Around the State: TBM responds after Ellis County tornado

Hours after an F2 tornado struck Ellis County on May 3, Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief volunteers were distributing water as well as cutting and removing fallen trees and limbs. The storm crumpled mobile homes, blew out windows and tore off parts of roofs. TBM volunteers from the Collin County chainsaw unit as well as Ellis County led the effort.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor presented the Gary and Diane Heavin Servant Leadership Award to seniors Emilee Peloquin, Hannah Bryant and Kaysie Sparks. The award recognizes time and energy students have devoted to ministry and community service during their years of study at UMHB. Each award winner receives a $1,000 cash award, a portion of which can be donated to an organization of her choice. Peloquin, a health science major from Keithville, La., is using a portion of her cash award to make a gift to the Andrus Family Mission, which helps orphans in Kenya. Bryant, a speech communication major from Plano, is giving a portion of her money to Hope House. Sparks, a mass communications/public relations major from Empire, Colo., is donating a portion of her award to the Child Advocacy Center of Central Texas.

Kathryn Pedroza, an East Texas Baptist University junior from Mansfield, was crowned as the 65th Miss ETBU on April 26. Pedroza was selected from nine contestants during the annual pageant sponsored by ETBU’s Student Government Association. Sophomore Leah Akridge was selected as first runner-up, and senior Anissa Mott was second runner-up. Pedroza has served on the Student Foundation and its traditions committee, worked in the marketing and communication department, and recently was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society. She will serve as a resident assistant for the upcoming school year. She helps lead worship at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, where she also serves as a small-group leader and creates content for social media.

Howard Payne University will hold two commencement ceremonies, divided by major, for spring 2021 and fall 2020 graduates on May 8. The events will be held at the university’s L.J. Mims Auditorium. Graduates from the School of Business, School of Christian Studies and School of Education will be awarded diplomas during the 10 a.m. ceremony. Graduates from the School of Humanities, School of Music and Fine Arts, School of Nursing, and School of Science and Mathematics will be awarded diplomas during the 3 p.m. ceremony. Following the conclusion of each of the ceremonies, receptions for graduates and their families will be held in the Davidson Music Complex and the Jackson Room of the Faith and Life Leadership Center. The commencement ceremonies will be preceded on May 7 by Chime Out, an HPU tradition in which graduating seniors pass a chain of ivy to underclassmen, representing the passing of authority, responsibility and privileges to students who remain on campus to carry out the traditions of the university. Chime Out will begin at 7 p.m. in L.J. Mims Auditorium. Guests unable to attend either Chime Out or commencement can view livestreams of the events at www.facebook.com/hputx.

The Wayland Baptist University board of trustees approved a $57.2 million budget for the 2021-22 school year, which begins July 1. The budget included an additional $700,000 for merit-based scholarships. Last year, Wayland gave out nearly $1.5 million in merit-based scholarships. “Our administration felt it important to increase funding for merit-based scholarships in order to reward our best students, and to help more top achievers attend or remain at Wayland,” WBU President Bobby Hall said. Through Wayland’s Pioneer Scholarship, students can earn up to full tuition based on high school achievement and college entrance exam scores. Wayland also has several other merit-based scholarships that pay varying levels of support based on achievement.

Dallas Baptist University has launched a debate team with a vision “to inspire speakers for Christ using formal debate as a tool to strengthen civil skills and confidence in faith.” Largely student-run with a faculty sponsor, weekly evening meetings include lessons, drills and practice rounds to hone skills. Students plan to participate in state, regional and national tournaments in the International Public Debate Association league, competing against more than 600 student debaters. Jonathan Teat, vice president for administration and enrollment at DBU, is staff sponsor for the debate team.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will recognize Roy J. Fish, Thomas J. Nettles and D. Hance Dilbeck as distinguished alumni at the seminary’s alumni and friends luncheon during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., on June 16. Fish, who will be honored posthumously, was professor of evangelism at Southwestern Seminary for nearly 50 years and formerly occupied the L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism. During his time as a professor, he organized the annual Spring Break Revival Practicum (now called Reach This Nation), as the seminary each year sent out hundreds of student preachers across the United States to preach revivals in local churches. His wife of more than 50 years, Jean, will accept the award on his behalf. Nettles served on the seminary’s faculty in the church history department from 1976 to 1982. After leaving Southwestern, Nettles taught church history and historical theology on the faculty of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dilbeck has served as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma since 2018. He was pastor of churches in Oklahoma more than 27 years.

Retirement

W.H. “Bill” Bellinger as the W. Marshall and Lulie Craig Chair of Bible and professor of religion at Baylor University, where he has been on the faculty since 1984. He has been chair of the department of religion since 2006, and he headed the department’s graduate program from 1991 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2006.