Around the State
• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor College of Humanities will host former Baptist Standard cartoonist Doug Dillard as he presents a lecture on “The World of Cartoon Publishing” Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. in the Brindley Auditorium of the York Science Center.
First Church in Burleson has receieved a Texas State Historical Marker in honor of its 125 years of service to its community. State Rep. Rob Orr read a resolution from the Texas Legislature recognizing the church for its service to Johnson and Tarrant counties. Pictured are Pastor Mike Milburn; Wes Sheffield, chairman of the church’s anniversary committee; Wilma Reed, Johnson County Historical Commission; and Orr.
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• Three people with Texas ties were among those recently commissioned by the North American Mission Board. Chuy and Maria Avila serve in Laredo, where he is a church starter. Prior to his appointment, he had served in Hispanic church starting for the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Hispanic coordinator for Midland Assoc-iation. Mandy Meeker has been tasked as an evangelism specialist for children and youth in Dallas. A Hardin-Simmons Uni-versity graduate, she has served as youth evangelism conference coordinator for iWitness in Lavon and the Baptist General Conven-tion of Texas.
• The Baylor Alumni Association presented its Herbert H. Reynolds Outstanding Young Alumni Awards to Sarah Brosnan, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgia State University who has done social behavior studies with capuchin monkeys; Michael Lindsay, an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University who is the author of the Pulitzer-nominated book Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite; Rick Tullis, president and co-founder of Capstone Mechanical; and Kenyon Wilson, assistant professor of music at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, who after graduation was a lecturing Fulbright Scholar in Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan.
• The Howard Payne University debate team won second place overall in a recent tournament held in Kingwood. In addition, sophomore Adam Hardy of Corpus Christi was named third place top speaker.
• Seth Walker of Tyler and Kelli Peppers of Vidor were named king and queen of the homecoming festivities at East Texas Baptist University.
• Janelle O’Connell of Hardin-Simmons University has been named the most outstanding physical therapy educator in the state of Texas by the Texas Physical Therapy Association.
Anniversaries
• Mike Lawson, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Sherman, Nov. 8.
• Anderson Church in Anderson, 165th, Nov. 15. Kyle Childress is pastor.
• Larry Stewart, 15th, as minister of music at Coastal Oaks Church in Rockport.
• Charles Conklin, 10th, as pastor of First Church in Buckholts.
• Les Griffin, 25th, as pastor of First Church in Crosbyton.
• David Howard, 15th, as associate pastor of Baylor Church in Ennis.
Deaths
![]() Criminal justice majors Andrew Lopez, Mark Nickols, Demetrius Cobb and Eric Bunch were among the students who viewed the “Empty Shoes” display at Howard Payne University’s Girling Center for Social Justice. Next to each pair of shoes, ranging in size from child to adult, was the name and information of someone in the region who was a victim of domestic violence.
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• Kenneth Coates, 72, Oct. 4 in Lubbock. Coates, who had two degrees from Baylor, had been minister of music and education at Eastview Church in Kilgore, First Church in Gilmer, First Church in Andrews, First Church in Levelland and Tarrytown Church in Austin. He also was minister of education and administration at Pioneer Drive Church in Abilene twice, Willow Meadows Church in Houston and First Church in Plainview and was associate pastor and minister to senior adults at the Plainview church at the time of his death. In 2004 and 2005, he was minister of education of a church in Hong Kong. He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo; daughters, Dianna Freeman, Marsha Coates and Cyndy Mauldin; brother, Dale; and 10 grandchildren.
• Sherry Gonzalez, 39, Oct. 24 in San Antonio. Her father is a Texas Baptist pastor whose pastorates included First Church in Irving and First Church in Nederland. She is survived by her husband, Rick; parents, Randy and Mary Rudisell; and children, Taylor, Paul and Chloe.
• Clarence Kelly, 59, Oct. 29 in Bryan. He was pastor of churches in Texas and Louisiana, and was serving Harmony Church in Caldwell at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Judy; son, Luke; daughters, Shanna Kerby, Heather Lambert and Tara Griffis; brothers, Bob and Harold Howard, and Danny and Eddie Kelly; sister, Barbara Marlow; and seven grandchildren.
• Cecil Golden, 81, Oct. 29 in Plainview. He received degrees from Samford University, the University of Alabama and Southern Baptist Seminary and was a Southern Baptist missionary to Honduras from 1957 to 1965. He taught Spanish at Jacksonville State and the University of Alabama and then at Wayland Baptist University from 1971-1996. He served as interim pastor of 30 different churches. He is survived by his wife, Claire; son, Phillip; daughters, Linda Rasor, Debbie Fort and Lisa Cox; and 12 grandchildren.
Event
• The Singing Men of Texas will perform at First Church in College Station Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. Rodney McGlothlin is pastor.