Around the State: Senior adults attend Hilltop University at ETBU; TBM continues disaster relief

 More than 270 senior adults from 50 Texas churches—along with four Louisiana congregations and two Arkansas churches—participated in Hilltop University recently on the East Texas Baptist University campus. Chapel speakers for the senior adult conference included Robert Morris, founding senior pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex; D.L. Lowrie, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Lubbock, and his wife, Alice; and Blair Blackburn, ETBU president. The conference also featured entertainment from Southern Gospel music group The Hoppers, Christian humorist Dennis Swanberg and Christian recording artist Guy Penrod.

A Texas Baptist Men field kitchen crew works at West Conroe Baptist Church.Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers prepared more than 75,000 meals in Conroe and Rosenberg by mid-June, and demand continues as TBM offers aids to flood victims. Emergency food-service crews working at field kitchens at West Conroe Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Rosenberg cooked meals the American Red Cross delivered to flood-affect individuals and families. TBM volunteers also distributed about 3,300 boxes for flood survivors to collect their scattered belonging. Six mud-out crews worked in Conroe, Rosenberg and nearby Simonton, removing water-damaged drywall and flooring, and power-washing and disinfecting homes. Volunteer chaplains worked in the three cities, recording about 170 ministry contacts. TBM provided access for about 180 showers at a mobile unit and washed more than 120 loads of laundry. TBM volunteers also distributed 14 gospel tracts and 18 Bibles, and they recorded two professions of faith in Christ.

Retirement

Phil Thomas as minister of education and administration at River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, effective June 19.