Texas Tidbits_92004

Posted: 9/17/04

Texas Tidbits

Singles witness at state park. About 150 single adults spent part of a holiday weekend sharing their faith with vacationers at Garner State Park in south central Texas. It was the final event of the Single Adult Labor Day Conference at nearby Alto Frio Baptist Encampment, sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Christian Life Commission. The singles divided themselves into teams–face-painting, bracelet-making, water-giveaway, prayer-walking–and spread out around the park. They ended the day by serving more than 500 hotdogs to visitors.

UMHB ministers' forum slated. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor's College of Christian Studies will sponsor a monthly on-campus forum open to ministers of any denomination. Tony Martin, UMHB religion professor, will speak on wisdom literature of Israel at the first lunchtime forum, 11:45 a.m. Sept. 23. Participants may purchase lunch at the school's dinning hall or bring their own. For more information about this or other College of Christian Studies programs, call (254) 295-5075.

Kingwood congregation marks church-starting milestone. Iglesia Bautista Hispana Woodridge in Kingwood recently was recognized as the 1,000th church start facilitated by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Church Multiplication Center since 2000. Eduardo Mecca is pastor. The congregation is tailored to reach middle- and upper-income Hispanics who prefer to worship in Spanish, a demographic few Texas Baptist churches are serving, said Abe Zabaneh, director of the center.

Dead Sea Scrolls come to Houston. Hidden for almost 2,000 years in remote caves in the Judean desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls will be exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from Oct. 1 through Jan. 2. Regarded as the greatest archeological find of the 20th century and rarely seen outside Jerusalem, these scrolls include some of the earliest surviving textual records of the books of the Old Testament. For ticket information, visit www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629.

UMHB program accredited. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor's community counseling program has been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Council accreditation is important when a graduate seeks national counselor certification and state licensure as a professional counselor.

Statewide Hispanic convocation set. Baptist men from across Texas are expected to attend the Hispanic Baptist Convocation of the Laity at Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center near Austin Oct. 15-16. Already 800 men have been trained at several mini-convocations this year, and the number is expected to surpass 1,000 during the convocation at Highland Lakes Camp. As a result, volunteers have established about 80 Brotherhood chapters in Hispanic Texas Baptist churches, and the number is expected to surpass 100 soon, said Eli Rodriguez of Dallas, coordinator of the convocation. Key events at the convocation include a leadership awards program honoring Alcides Guajardo, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, and Javier Rios, president of Varones Bautistas, "Ring of Honor" awards to Baptist men who have served 25 years or more and recognition of training teams. Key speakers include Alfonso Flores, pastor of First Mexican Baptist Church of San Antonio; Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; E.B. Brooks, director of the BGCT church missions and evangelism section; and Leo Smith, executive director of Texas Baptist Men.

Correction: An article in the Sept. 6 issue of the Baptist Standard, "Texas offers theology students multiple-choice answers," inadvertently referred to East Texas Baptist University as East Texas State University. ETBU offers two 60-hour associate degrees, and those credits can be applied toward the 120 to 133 hours required for a bachelor's degree.