Around the State: ETBU students provide shoes; UMHB students join in Reaching Out

More than 50 student-athletes from East Texas Baptist University washed the feet of 67 schoolchildren at four Marshall elementary schools and provided them new shoes and socks from Samaritan’s Feet. The ETBU students had raised more than $1,800 for the shoe drive, including $600 from a Samaritan’s Feet weekend tournament at ETBU against rivals LeTourneau University and University of Texas-Tyler. The ETBU, LeTourneau and UT-Tyler coaches all stood barefooted during in the games to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet. Manny Ohonme, a Nigerian who received his first pair of shoes at age 9, founded Samaritan’s Feet in 2003. Since then, the ministry has distributed 6.5 million pairs of shoes in 88 countries and 325 cities in the United States.

Students from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor clear brush and debris as part of the Reaching Out community service project.More than 275 students, faculty and staff from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor participated in the school’s annual Reaching Out community service event April 1. Volunteers from UMHB served at eight Central Texas nonprofit organizations, including City of Belton parks, Willow Grove Baptist Church in Moody and the Hope Pregnancy Center.

Participating in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women were (left to right) Melody Maxwell, Jennifer McNiece, Rebeca Puente, Jessi Jordan and Elizabeth Allen. Five Baptist World Alliance representatives from Howard Payne University—two faculty members, two students and a recent graduate—attended the 61st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Participants were Melody Maxwell, assistant professor of Christian studies; Jennifer McNiece, assistant professor of government and director of international studies and academic travel; Elizabeth Allen, senior cross-cultural studies major from Brownwood; Rebeca Puente, senior Guy D. Newman Honors Academy and jurisprudence social science major from Waskom; and Jessi Jordan, a HPU graduate now studying at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn. The UN commission helps shape global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Paul and Charla VinyardDallas Baptist University honored Paul and Charla Vinyard—owners of Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, Bubba’s Cooks Country and Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes—at the 11th annual Tom Landry Leadership Award Dinner April 1. In addition to their support of DBU, the Vinyards also are involved in Mission Metroplex, where they serve on the board. Other causes they support include Time to Revive/Revive Texas, First Liberty Institute, Embrace Grace, Life Outreach International, Solutions of North Texas, Texas Right to Life and Mercury One.

Ordinations

Daniel Jurach and John Mitchell as deacons at First Baptist Church in Odem

Allen Harris to the gospel ministry at First Baptist Church in Odem, where he is youth minister.