Around the State: CLC Director addresses DBU chapel

“The world is messed up. It’s not perfect. But take heart. The kingdom of God is real, and it is at hand,” Katie Frugé, director of Texas Baptists’ Center for Cultural Engagement and the Christian Life Commission, told students at Dallas Baptist University. In a Sept. 14 chapel presentation, she challenged students to follow God’s guidance rather than writing their own narratives. When Jesus stepped down to earth, he began writing a brand new narrative, better than anything his followers could have ever imagined, she emphasized. “Jesus came to defeat evil itself,” Frugé said. “His death was a triumph for his kingdom.”

Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas will deliver the 2022 McLane Lecture at 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 in the arena of the Frank & Sue Mayborn Campus Center on the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor campus. The event is free and open to the public. Evans, founding president of The Urban Alternative and former chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks, was named one of the “12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World” by Baylor University. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,400 U.S. outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. The McLane Lecture, sponsored by Elizabeth and Drayton McLane Jr., was created to bring outstanding individuals to the UMHB campus to share their experiences and insights about leadership, government, business and faith.

Bob Roberts, global pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, was honored at the United We Stand Summit at the White House, Sept. 15, along with fellow cofounders of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, Imam Mohammed Magid and Rabbi David Saperstein. The trio were recognized as “uniters” for their bridge-building efforts in the faith community. “Our multi-faith coalition is a model for how faith leaders can find common ground and create change for the good of our community despite significant differences theologically or politically,” Roberts said. “In a time of polarization that seems to be tearing America apart, faith communities should show others how to bridge divides by working together and better loving our neighbor.” The livestreamed summit took place in the White House’s East Room.

Anniversary

140th for First Baptist Church in Lorena. Heath Kirkwood is pastor.

130th for classes at Hardin-Simmons University on Sept. 13. While the school has been in existence 131 years, classes did not begin until one year later.

25th in pastoral ministry for Pablo Juarez, pastor of First Baptist Church en Español in Kaufman. A celebration is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Oct. 9 at First Baptist Church in Kaufman. Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International, is the guest speaker.