Texas Tidbits
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Brown heads BWA commission. Don Brown, director of missions for Collin Baptist Association, was elected chairman of the BWA Church Leadership Commission during the Baptist World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, this month. He succeeded C.W. Brister, distinguished senior professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. The commission meets annually to study and discuss church leadership worldwide and then provides resources for local churches. Other Texans on the commission include Brister, Gary Cook of Dallas, O.S. Hawkins of Dallas, Ken Hemphill of Fort Worth, Rudy Hernandez of Grand Prairie, Harry Lucenay of Longview and Nancy Pressler of Houston.
___ Wayland gets grant. Wayland Baptist University has received a $200,000 challenge grant from the James and Eva Mayer Foundation for renovations to Harral Memorial Auditorium. The grant is dependent upon the university raising another $300,000 from other sources.
___ Mission Arlington shares toys & gospel. Low-income residents of eastern Tarrant County came to Mission Arlington's Christmas store seeking board games, bicycles, balls and Barbie dolls for their children. They found all those things and were introduced to Jesus, as well. About 17,800 people visited the Mission Arlington Christmas store or were part of the ministry's adopt-a-family program in December, according to Lauren Musgrave, director of field services. Each customer was allowed to select at no cost one large gift and two stocking stuffers per child. Before they "shopped" in the store, customers received a personal gospel presentation. ?"We had multiple new people at our Bible studies following the store," Musgrave said. "Every year, the Christmas store brings new people in, and it sometimes creates access to new places. Some of the people who visit the store live in places where we haven't started a Bible study yet."
___ UMHB receives grant. The Scientific Advisory Board of The Welch Foundation in Houston has awarded the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor a $75,000 grant for the university's chemistry research department. The grant will support chemical research by members of the chemistry department faculty--Darrell Watson, Ruth Ann Murphy and Dennis Dillon.
___ Annuity Board offers new retirement product. The Southern Baptist Annuity Board began offering the Ministers' Annuity Plan Jan. 1. The new plan is aimed at providing a retirement savings option for income earned by ministers whose income previously might not have been an eligible source of contributions to a retirement plan. The new plan will most impact "those who receive ministerial income from self-employment, such as self-employed chaplains, speakers and evangelists," said Barbara Medlin, project manager.
___ Baylor social work program gets grant. Baylor University's graduate program in social work has received a $240,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant will provide funds for hiring and developing faculty and related costs of the new program, which will prepare students for a full range of social work settings, with a special emphasis on preparation for work with congregations and religious organizations, noted Diana Garland, professor of social work and director of graduate education in social work.
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