Around the State: Beach Reach involves 850-plus volunteers

Baptist Student Ministries reported 207 young people made professions of faith in Christ and 104 recommitted their lives to Jesus as a direct result of Beach Reach missions. Each year, BSM volunteers participate in the evangelistic outreach to fellow students who have traveled to South Padre Island for spring break. The BSM mission teams provide free van rides, sharing their faith with their passengers. They witness to their peers on the beach and at locations where Texas Baptist Men volunteers prepare free pancake breakfasts. This year, 854 Beach Reach volunteers provided 15,534 van rides, presented the gospel 8,269 times, and prayed with 7,073 people. TBM cooked 6,430 pancakes.

More than 400 Howard Payne University students and personnel participated in 16 service projects benefitting nonprofit organizations across the Brown County area during the inaugural William B. Dean, M.D., Lecture Series and Community Impact Day on March 30. All campus offices were closed, and classes were cancelled to allow HPU students and personnel to volunteer. “Throughout the day, I was so pleased to see the HPU family at work in our community following Christ’s example of service,” said Cory Hines, HPU president. “During this event, we made community service the sole focus of all our efforts as a university.” HPU volunteers served at The ARK Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Shelter; Boys & Girls Club of Brown County; Brown County Christian School; Brown County Museum of History; Brownwood Area Community Garden; Brownwood Public Library; CASA in the Heart of Texas; Cecil Holman Park; Child Welfare Board of Brown County; Community Connections of Central Texas; Howard Payne University; Janie Clements Industries; Lehnis Railroad Museum; Lyric Performing Arts Company; Pat Coursey Park; and Texas 4-H Conference Center. Projects included painting, working on flower beds, picking up trash and cleaning facilities.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will present its 83rd annual Easter pageant on April 13. Performances are scheduled at 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in front of Luther Memorial on the UMHB campus. All three performances will be free and open to the public. The pageant also will be streamed live online on the UMHB Facebook page and here. The Easter pageant chronicles moments from the gospel story, including Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Christ’s trial by Pontius Pilate, and Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The student-led production features a cast of hundreds of students and children and grandchildren of university students, faculty and staff.

Tom Tillman, the director of music and worship for Texas Baptists, recently spoke in chapel at Wayland Baptist University, where he was a student from 1984 to 1988. Tillman addressed the importance of worship, observing people too frequently view worship as something to consume rather than something that shapes their lives. “It’s ascribing a value to something that engages our whole self,” he said. “When we ascribe value to something weightier than ourselves, it rearranges our entire being. Worship is having our heart, soul, mind and strength rearranged by God himself.” Worship should be shared among generations, he emphasized. “I have found that I can still worship the Lord when I put my preferences away,” he said.

Two Howard Payne University seniors, Kaitlyn Drewniok from Willis and Madison Marzullo of Frisco, showcased their research at the Texas Academy of Science conference at the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Marzullo’s presentation won first place in the Conservation Ecology division, earning a $100 cash prize. Nine HPU students attended the conference and visited Houston’s Museum of Natural Science.

Thomas Sanders, provost and vice president for academic affairs at East Texas Baptist University, presented a lecture at Marshall’s Memorial City Hall on March 25 about how the school came to be and how its founding vision continues to shape the university. W.T. Tardy, the first pastor of First Baptist Church in Marshall, founded what was initially known as the College of Marshall in 1912 with a “vision to educate the whole person,” Sanders said. As a Christ-centered institution, he continued, ETBU still seeks to educate students by integrating biblical faith and learning to develop mind, body and soul through community engagement. ETBU prepares graduates to be Christian servant leaders in their calling to God and humanity, he said. Sanders’ presentation was part of the Harrison County Historical Museum’s Journey Stories Lecture Series sponsored by the Jonesville Foundation.

Several Dallas Baptist University faculty members celebrated the recent publication of their new book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Perspectives on Costly Leadership at a March 12 book-signing event in DBU’s Great Hall. The book offers a multidisciplinary study of the legacy of the renowned German pastor, including various facets of his leadership in a resistance movement within the German church that opposed the Nazi regime. It explores Bonhoeffer’s leadership from a variety of disciplines and scholarly perspectives, including developmental psychology, biblical homiletics, religious education and literary correspondence.

Retirement

Danny Dawdy after 23 years as director of Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center and 50 years in the ministry. Before arriving at Highland Lakes, he worked in a similar role at Camp Chaparral and served on staff at several churches, including First Baptist Church in LaGrange and First Baptist Church in Palestine. He and his wife Terry will be recognized April 23. A public reception is scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Highland Lake Camp. A celebration event featuring The Skit Guys and Billy Beacham will follow at 3 p.m. at the same location.