Around the State

Posted: 9/29/07

Around the State

• Fielder Road Church in Arlington and Dallas Baptist University are partnering to bring the “Lead Like Jesus” conference to North Texas via satellite. The Oct. 19 conference will feature Ken Blanchard, Erwin McManus, John and Nancy Ortberg, and other Christian leaders from around the country. The simulcast will begin at the Arlington church at 10:15 a.m., but the doors will open at 9 a.m. Tickets are $25, or $10 for students with a current student identification card. Lunch is included in the ticket price. For more information, call (817) 460-2234 or (214) 333-5103.

• JoAnne Ivy has been appointed an apprentice missionary by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. She will serve in West Africa. Southcliff Church in Fort Worth is her home church, where she served as a preschool associate.

• Eleven new board members have been appointed by the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. They are Glenn Callison, Tom Dunning, Stan-ford Finney, Gini Florer, Bill Miller, James Miller, Beverly Nichols, Wallace Reed, John Tolleson, Michelle Valdez and Terry Worrell.

• Catherine Crawford has been named vice president for institutional advancement at East Texas Baptist University.

• Derek Davis, dean of the College of Humanities and the graduate school at The University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, was the speaker at the school’s 162nd fall convocation.

• Nancy Ferrell has been named director of clergy and congregational care at the Pastoral Counseling and Education Center in Dallas. A member of Royal Lane Church in Dallas, she worked as a consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas since 1995.

Anniversaries

• Brenda Shuttlesworth, fifth, as minister of administration and church ministries at First Church in Conroe, Sept. 1.

• First Church in Gholson, 135th, Sept. 16. Brad Moore is pastor.

• Beth Sheffield, 15th, as youth music assistant at First Church in Longview, Sept. 16.

• Jeff Williams, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Denton, Sept. 30. A special progam and celebration was held.

• Bob Gauer, 10th, as pastor of Doole Church in Doole, Oct. 1.

• First Church in Kilgore, 105th, Oct. 14. A catered barbecue lunch will follow the morning service. An afternoon worship service will feature musical guests David Berryhill, David and Vickie Hampton, and the Celebra-tion Choir. Make lunch reservations by Oct. 5 by calling (903) 984-3531. Eddie Hilburn is pastor.

• Calvary Church in Pilot Point, 100th, Oct. 20-21. The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday with singing groups and testimonies. Sunday will include a meal following the morning service and a 2 p.m. service. Philip Riegel is pastor.

• Monte Byrd, 10th, as pastor of Mill Creek Church in Bellville, Nov. 4.

Retiring

• Truett Kuenstler, after 11 years as a chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. He also was a pastor 45 years. He and his wife live in Paint Creek in Haskell County.

• Maurice McLeroy, after 27 years as pastor of First Church in Raymondville. He also was pastor in College Station, Gatesville, Corsicana and Houston. He lives in Cypress and is available for supply and interims at (281) 304-2005.

Deaths

• Jerry Johnson, 66, Aug. 16 in Liberty. A Baylor University graduate, he was pastor of several churches prior to coming to First Church in Liberty in 1981, where he served 25 years. He is survived by his wife, Brenda; sons, Jeffrey, Kerry and Timothy; brothers, Ronald and Robert; sister, LaJuan Pessarra; and three grandchildren.

• Jimmie Clemmons, 61, Aug. 21 in Liberty. He was the founding pastor of North Main Church in Liberty in 1987, and served the church until his death. He was pastor of Hardin Church in Hardin from 1977 to 1987. He is survived by his wife, Vicki; mother, Hazel; daughters, Angela Bruyneel and Kristi Sterling; sons, Jimmie, Jeffrey and Kevin; brothers, Gary and Randy; sister, Peggy Satherly; and 10 grandchildren.

• Amanda Barfield, 32, Sept. 20 in Cabot, Ark. While on her way to participate in the building of a church in a small Arkansas town, a woman driving on the wrong side of the road hit the vehicle Barfield was travelling in head-on. Barfield’s husband, William, and another passenger, Brad Jordan, 37, were also injured seriously. The driver of the other vehicle also died. The mission trip was part of the ministry of Southern Oaks Church in Tyler, where she had been a member since childhood. She is survived by her husband; daughter, Kaylee; parents, Tina and Darrell Crymes; brother, Dillon; sisters, Jodi Nipper, Sarah Crymes and Amanda Carson; grandmothers, Patsy Ross and Ruby Crymes; and great-grandmother, Ouida Wall.

• Eunice Means, 85, Sept. 22 in Austin. After serving as an associate in the division of student work for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, she became librarian and secretary to the president of Baptist Theological Seminary in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1952, she became director of the Baptist Student Union at the University of Texas and remained in that position until 1955. At that time, she became coordinator of international student ministries for the BGCT, where she remained 10 years. She maintained her interest in the spiritual life of students throughout her life, and in later years was especially supportive of the student and prayer ministries of Dallas Baptist University. She was preceded in death by her husband, Scott, in 2001, and her sisters, Naomi Parker and Lois Lunsford. She is survived by four step-grandchildren.

• Linda Townsend, 58, Sept. 23 in Slidell, La. A native of El Campo, she and her husband moved to Slidell 20 years ago, where he serves as associate pastor of adults at First Church. She is survived by her husband, Carroll; son, Carey; brother, John Nelson; and sisters, Helen Grothman and Leona Nelson.
Robert; sister, LaJuan Pessarra; and three grandchildren.

Events

• First Church in Gorman honored Frances Warren and Jean Lasater for their years of service as nursery Sunday school teachers Sept. 8. Warren has taught since 1960 and Lasater since 1972.

• Pastor emeritus status was conferred on Ben Clayton by Fellowship Church in Longview Sept. 30. He was pastor from 1993 until 2003.

• Central Church in Round Rock will hold an open house for its facility expansion Oct. 7 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mark Wester-field is pastor.

• The Well Community, a congregation of mentally ill people in Dallas, will host the annual National Alliance on Mental Illness interfaith worship service Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. The congregation is a mission of Cliff Temple Church in Dallas. The worship service will be held in Bassett Chapel at the church. Joel Pulis is pastor.

• First Church in Sanger will hold a grand opening for its multipurpose gym and full-service kitchen facilities Oct. 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. E.L. McNeal is pastor.

• First Church in Denton will hold its annual House of Judgment beginning Oct. 17. The evangelistic Halloween alternative will be held each Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday through Halloween. Reser-vations are required for groups of 10 or more, but reservations are strongly suggested for all since many performances sell out. Tickets for the $5 drama can be secured by calling (940) 382-2577, ext. 194.

• The women’s ministry of New Hope First Church in Cedar Park will hold a conference with the theme “True Contentment” Nov. 2-3. The cost is $25 for reservations made before Oct. 14 and $30 after. The fee includes lunch. Rhonda Kelley is the keynote speaker, and Scent of Water will lead the music and drama. For reservations or more information, call (512) 259-1590.

• Prairie Hill Church in Prairie Hill will honor Pastor Fred Sain for his 58 years serving the church Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. The occasion also will mark the church’s 122nd anniversary. Sain first started preaching at the church in 1949, while a student at Baylor University.

Revival

• Preston Highlands Church, Dallas; Oct. 7-10; evangelist, Herman Cramer; music, Paul and Christy Newberry; pastor, Jeremy Johnston.