Theologian Roger Olson will deliver the 10th annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics at Howard Payne University. Olson, the Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, will speak on “Both-And Ethics: Reconciling Reinhold Niebuhr and Stanley Hauerwas.” The lectures are scheduled 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 10 a.m. Feb. 24 in the Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference Room of the Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center on the Howard Payne campus in Brownwood. The lectures are free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Contact the HPU School of Christian Studies by email at currie-strickland@hputx.edu or by phone at (325) 649-8403.

Rucker Preston, a Dallas Baptist University graduate with a master’s degree from Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, was named statewide coordinator and executive director of the Texas Christian Community Development Network. Preston has been executive director of Helping Hands Ministry in Belton since 2012 and has worked with that organization since 2008. The network’s board also named Javier Perez as part-time consultant to work on outreach among Hispanics and in urban area. Perez, a former student at Baptist University of the Américas, works with Buckner International in global missions efforts related to poverty alleviation and missional engagement.

Dallas Baptist University will host its annual President’s Day Patriot Preview for prospective students and their parents Feb. 20. Prospective students will have the opportunity to tour the campus, visit with faculty and administrators, and receive information about admissions, financial aid, campus activities and other aspects of life at DBU. Guests also will hear from current students about their experiences. The event is free of charge for a prospective student and up to two guests. For more information, contact the office of undergraduate admissions at (214) 333-5360, e-mail admiss@dbu.edu or click here. 

Anniversaries

Bruce Irving, 35th as pastor at First Baptist Church in George West

Wayland Baptist University student Sarah Stinson helps sort, fold and hang clothes at the Salvation Army store as part of Wayland’s volunteer efforts during Degree of Difference Day. Wayland Baptist University installed Bobby Hall as the school’s 13th president Jan. 25. Wayland students and employees volunteered for community service projects during a weeklong celebration of service marking the inauguration. Extension campus employees volunteered at food banks, hosted blood drives, prepared meals at homeless shelters and collected school supplies for an elementary school, among other projects. In Plainview, nearly 90 employees and students worked on 14 volunteer projects for Degree of Difference Day. Many helped clean up the local parks, while others worked at various nonprofit organizations.

Gov. Greg Abbott congratulates the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders football team on their national championship.The Texas Legislature recognized the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusader football team Jan. 31 as 2016 NCAA Division III national champions. Sen. Dawn Buckingham and Rep. Hugh Shine drafted a proclamation honoring the university and the team. Head Football Coach Pete Fredenburg, members of his staff and players were present in the Senate and House galleries for the recognition ceremony.

A $2.5 million gift from Bob and Laura Beauchamp of Houston enabled Baylor University to create the Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center, located in the East Village Residential Community. The center will provide support services for students who are in the initial stages of identifying an addiction, including counseling and possible referral to off-campus rehabilitation, as well as continued support for students who have completed rehabilitation programs. It also will provide reintegration support for students who may have left school and for students who already are in recovery. 

Dallas Baptist University faculty, staff, and students walk across the quad for a time of prayer and then on to the cross between the Mahler Student Center and Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel for a recitation of the Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. (Photo / Brittany Bean)Dallas Baptist University joined Cornerstone Baptist Church in Dallas in serving food and water to people who attended the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. It marked the sixth annual MLK day of service involving DBU students. Later that day, DBU students, faculty and staff gathered for the inaugural MLK Unity Walk, which included prayer for peace and a recitation of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Paul MarshallBaylor University named Paul Marshall as holder of the Jerry and Susie Wilson Chair in Religious Freedom at the Institute for Studies of Religion. Marshall also will serve as a research professor in Baylor’s political science department. He succeeds former U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, who served two years as the inaugural Wilson chair. Marshall formerly was a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. He is the author and editor of more than 20 books on religion and politics, particularly religious freedom. Marshall’s current research is focused primarily on understanding how Muslims and Christians are able to live and work together peacefully in Indonesia—the world’s most populous Muslim country. Marshall also is a senior fellow at the Leimena Institute, a Christian public policy think tank in Jakarta, Indonesia, and visiting professor at the graduate school of Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University, also in Jakarta.

Karen Bullock delivers the T.B. Maston Lecture at East Texas Baptist University. Karen Bullock, professor of Christian heritage and director of the Ph.D. program at the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, delivered the T.B. Maston Lecture in Christian Ethics at East Texas Baptist University, Jan. 23. Bullock presented a lecture titled, “Selfless, Fearless, Relentless: The People of the Baptized Way.” The ETBU School of Christian Studies and the T.B. Maston Foundation sponsored the lecture, which honors the legacy of Maston, a trailblazing 20th century Texas Baptist Christian ethicist.

Members of Howard Payne University’s Moot Court team brought home awards from the American Moot Court Association’s National Tournament at Stetson College of Law in Gulfport, Fla. Isaac Sommers from Boerne ranked fifth overall speaker out of 786 competitors. Sommers and Rebeca Puente from Waskom placed in the top 16 of 80 teams. In a competition of written arguments submitted prior to the tournament, Bailey Myler from Brownwood and Justin Harris from Fort Worth placed sixth, and Puente and Sommers placed seventh.

Mission Waco marks its 25th anniversary with a banquet, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Feb. 28 in Chisholm Hall at the Waco Convention Center. Jimmy Dorrell, founding executive director, will speak. Proceeds from the event benefit Mission Waco/Mission World programs. For details about table sponsorships or to make reservations, call (254) 753-4900.

Anniversary

Bobbie Miller, 25th as associate pastor of music and worship at South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena.

Ordination

Ryan Vanderland to ministry by First Baptist Church in Midland. He is pastor of First Baptist Church in Electra.

Jerry Hudson from First Baptist Church in Canyon Lake serves with the Bluebonnet Association chainsaw crew and other Texas Baptist Men volunteers in Perryton.More than 30 Texas Baptist Men volunteers continue to provide disaster relief for Panhandle residents affected by an ice storm. After completing work in Miami, northeast of Pampa, the crews moved to Perryton. Four chainsaw crews, two heavy equipment crews and volunteers operating a mobile shower/laundry unit are working from First Baptist Church in Perryton. As of Jan. 25, volunteers have completed more than 80 chainsaw assignments and 64 debris removal jobs, washed about 70 loads of laundry, provided access to nearly 130 showers and distributed 45 Bibles. Heavy equipment operators have logged 66 hours in the field, and TBM workers have donated 175 volunteer days.

Christian Universities Online ranked Dallas Baptist University No. 1 on its list of the 50 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities. The website noted campus landscaping and colonial architecture as two areas that contributed to DBU’s first place position. Three other Texas Baptist schools also made the Top 50 listing—Houston Baptist University at No. 31, Hardin-Simmons University at No. 49 and East Texas Baptist University at No. 50. 

Effective in the fall, students in the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor pre-engineering program no longer will have to transfer to another university to complete an undergraduate engineering degree. Engineering majors will be able to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from UMHB. The new program will include coursework in mathematics and physics, as well as mechanical and electrical engineering. Upon completion, graduates may certify in general engineering or may choose to test in the more specialized areas of mechanical or electrical engineering.  

First Baptist Church in Covington will serve as host site for a Foundational Coaching Clinic, Feb. 24-25. Training is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The two-day life-coaching workshop is designed to train parents, pastors, teachers, supervisors, managers and other leaders to help guide individuals to reach their personal goals. Cost is $295, which includes all materials. For more information, contact Ed Hale at ed@QuickStepCoaching.com or call (903) 262-4955. To register, click here. 

Wayland Baptist University appointed Donnie Brown director of the Wayland Mission Center and the Koleo Program, which focuses on mentoring students to become church leaders. Brown has been director of Baptist Student Ministries at Wayland the past 15 years.

Kimberlee Norris, a sexual-abuse trial attorney and co-founder of MinistrySafe, led a three-hour training event for students and faculty at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary Jan. 18. MinistrySafe training is designed to help churches and their leaders reduce the risk of sexual abuse. For more information, click here. 

The National Council on Teacher Quality named Dallas Baptist University among the top programs in the nation for the preparation of elementary school teachers. DBU ranked in the 99th percentile for the second consecutive year. Hardin-Simmons University ranked in the 83rd percentile and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the 82nd percentile. The council examined and assessed 875 undergraduate elementary education programs.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis will speak on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, in the 9:15 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. services at The Heights Church in Richardson. John Wills, executive pastor at The Heights, described Ellis as “a man of integrity who stresses the importance of keeping God first.” Ten food trucks will be parked in the church’s front parking lot after the worship services to serve lunch, and guests are invited to check in at the welcome center to receive free lunch tickets.

Mission Waco broke ground Jan. 18 for an aquaponics greenhouse as the first phase of a major sustainability project, Urban REAP—Renewable Energy and Agriculture Project. The ministry received a $234,000 gift from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club to support the project. In addition to the greenhouse, it will include solar panels, a rainwater catchment and purification system, commercial composting and a training center for school groups. The greenhouse will be built next to the recently opened Jubilee Food Market, a nonprofit grocery Mission Waco launched to serve a food desert. Jimmy Dorrell is executive director of Mission Waco and its international ministry, Mission World.

Anniversaries

Dale Wells, 15th as pastor of Elliott Baptist Church in Hearne

Ricky McCall, fifth as pastor at Iglesia Bautista Calvario in Buckholts

Ordinations

Mark Hanna, Jim Hedderly, Eric Jackson, Tyson McLaughlin, David Souza and Brian Street as deacons at First Baptist Church in Belton

Wayland Baptist University named Eddie Owens executive director of integrated marketing. Owens, a 1975 Wayland graduate, will oversee the office of communications and Web services, and he will work closely with many other areas in the university including enrollment management and institutional advancement. Most recently, Owens was marketing and business development consultant with a wellness services company in Lubbock. Previous positions include senior vice president and human resources director for City Bank in Lubbock, director of communications and public relations for United Supermarkets, director of marketing and public relations for Covenant Health System and various media and public relations responsibilities at St. Mary of the Plains Hospital. He was director of development at Wayland’s Lubbock campus from 2014 to 2015, and he was director of public relations at Wayland from 1979 to 1989, after working as sports editor at the Plainview Daily Herald.

The 16th annual Baylor University Sacred Harp Singing is scheduled Feb. 4 from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Great Hall of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Singing from the Sacred Harp, sometimes referred to as “fa so la” or “shaped-note” singing, was a method used widely in smaller Protestant churches in the South to teach church members to sing parts. Baylor’s Center for Church Music is sponsoring the free event. For more information, contact Gayle Avant (254) 772-5572 or David Music at david_music@baylor.edu or (254) 710-2360.

Ordination

Stefanie Litzler ordained to ministry by Shearer Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, where she is children’s minister. 

Texas Baptist Men’s long-term recovery program is seeking volunteers to repair flood-damaged homes in Texas and Louisiana. A “Super Week of Caring” is scheduled Jan. 29-Feb. 4, leading up to Super Bowl 2017, in the Houston area. Spring-break mission trips are scheduled March 8-11 in Brazoria, March 12-16 in Southeast Texas and March 13-17 in Jennings, La. Summer trips are scheduled June 11-16 in Brazoria, June 19-24 in Southeast Texas, July 9-14 in Houston and July 16-21 in Southeast Texas. Cost for spring-break and summer trips is $175 per person for food and lodging. Work may include hanging drywall, installing tile or trim, plumbing, roofing, debris removal, mold remediation and yard work. Projects include service opportunities for church groups—youth or adult—and Baptist Student Ministries groups. TBM disaster relief training is not required for long-term recovery work. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old, and volunteers age 18 or older who stay overnight must have a current background check on file. TBM long-term recovery seeks to serve individuals and families who are uninsured, disabled or elderly. The program works with disaster survivors throughout the long-term restoration process by partnering with congregations, associations and other recovery teams to mobilize volunteers, gather and transport donated items, provide prayer and spiritual support and raise awareness of specific needs. For more information, call Marla Bearden at (214) 537-7358 or email marla.bearden@texasbaptistmen.org or call Gerald Davis at (214) 924-6401 or email gerald.davis@texasbaptistmen.org.

Kevin Kelley, assistant professor of organizational psychology at Howard Payne University, reacts after spinning the Moustache Wheel of Doom.The annual Moustache Wheel of Doom event at Howard Payne University raised more than $9,000 for Go Now Missions, the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ student missions program. Male students, faculty and staff let their beards grow throughout November and solicited funds for missions. Members of the two teams who raised the least money were subject to a spin of the “wheel of doom” that determined how their facial hair should be shaved. Options included half-beard, stripes, handlebars and the crowd’s choice.

ETBU graduate Gabrielle Besch receives the President’s Award from ETBU President Blair Blackburn. Besch graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average.Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Neville Callam  delivered the charge to graduates during fall commencement ceremonies at East Texas Baptist University, Dec. 10.  Citing the biblical principles of gracious speech and love as taught in Colossians 4 and Romans 12, Callam challenged the graduates to “be respectful agents of reconciliation in our conflict-ridden world.” At the ceremony, 79 graduates received bachelor’s degrees, and 20 received master’s degrees. President Blair Blackburn presented the President’s Award to Gabrielle Besch of Bonham, who graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average and earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. Faculty select the award recipient whom they judge to be the best all-around student based on scholastic ability and development, involvement in activities, and the degree to which the student reflects the ideals of the institution in terms of character, integrity and general attitude.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor conferred degrees on 502 students at fall commencement Dec. 9, with 336 receiving bachelor’s degrees, 164 receiving master’s degrees and two earning doctorates. Seven students, each of whom graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, received the Provost Medal—Allyson Baker of Fort Worth, Marina Hanshaw of Killeen, Emily McGee of Cypress, Edgar Ortiz of Belton, Christina Sawyer of Nolanville, Kayla Shepherd of Temple and Josh Wesselius of Belton. Taylor McClintock of Round Rock and Andria Ramirez of League City each received the Loyalty Cup, awarded to the student considered most representative of the ideals, traditions and spirit of the university. Julia Brown of Temple received the President’s Award for meritorious service. She served with Student Foundation, University Singers and One Voice.

Howard Payne University’s Model United Nations team— pictured at the Potomac River making the university’s “sting ’em” gesture—received a Distinguished Delegation Award at a Washington, D.C., conference. Howard Payne University’s Model United Nations team won a Distinguished Delegation Award at a national conference in Washington, D.C. The team, which represented Spain, ranked among the top quarter of the 125 teams in the competition. Student delegates to the Model United Nations are expected to research their assigned country’s positions and debate from that perspective. They draft resolutions outlining how to solve problems, which are submitted, debated and voted upon according to UN procedures. HPU students participating were Braxton Clark from Southlake, Jimmy Abbatiello from Kerrville, Mike Hord from Montgomery, Augusta Johnson from Gatesville, Joel Justice from Brownwood, Cody Perrin from Eastland, Emma Reed from Arlington, Sydney Spencer from Georgetown, Penny Stehlik from Round Rock and Caitlin Wood from Miles.

ETBU’s Model UN Delegates receive the AMUN “Outstanding Delegations Award” in Chicago for their representation of Afghanistan at the national conference. Members of the East Texas Baptist University American Model United Nations team won the Outstanding Delegation Award for the second consecutive year at a national conference in Chicago. Team members are Sara Corley from Carthage; Zachary Smithee from Lindale; Chad Herring from Petal, Miss.; Joshua Boyd from Trinity; Catherine Clawson from Jefferson; Connor Mason from Fort Worth; Ryan Pearce from Oktaha, Okla.; Charles Quigley from Houston; and Terry Couvillion from Longview. The ETBU team served as the delegation from Afghanistan in the simulated United Nations after spending the fall semester researching that nation’s government, economy and foreign policy.

Dallas Baptist University presented the 2016 Russell H. Perry Free Enterprise Award to Joel Allison, who has announced plans to retire Feb. 1 as president and chief executive officer of Baylor Scott & White Health. Scott Turner of Frisco, a former cornerback in the NFL who represents Rockwall County and much of Collin County in the Texas House of Representatives, was featured speaker at the gala dinner where Allison received the award. Over the past 29 years, the fund-raising dinner has provided scholarship support for more than 2,400 DBU students.

David Slover HighGround Advisors, formerly the Baptist Foundation of Texas, named David Slover senior vice president and chief strategy and business development officer, effective Dec. 12. Since 2010, Slover served as president of the Buckner Foundation. Previously, he was senior director of development and campaign director for Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, director of planned and major gifts for Southern Methodist University, and assistant vice president for Baylor Health Care System Foundation. He holds bachelor of arts and master of business administration degrees from Baylor University.

Jerome Farris Jerome Farris, pastor of Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church in Detroit, Mich., delivered the 14th annual McCoy Lecture at Wayland Baptist University. First Baptist Church in Plainview developed the lecture series with an estate gift from Dorothy McCoy, a longtime math professor at Wayland who died in 2001. In addition to speaking in chapel and at a lunchtime discussion on campus, Farris also spoke at First Baptist Church in Happy.

Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio will present its 2016 Spirit of Health Award to Ernesto Gomez, founder and chief executive officer of CentroMed, an accredited federally qualified health center that has served San Antonio more than 40 years. The foundation selected Gomez for his dedication and commitment to providing health care to San Antonio’s underserved communities since 1973. CentroMed began as El Centro del Barrio, a family counseling program for low-income residents. It grew to 24 service sites in Bexar and Comal counties, providing health care to more than 78,000 individual patients a year. Of those, about 47 percent lack insurance, and 38 percent of patients are children or youth. The foundation will present the award at a reception at First Baptist Church in San Antonio Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m.

Baylor University named Jason D. Cook vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer. Cook has served most recently as senior associate athletics director for external affairs at Texas A&M University, after serving as vice president for marketing and communications at Texas A&M from 2008 to 2013. In 2010-11, he also was chief communications officer for the Texas A&M University System. He previously was director of communications and marketing for Texas A&M AgriLife, director of public relations and marketing for the Texas Engineering Extension Service and assistant vice president of media and communications for HealthSouth Corp., based in Birmingham, Ala. A native of Tupelo, Miss., and son of a Baptist minister, Cook received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Mississippi State University. Cook and his wife, Leann, have two teenage sons, Brayden and Jace.

Jeff Sutton The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Jeff Sutton director of alumni relations, effective Jan. 2. For the past nine years, Sutton has been assistant director of campus activities at UMHB. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in religion at UMHB in 2007. He and his wife, Jen, have two children, Jude and Millie. They are members of First Baptist Church in Belton, where he is a deacon.

Howard Payne University sophomores Christopher Freeland from Bangs and Tyler Olin from Howe were semifinalists in parliamentary debate at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Fall Championship tournament held recently in Tyler. HPU competed against 23 universities, winning second place in debate sweepstakes and fifth place in overall sweepstakes. Olin also was named top novice speaker in parliamentary debate.

Nineteen music students from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor participated in the Texoma Region National Association of Teachers of Singing Conference at West Texas A&M University in Canyon. Students competed with singers of the same gender and length of study from colleges and universities throughout Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Eight UMHB vocalists were semi-finalists in their divisions­—Katie White, Savannah Sepulveda, Julia Brown, Chaz Corder, Tiffany Collazo, Cardarious Bonner, Matthew McKinnon and Hannah Killough. Collazo ranked first in the senior women division. 

Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers worked from Nov. 3-29 in McAllen, helping the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association minister to refugees from Latin America. TBM volunteers provided access to 279 showers and washed 185 loads of laundry. TBM began the deployment in McAllen at the same time some volunteers continued ministry to people in the Southeast affected by Hurricane Matthew. In the aftermath of the hurricane, TBM volunteers donated 668 volunteer days. During the response to Hurricane Matthew, they prepared 14,525 meals, provided access to 333 showers, washed 298 loads of laundry, completed 53 chainsaw jobs, present the gospel at least 26 times and distributed 46 Bibles. They recorded three professions of faith in Christ.

Dallas Baptist University earned “exemplary” status with the Online Learning Consortium on its quality scorecard for the administration of online programs. DBU is one of only four universities in the nation that received this status.

Baylor University, Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University, Houston Baptist University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor earned the 2017 Military Friendly designation from Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM Jobs and Military Spouse. The designation provides service members data-driven ratings about post-military education and career opportunities. It is awarded to colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to support military students and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation.

Anniversary

Corey Ash, 10th at First Baptist Church in Bangs, where he is minister of worship.

James Ralson, 10th at Shady Grove Baptist Church in Greenville, where he is pastor.

Elaine Clark, 20th at First Baptist Church in Amarillo, where she is preschool minister.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor presented the Gary and Diane Heavin Servant Leadership Award to seniors Bailey Bohlken, an education major from Mount Vernon, and Maddie Rarick, a Christian studies major from Sugar Land, for the time and energy they devoted to ministry and community service while at UMHB. Each student received a $1,000 cash award, a portion of which could be donated to an organization of their choice. Bohlken, a four-year member of the Crusader softball team, is involved in Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, volunteers at Ralph Wilson Youth Club in Temple and recently traveled to Kenya to work at the Naomi’s Village orphanage. She used part of her cash award to make gifts to the orphanage and to Love Thy Neighbor charity in Mount Vernon. Rarick has been a Sunday school teacher and life group leader two years at First Baptist Church in Temple. At UMHB, she is co-director and founder of The Merge Project, a student organization designed to minister to students. She was student government chaplain two years, and for the last three summers, she worked as an intern at several churches across Texas. Rarick donated a portion of her award to Compassion International’s fund for disaster relief in Haiti.

Howard Payne University is exhibiting the sculptures of David Hill. Hill’s artwork features themes of ancient and contemporary martyrs and those who exhibit the spirit of martyrdom such as this sculpture of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Howard Payne University will exhibit “Whole,” the sculptures of David Hill, through Dec. 2 in the Dorothy and Wendell Mayes Art Gallery inside the university’s Doakie Day Art Center. Hill was born in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and raised by missionaries. His artwork focuses on and is inspired by his Christian faith. Gallery hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about the exhibition, contact David Harmon at (325) 649-8088 or dharmon@hputx.edu.

Claire Alexander, a freshman member of Tiger Cheer at East Texas Baptist University, prepares a toy-filled shoebox during the inaugural ETBU athletic department’s Operation Christmas Child wrapping party.Student athletes at East Texas Baptist University filled 181 shoeboxes with small toys and other gifts for impoverished and vulnerable children around the world. They delivered the filled boxes to Summit United Methodist Church in Marshall, the local collection point for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse.

Marjorie DePriest An anonymous San Antonio donor with family ties to Howard Payne University established the first endowed scholarship for the university’s New Braunfels Center. The scholarship is named for Marjorie DePriest, a 1957 HPU graduate and longtime Spanish teacher who died July 18, 2015.

Henry Deneen, executive director of the Center for Global Strategies, was featured speaker of the T.B. Maston Lecture Series at Dallas Baptist Union. DBU President Adam Wright welcomes Deneen and his wife, Celia, to the campus. (Photo/Brittni Bean)Henry Deneen, executive director of the Center for Global Strategies and former president of Greater Europe Mission, delivered the T.B. Maston Lectures at Dallas Baptist University. Founded in 1985 by the T.B. Maston Foundation, the lecture series provides opportunities for Baptist schools to hear leading Christian thinkers as they address various ethical issues from a Christ-centered perspective. Deneen discussed various aspects of the refugee crisis in Northern Africa and Europe. “While we tend to stray away from areas where we see pain and suffering, Jesus gives us the ultimate example of stepping into pain and suffering,” he said. “Our call is to love people in the name of Jesus and that means being willing to enter into the hard situations.” The Maston Lecture Series is named in memory of former Baptist seminary professor and Christian ethicist T.B. Maston, known particularly for his work in race relations, family life, character formation, church and state relations, and Christian vocation.

Brandon SkaggsThe University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Brandon Skaggs vice president for student life, effective Jan. 2, 2017. Skaggs joined the UMHB administration in January as director of alumni relations. He succeeds Byron Weathersbee, who will leave the post at year’s end to serve with his wife, Carla, as executive directors at Summers Mill Retreat and Conference Center in Belton. Skaggs earned his undergraduate degree in business management and computer information systems at UMHB, a master of business degree in finance and management from Tarleton State University and a doctorate in higher education leadership from Dallas Baptist University. He served in a series of roles at DBU, including director of admissions and recruitment, international recruiter, graduate adviser, and assistant to the vice president and dean of the Gary Cook Graduate School of Leadership. At Oklahoma Baptist University, he was associate vice president for student development and dean of students. Skaggs and his wife, Sara, have four children—Sydney, Brady, Bennett and Beau. They are members of First Baptist Church in Belton.

Howard Payne University will host its 33rd annual Community Thanksgiving Feast from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Mabee University Center. The meal—turkey, dressing and all the trimmings—is provided at no cost to guests. Local residents unable to attend can receive the meal by home delivery, coordinated by the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, if they request the service by calling (325) 646-9535 before noon Nov. 21. The staff of HPU’s Sodexo Food Service prepare the meal, and volunteers from the campus and the community serve it. Last year, more than 1,800 meals were served on campus and through the home-delivery program. The program is made possible by financial contributions. Checks can be made payable to the “Community Thanksgiving Feast,” and mailed to Howard Payne University, Attn.: Bill Fishback, 1000 Fisk Street, Suite 210, Brownwood, TX 76801.

Sam DennisSam Dennis, senior pastor of Parkway Hills Baptist Church in Plano, delivered the keynote address at the East Texas Baptist University Calling Conference. Dennis reminded students of their opportunity to fulfill their calling to proclaim the gospel, beginning with their time as students. The conference included a panel discussion and breakout sessions designed to help participants clarify God’s calling on their lives.

Rachel Lamb

Rachel Lamb, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, spoke during a Creation Care Week chapel service at Wayland Baptist University. Lamb’s research explores how climate change governance can reflect the complex and dynamic nature of social and ecological systems. Since Jesus is Lord of all, Lamb told the Wayland students, the Christian calling involves care for creation, as well as a responsibility to build the church and serve society. “We are tenants and stewards to whom God has entrusted this world. We cannot claim to love God while abusing his creation,” Lamb said.

Howard Payne University students and faculty who participated in a Mission Waco poverty simulation include (left to right) Dan Humeniuk, assistant professor of social work and chair of the department of criminal justice, social work and sociology; Maggie Van Nes, a junior from Keller; Sydney Spencer, a senior from Georgetown; Efrain Garces, a junior from Floresville; Millard Kimery, dean of the HPU School of Humanities and professor of English; Jaclyn Bonner, a senior from Lytle; Abbey Beardsley, a junior from Fort Worth; Brittiny Kelley, a junior from Brownwood; Jacey Martinez, a junior from San Saba; Sierra Spruill, a junior from Ranger; and Elijah Garces, a sophomore from Floresville. Nine Howard Payne University students and two faculty members from Howard Payne University recently participated in a Mission Waco poverty simulation. Mission Waco creates a safe, controlled weekend of experiences designed to increase empathy for people living in poverty in America. As a part of the weekend, the group attended a Church Under the Bridge worship service. Dan Humeniuk, assistant professor of social work and chair of the department of criminal justice, social work and sociology, participates in the simulation with his students each year.

At a Nov. 10 scholarship celebration dinner in Dallas, Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing recognized endowed scholarship donors Kari and Stephen Haywood of Dallas, Ellen Byrd of Dallas, Ben Thieme of Tyler, Mike and Pam Jones of Tyler, Stanford Brantley of Tyler, and Suzanne and Tom Martin of The Woodlands.

Ordinations

Brittany Caldwell to the gospel ministry at Lakeview Baptist Church in Waco, where is a part-time volunteer staff member.

Brian Dao to the gospel ministry at Christ the King Vietnamese Baptist Church in Hewitt, where he is a part-time volunteer staff member.

Pinky PampellHouston Baptist University received a $5 million gift from Pinky Pampell of Houston to expand its online academic programs, which will be named the Pinky Pampell Online Division. HBU plans to duplicate its 1,007 residential courses as online courses across 10 years. Previously, Pampell funded the construction of the Pampell Family Chapel at Houston Christian High School, a music conservatory in Dallas, Pinky’s Place at Star of Hope Mission in Houston, and The Point youth building and wedding chapel at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston.

Whitehouse Kindergarten Teacher Terri Cassels and her student express their gratitude to ETBU’s Toby the Tiger for visiting their class to inspire students to pursue college. ETBU’s Spirit Team visited Cain Elementary on Oct. 28 in support of the “No Excuses Program.”East Texas Baptist University’s Tiger Pom and Tiger Cheer teams traveled to Cain Elementary School in Whitehouse Oct. 28 to participate in the school’s “No Excuses Program” celebration. As part of the program, each class adopts, represents and learns about a college or university throughout the year. The kindergarten class taught by Terri Cassel selected their teacher’s alma mater.

The Texas Association of Teacher Educators named Carolyn Owens, professor emeritus at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, the 2016 recipient of the Ted Booker Memorial Award, in recognition of 40 years at UMHB preparing teachers for service and her dedication to improving educator preparation programs statewide. The association established the Booker Award in 1972 to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of teacher education.

At its Nov. 7 annual meeting, Abilene Callahan Baptist Association recognized South Side Baptist Church in Abilene as Church of the Year. Scott Kemp, an elder of the congregation, accepted the award for the church. The association recognized as pastors of the year Toby Henson of First Baptist Church in Clyde and Vernon Ferguson of Broadview West Baptist Church in Abilene. Cindy Fox from Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene was named staff member of the year, and Shirley Stewart from  Broadview Baptist Church was named layperson of year. Elizabeth Hackman from Calvary Baptist Church in Abilene received the Jim Griggs Memorial Award as social ministries volunteer of the year.

Texas Baptist Men long-term disaster recovery has scheduled a 2017 Super Bowl of Caring home repair weekend Jan. 29 through Feb. 6. Spring break long-term disaster recovery mission trips are slated March 8-11 in Brazoria, March 12-16 in Southeast Texas and March 13-17 in Jennings, La. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old. Cost is $175 per worker, which includes insurance, a background check, food, lodging and a T-shirt. For more information, contact Marla Bearden at (214) 537-7358 or Gerald Davis at (214) 924-6401 or click here. To register a volunteer group, click here.

Students from Howard Payne University spent their fall break in Houston learning about three of the city’s marginalized populations and assisting with outreach programs to those groups. Led by Baptist Student Ministry Director Keith Platte, the group connected with the Church at UH (University of Houston) to learn about the needs of refugees, human-trafficking victims and the city’s homeless population, as well as finding out how churches are assisting them. Participants spent time with the children of Bhutanese and Burmese refugees, cleaned donated shoes for the Lord of the Streets homeless ministry and served breakfast to its clients, visited with representatives of the Elijah Rising ministry to trafficked women and toured the Museum of Modern-Day Slavery. Accompanying Platte and Campus Missionary Zac Sterling were Jaclyn Bonner, senior from Lytle; Karli Conrad, junior from Katy; Taylor Davis, freshman from Alvin; ZE, sophomore from Natalia; Sarah Fernandez, sophomore from Goliad; Lauren Gravell, freshman from Fredericksburg; Dillon Hughes, senior from Plano; Jessica Meeks, sophomore from Bridgeport; and Bailey Patton, freshman from Grand Prairie.

A dinner theater benefitting Heart of Texas Baptist Camp is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Hammons Auditorium at 8025 N FM 2125 in Brownwood. It features “The Christmas Night Show with Conny Jarson,” written and directed by Nick Ewen, assistant director of theater at Howard Payne University. The camp requests a $20 donation per adult, but any amount will be accepted. All proceeds go toward camp development and improvements. Seating is limited to the first 300 registrants. To register, click here or call (325)784-5821.

Howard Payne University’s Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team recently competed in the Bayou City Swing tournament at San Jacinto College North in Houston. Braxton Clark, senior from Southlake, won Top Parliamentary Debate Speaker and second place in International Public Debate Association-style debate. Clark and teammate Tyler Olin, sophomore from Howe, were quarterfinalists in National Parliamentary Debate Association competition. Four students—Morgan Ashmore, senior from Weatherford; Christopher Freeland, sophomore from Bangs; Reagan Grisham, junior from Arlington; and Andrea Balderas, junior from Lytle—participated in the Southern Colorado Debate Challenge in Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation for international competition in Oxford, England, later in November.

Hymn writers and worship leaders Keith and Kristyn Getty (center) are welcomed to Dallas Baptist University by President Adam Wright (left) and Chancellor Gary Cook. (Photo/Brittni Bean)Contemporary hymn writers and worship leaders Keith and Kristyn Getty performed a concert at Dallas Baptist University and participated in DBU’s Institute for Global Engagement leadership lectures and a Worship Leadership Summit. During a chapel service, the Gettys, whose songs include “In Christ Alone” and “The Power of the Cross,” sang and took part in panel discussion with Jay Harley, vice president for student affairs, and Bob Brooks, dean of the Graduate School of Ministry. In addition to the Gettys, other speakers at the Worship Leadership Summit included Bryan Carter, pastor of Concord Church in Dallas; Brent Taylor, pastor of First Baptist Church in Carrollton; Jeff Warren, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas; and Jim Denison, president and co-founder of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture and senior fellow in the Institute for Global Engagement. The Institute for Global Engagement is a joint effort between DBU’s Gary Cook School of Leadership and the Denison Forum. 

Patricia Morales, first lady of Guatemala, toured Buckner International campuses in Texas.Patricia Morales, first lady of Guatemala, toured several Buckner International campuses in Texas to discuss Buckner’s methods and strategy around engaging the faith community to learn how Guatemala can develop its foster care program. She has partnered with Buckner Guatemala, where Buckner offers locally led foster and kinship care services, along with other programming geared toward strengthening families. 

Churches in Brownsville and Matamoros recently distributed food to families in Mexican fishing villages affected by red tide, a harmful algal bloom that can kill fish and make shellfish dangerous to eat. Now the congregations are seeking to provide blankets to 500 families before winter. Every $5 contributed to the “River Ministry Blanket Challenge” by Nov. 30 will provide a blanket for a family in need. Contributions can be sent to Texas Baptists, Attn.: River Ministry—Blanket Challenge, 7557 Rambler Rd., Suite 1200, Dallas, TX 75231. Participants are encouraged to post a photo of any group accepting the Blanket Challenge on Twitter with the hashtag #TXBBlanketChallenge. For more information, call (214) 828-5394. 

Howard Payne University recognized 10 individuals during homecoming celebrations, Oct. 28-30. Vernon Holleman, a Temple physician, and Robert Morrison, principal of Abilene High School, were named distinguished alumni. Brad Collins, a Grandview chiropractor, and Emily Gore, public health manager for the Dallas County Health and Human Services Public Health Preparedness Division, were recognized as outstanding young graduates. Martha Dufresne of San Angelo was named Coming Home Queen. Dwain Bruner, an auto dealer from Stephenville, received the Medal of Service. Stephen Haynes, mayor of Brownwood, was named Grand Marshal. Dan McGhee of Brenham, a four-year letterman at HPU and four-time All-Lone Star Conference selection, and Greg Nixon of Long Beach, Calif., All-American sprinter and two-time World Indoor gold medalist in the 4×400-meter relay, were inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. Adrian Gil, director of Howard Payne’s El Paso Center, received the José Rivas Distinguished Service Award.

East Texas Baptist University launched the Christian Servant Leader Scholarship in partnership with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. The ETBU scholarship provides 50 percent of tuition and 100 percent housing for four academic years and will be awarded to two students, one male and one female. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be members of a congregation affiliated with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

College Choice listed eight Texas Baptist schools among its 50 Best Colleges and Universities in Texas for 2016-17. The Top 50 list included Baylor University at No. 8, Howard Payne University at No. 14, East Texas Baptist University at No. 18, Hardin-Simmons University at No. 20, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at No. 29, Baptist University of the Américas at No. 47, Wayland Baptist University at No. 49 and Dallas Baptist University at No. 50. It marked the first time BUA was ranked in the Top 50 list. In the 25 Best Online Colleges in Texas category, Baylor ranked No. 1, UMHB ranked No. 6, DBU ranked No. 13, and Wayland ranked No. 16.

Anniversaries

45th for South Garland Baptist Church in Garland. Larry Davis is pastor.

Elaine Clark, 20th as preschool minister at First Baptist Church in Amarillo.

Retirement

Leslie Adams from Calvary Baptist Church in Rockdale after 18 years as pastor.