He has been married to Mardi since 1986. They have a daughter, Kristen, (Brandon Davis), two grandchildren, a son, Hunter Blair (Amanda), and three dogs.
Dr. Tony Cooper
Track: Worship Bands/Worship Teams
Speaker for Opening Worship
Tony is the Associate Professor for Worship Studies and Director of the Center for Worship at Union University. Starting with his youth group in Oklahoma when he was 15, Tony has been leading worship for the previous 30 years at churches in OK, MS, and NC. "Being a worship pastor is not just about facilitating worship each Sunday, it's also about making sure your team members lead lives of personal worship too."
Tony is married to his high school sweetheart, Jennifer. They have two children, Jace (senior-University of Oklahoma) and Mackenzie (freshman-Union University).
He double majored in Theology and in Missions at Randall University and spent numerous undergrad hours at the University of Central Oklahoma studying piano and trombone performance. He completed a Masters in Music and Worship and the Doctor of Worship Studies from Liberty University.
Matt Tullos
Track: Creativity in Worship
Matt Tullos has been writing dramatic, devotionals, sermons, videos, poems and humor since 1985. He is a monthly humor writer for Homelife.
He has served Southern Baptists as editor, teacher, consultant, specialist and coach at LifeWay, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and presently the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
Matt has been married to Darlene Tullos since 1986. They have written and performed dramatic vignettes for Fall Festivals of Marriage, The Southern Baptist Convention, Sunday School Weeks, The Drama in Worship Conference, and Winter Youth Celebration. They are the parents of four sons: Isaac, Jacob, Nathan, and Caleb.
He loves Jesus.
Megan Allen
Track: Choirs (Directors and Members)
Megan Allen, a Southern Illinois native, earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2003 from Murray State University. She currently serves at the Director of the Bethel University Renaissance Choir, Resound (16 voice group) and directs the music for the Renaissance theatre program. Renaissance is very unique in that it is an extra curricular scholarship program where students are given opportunities to sing, act, play an instrument or in technical production. The groups travel to churches and serve in music ministry all over the Midwest!
Before coming to Bethel in 2017, Megan taught K-12 choral music, integration/aesthetic arts education. In 2009, Megan was given the prestigious Tennessee Young Music Educator of the Year award. She has also served as guest clinician and judge for the Illinois and Kentucky music education associations and has been an event chairman for several events the West TN Vocal Music Education Association. She has also served in music/children’s/youth ministry for over 20 years. She loves to share her passion for worship leading and singing! Megan does consulting for church choirs and worship teams! Her amazing husband Jeremy, and their beautiful children, Fisher (11) and Ruby (6) reside in McKenzie, TN. In her spare time (which is rare) Megan enjoys fitness, shopping and traveling with her family! Megan is very excited to serve the Tennessee Baptist Worship Summit in this capacity for a second year!
Amy Tate Williams
Track: Pianists/Keyboardists
Amy Tate Williams currently serves as Pianist and Traditional Worship Coordinator at Forest Hills Baptist Church. She also plans and leads worship for a new church in Williamson County - Riverside Fellowship. A native of Bowling Green, KY, Amy received her Bachelor's in Piano Performance from Western Kentucky University, one Master's of Music in Piano Performance and a second in Piano Accompanying, both from Florida State University. She trained for two years in the Houston Grand Opera Studio, free-lanced as pianist and vocal coach in many regional opera houses, taught vocal music for 6 years at the elementary, middle and high school levels, culminating in a position at Nashville Opera as Chorus Master and Pianist for the last 25 years. Amy has been composing and publishing original music and arrangements since college. In 2010, she founded her own label - Randamwill Music - which promotes a wide variety of music for trained musicians in the church. Randamwill has customers across the nation and internationally. Although God equipped Amy to be a professional musician and opera specialist, His call on her life is to "write songs for Him" which fills her heart with joy and purpose.
Darlene Abbott
Track: Children's Choir
Darlene Abbott has served as Director of Kid’s Worship Choir at The Church at Station Hill a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tn for 15 years. On Easter she and her husband began the new campus of Brentwood called The Church at West End. She is a writer of preschool and children’s music and curriculum currently working with Semsen Muisc. She created Preschool Praisentation with Kathie Hill and has contributed to many products by LifeWay. Darlene is the creator of the Music Mom Products which include music teaching games and activities, as well as new preschool programs such as The Good Shepherd. She travels as an instructor and clinician for church workers, choir leaders, music educators, and day school teachers as well as women’s events. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Darlene currently resides in Spring Hill, TN with her family.
Tim Hammond
Track: Audio-Visual
Worship Leader for Opening Worship Gathering
Tim Hammond is a Texan by birth but grew up on the mission field in Brazil. He attended Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary with degrees in worship, theology and leadership. Tim has been a worship pastor for over 20 years and has been a worship pastor in churches of all sizes and worship styles in VA, TN, GA, KS, MO and NC. He helped teach at Liberty University Center for Worship and developed a passion for coaching. With a passion for technology and seeing churches make use of the great tools to communicate the message of the Gospel, Tim currently works as an AV Project Manager for S&L Integrated systems in addition to leading worship at churches all over TN. Tim is married to Megan and they have 2 kids, Abner and Eden. They currently live in Spring Hill TN.
Coming soon!
Campus Map
Sponsors
Special thanks to Getty Music, Carson-Newman University’s Ball Institute for Church Music and the Music Department of Union University for their generous support of the Middle TN Regional Worship Summit.