Around the State: Buckner hosts empowering vulnerable households roundtable

In an effort to foster collaboration and address economic challenges in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Buckner recently hosted a roundtable discussion at the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake. The roundtable brought together U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey and U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, along with Buckner International leadership and North Texas nonprofits, organizations and employers. Roundtable participants included Dallas Community College, DFW Airport, TexCap Insurance, Watermark Community Development Corporation, Behind Every Door, Impact Institute and a representative from the office of Gov. Greg Abbott. The discussion included insights into the representatives’ efforts in Congress to provide economic opportunities and empower vulnerable households. Participants shared challenges and successes they face around employment, as well as ways the federal government can collaborate with stakeholders to serve the community.

Stark College & Seminary will host its annual Hand & Dove Scholarship Banquet Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. The college is honoring Joanna Berry of South Texas Children’s Home Ministries for her dedication to serving vulnerable families and children in the Coastal Bend and beyond. Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists, will be the keynote speaker. The banquet will be hosted at Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship, 6602 S. Staples St., Corpus Christi. The Hand & Dove Scholarship Banquet, a key event in supporting student scholarships, provides an important opportunity for Stark to continue its mission of preparing students for ministry and community impact. Funds raised through the event will go directly to scholarships for students who demonstrate a passion for ministry and service. For more information, visit stark.edu/about/hand-and-dove-scholarship-banquet/.

A Wayland Baptist University student has received recognition for tuberculosis research breakthroughs she and a fellow Pioneer achieved as part of the Welch Summer Research Program. Haley Fossett was recognized at the Welch Conference, where she placed second in the undergraduate poster competition—competing against students from larger institutions including Baylor University, which won first place, and Rice University, which finished third. The achievements come after years of dedicated effort by Wayland students and faculty. Research began at Wayland in 2012, focusing on a DNA repair protein known as RecA, which is implicated in drug-resistant mutations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis. The goal was to determine if the protein played a direct role in these mutations through a process the group later coined “unfaithful repair.” After more than a decade of incremental progress, fellow Wayland student Dylan Dodd and Fossett each achieved key milestones this summer in the ongoing research.

Howard Payne University recently named Mary Agboola as the new coordinator of graduate studies and special projects in academic affairs. Agboola will oversee HPU’s newly created office of graduate studies. This office offers a consolidated contact point for HPU’s four graduate programs. Previously, Agboola was an associate professor of economics at Dar Al Uloom University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she served for nine years. She holds a Master of Science degree and Doctor of Philosophy in economics from Eastern Mediterranean University Northern Cyprus. Agboola and her husband, Philips Agboola, a professor of engineering at HPU, have two children.

Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary will host its annual pastors conference Feb. 24-25, 2025. Pastor, author and theologian Glenn Packiam will explain how pastors can become resilient and re-establish credibility in ministry amid a changing world. Truett’s Pastors Conference is for anyone engaged in Christian ministry. Scholarships are available to cover some fees. Register here or contact Julie_Covington@baylor.edu or Jack_Bodenhamer@baylor.edu for further information.

On Nov. 1, Houston Christian University organist John Kirk presented “Creation to Resurrection: Music and Readings for All Saints’ Day.” The program paired readings of Scripture, poetry and hymns with organ music to explore the themes of All Saints’ Day. HCU professors David Kirkwood, Lou Markos and Micah Snell read, and Kirk played organ music by Bach, Harrison Oxley, Calvin Hampton, Henry Purcell and others. Among the approximately 60 attendees were HCU’s president and first lady—Robert and Sue Sloan—as well as Sherry and Jim Smith, who donated HCU’s organ in 2009. Through the couple’s gift, generations of students, faculty, staff, alumni and university friends will celebrate God’s love and grace through organ music.

Dallas Baptist University’s Nexus Ministry Leadership Conference will be held Feb. 10, 2025, at Pilgrim Chapel on the DBU campus. Tod Bolsinger will provide the keynote address. Bolsinger is author of the best-selling book Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory. He is a former pastor who currently serves as co-founder and principal of AE Sloan Leadership, as well as executive director of the De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute at Fuller Seminary. Additionally, the conference will include a roundtable discussion with ministry leaders, as well as breakout sessions that will explore contemporary leadership struggles. Topics will include: the dangers of toxic leadership, identifying the generational gaps in leadership, self-care and the leader, and leading in times of transition. Registration is now open here. Early bird registration is $8 per person. Regular registration will be $15 per person. Group discounts are available for ministries bringing 5 or more. Current DBU students and Minister Fellowship Program partners receive a special discount for the conference.