Texas Tidbits

Estate gift endows dean's chair at Truett. A gift of more than $3 million from the estate of former ExxonMobil executive Charles DeLancey of Houston established the Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Endowed Chair for the dean of Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. The Delanceys were members of Tallowood Baptist Church. Charles DeLancey died April 4, 2011, at age 92. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years on Nov. 3, 2004. In addition to Truett Seminary, the DeLanceys supported Baylor University through gifts to the President's Fund, the McLane Student Life Center and many other areas across the university. For their decades of support to Baylor, they were recognized in the 1845 Society, Old Main Society, Endowed Scholarship Society and Friends of Truett.

New site set for retired ministers retreat. The Baptist General Convention of Texas will hold its annual retreat for retired ministers Sept. 17-21 at a new location—the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville. Previously, the event was held at Glorieta Conference Center near Santa Fe, N.M. The gathering for Bible study and fellowship will feature BGCT Executive Director David Hardage and Don Newbury, humorist and former Howard Payne University president. Mack Roark, retired professor from Oklahoma Baptist University, will lead the Bible study, and Don Blackley, director of the Singing Men of North Central Texas, will lead worship. Registration is limited and costs $15 per person or $25 per couple. The meeting is open to all retired Texas Baptist ministers and their spouses. For more information, contact the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation at (800) 558-8263. For hotel arrangements and pricing, call (800) 292-5690.

Ferrier named to development post at BUA. Debbie Ferrier, immediate past chair of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board and a long-time trustee of Baptist University of the Americas, has been named the school's director of development and campaign initiatives. She will continue to live in Houston. Ferrier, who was elected second vice president of the BGCT in 2002-2003, also has served on the governing boards of Texas Baptist Laity Institute, Texas Baptist Committed and BGCT committee on nominations, as well as in numerous leadership roles with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship—both nationally and in Texas—and Union Baptist Association. Her ministries at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston have included being director for Woman's Missionary Union, Girls In Action and women's ministries and serving on the pastor search committee. When she lived in San Antonio, she was missions pastor at Trinity Baptist Church.  

Marketplace Chaplains reaches milestone. Ticomix, headquartered outside of Rockford, Ill., recently became the 500th company to employ Marketplace Chaplains as part of its employee benefit package. Founded 28 years ago by Gil Stricklin, former youth evangelism director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Marketplace Chaplains—a division of Plano-based Marketplace Ministries—employs more than 2,600 chaplains who care for about half a million employees and their family members.