A group of East Texas Baptist University students, faculty and staff recently spent four days in Alabama learning the history and significance of the Civil Rights Movement. The group visited Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, where they had the opportunity to tour significant sites including the National Peace and Justice Center, National Voting Rights Museum and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. They also visited 16th Street Baptist Church and Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham and Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma. Lisa Seeley, director of global education and the Great Commission Program at ETBU, said the Civil Rights Tour “opened the eyes and hearts of the participants” to the impact of the Civil Rights Movement. “We also learned how inequities still exist today, especially in our criminal justice system,” Seeley said. “What happened during the Civil Rights Movement not only changed the face of America but spread beyond our shores to inspire people around the world to fight for change also. The students, faculty, and staff on the trip came home with a new understanding of the struggles that existed and, in many ways, still exist today for many Americans.”
Howard Payne University has announced a 50 percent discount for undergraduate tuition for the summer 2022 academic sessions. The discount is available to students who enroll for at least three credit hours in person or online. “The schedule and reduced costs make this a great option for students who want to take courses during the summer,” said HPU President Cory Hines. “Students from our area who may be home from college elsewhere might need to take some undergraduate classes, and HPU is making a wide range of classes available.” This is the third year HPU has offered this seasonal discount as part of the university’s ongoing efforts to help keep costs affordable.
Dallas Baptist University awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees to two Texas Baptist pastors at spring commencement—Chris Simmons, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in South Dallas, and John Durham, lead pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Waco. Simmons, who has served Cornerstone Baptist Church near Fair Park since 1989, also developed the Cornerstone Community Development Corporation to focus on neighborhood revitalization. Durham, who has served Highland Baptist Church since 2013, previously was pastor of First Baptist Church in Irving. Durham serves on the DBU board of trustees. During four spring commencement ceremonies, DBU awarded 317 undergraduate degrees, 174 master’s degrees and 17 doctoral degrees.
After a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple Texas Baptist churches from Jacksboro to Bowie to Springtown participated in a Go Tell Crusade with Rick Gage at the Wise County Fairgrounds and Rodeo Arena in Decatur. Go Tell Ministries reported more than 10,000 in attendance with 600 faith commitments to Christ recorded. Twenty-two prisoners in a county jail also made professions of faith in Christ.
Anniversary
30th for Clint Davis as pastor of First Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant.
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