Around the State: Grant for Baylor’s ‘Faith Project’

Jonathan Kvanvig and Trent Dougherty, philosophy professors at Baylor University, and Daniel Howard-Snyder, Jonathan Kvanviga philosophy professor at Western Washington University, have received a $1.5 million grant from the Templeton Religion Trust for their three-year project, “The Nature and Value of Faith.” The purpose of the grant is to investigate faith and the ways it manifests itself in the lives of successful people, both in religious contexts and ordinary life.

Hardin-Simmons University will hold its Outstanding Young Alumni Awards banquet Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. Honorees are Chad Braun, a finance officer; Deanna Julian, an entertainer; and Jason Terrell, a medical doctor.

The art department of Wayland Baptist University will host an exhibit, “Our People, Our Land, Our Images,” Feb. 24-March 28 in the Abraham Art Gallery.

A literacy conference will be held March 1 at Dallas Baptist University from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Workshops include resources for general-equivalency diploma training, teaching citizenship classes, English-as-a-Second-Language resources, teaching English, online resources for literacy ministry and sharing faith. The cost is $25. To register, click here. 

First Baptist Church in Midland will sponsor its second annual Principled Leadership Conference March 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be held in the Allison Fine Arts building on the Midland College campus. Randel Everett, pastor of First Baptist Church, and Harvey Perkins, CEO and founder of the Urban Learning and Leadership Center in Hampton, Va., will lead the conference. The conference will equip participants to think critically about the changing patterns and challenges of society and to explore possibilities for utilizing their leadership skills. The registration fee of $350 includes materials. The first 100 nonprofit leaders to register will pay $50. For more information, call (432) 683-0604.

Alice Zaccarello has been named executive director of the Well Community, a ministry to people with mental illness in Dallas. Founded in 2002, it is housed at Cliff Temple Baptist Church and serves 350 people.

Howard Payne University music students Allen Andrus and Hannah Strebeck have received the Clara Freshour Nelson Scholarship through the Texas Association of Music Schools.

Anniversaries

Larry Johnson, 30th, executive director of Ellis Baptist Association, Feb. 1. He began as the church-starting associate for the Trinity Brazos Baptist Area, which included Ellis County. In 1994, the area separated into separate associations, and Johnson was named leader of the Ellis County group of churches.

Events

First Baptist Church in Cisco honored Martha Davis for 50 years as church pianist Feb. 2. She received a necklace, a plaque of appreciation and a proclamation from the mayor naming the day in her honor.

A “No Man Left Behind” training event is scheduled March 8 at Trinity Baptist Church in Tyler. “No Man Left Behind” trains a core group of men in the essentials of establishing an effective men’s ministry intended to disciple every man in the congregation. The session begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. Registration is $15, which covers the cost of materials. For more information, call (903) 593-3143 or contact Randy Newberry at (214) 275-1122.

Ken Medema will lead worship at First Baptist Church in Devine March 9. He will sing and speak in the 11 a.m. worship service and present a concert at 6 p.m.

First Baptist Church in Austin will be the site of a Pilgrimage of Trust March 21-23, led by the monks of the Taizé monastery in Taizé, France. The event is aimed at adults under age 35. It will begin with evening prayer on Friday and conclude mid-day Sunday. Workshops and small-group activities will cover social justice issues and feature discussion on ways to help people who are suffering, and becoming bearers of peace and reconciliation. The fee is $45 and covers on-site meals. To register, click here.