A hub for evangelical Christianity
Good morning!
Welcome to Your Week, our exclusive newsletter where each Sunday we feature our best coverage and highlight what we have coming up during the week ahead.
I'm politics and investigations editor Duane Gang.
⛪ What do places like Colorado Springs; Wheaton, Illinois; Orange County, California and now Williamson County have in common?
They are all suburban hubs for American evangelical power.
Reporters Liam Adams and Cole Villena document Williamson County's rise to become this "new frontier" for evangelical Christianity.
Case in point:
► Educational Media Foundation, the company behind K-LOVE, Air1 and other Christian media brands, now is calling the county home. Its future headquarters will be right next to Ramsey Solutions, another major, evangelical-friendly company.
► Capitol Christian Music Group — the world's leading Christian music label and home to artists such as Amy Grant, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, TobyMac and Mandisa, among many others — is based in Brentwood.
► Lifeway, the Christian resources publisher, is moving to Brentwood and leaving Nashville, its home for 130 years.
What does this all mean for Williamson County? That's what Liam and Adam explore in this important story. It's the type of story we could not have done without your support as a subscriber. Don't miss it.
🍴 Labor Day is upon us tomorrow. Here's something I didn't know the full extent of until reading this piece from business reporter Arcelia Martin. Tourists are filling up hotel rooms. Restaurant dining rooms once again are bustling. But employment in the service sector is still reeling from the pandemic.
“Restaurants are having record business and again, the lowest staffing that we've had in years and years and years,” said Leesa LeClaire, president of The Greater Nashville Hospitality Association.
Arcelia explores some of the reasons why and what chefs and others are trying to do to solve the problem.
📰 Your subscription makes all these stories possible. Your support helps us tell stories about how faith and public policy intersect, about the effects of Nashville's growth and about the good in our community.
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✨ The Good News with Brad Schmitt. This is one of my favorites. It always brings a smile and provides some much needed uplifting news. You can get it every Friday morning in your inbox. You can sign up for this subscriber exclusive here.
🏫 School Zone. As a parent of two children in Metro Nashville Public Schools, I have a vested interest in keeping tabs on the latest education news. School Zone, our weekly education newsletter, is a valuable resource. Each Tuesday afternoon, our education reporters from across the state provide insight — from the classroom to the statehouse. Sign up here.
Thank you for reading and for your continued support.
— Duane W. Gang, The Tennessean
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: A hub for evangelical Christianity
