Around the States: Volunteers make doorstep deliveries to Buckner families

Volunteers from New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview delivered a box of food and necessities to the doorstep of 16 families served by Buckner Family Pathways and Buckner Family Hope Center. In a time of social distancing due to COVID-19, it was encouraging for everyone to see volunteers serving while safely maintaining distance, Lindsay Miller, director of volunteer engagement for Buckner Children and Family Services, noted. “The volunteers were very conscientious to follow all of our guidelines and policies to keep our families safe, and the families wrote notes to thank them and taped them to their windows and doors,” Miller said.

National Woman’s Missionary Union named two Texas Acteens to the National Acteens Panel—Hannah Howard of Retama Park Baptist Church in Kingsville and Myriam Romero of Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland. Howard has served through Acteens—the missions group for girls in grades 7-12—four years, and Romero has served seven years. WMU selects National Panelists on the basis of academic excellence, leadership skills, and involvement in church and community. Tiffany Sherwood, Howard’s Acteens leader, described Howard as “a natural leader who leads with humbleness, grace and competency. I am impressed by her servant heart, dedication and willingness to learn and grow as a Christian.” Mary Lou Sinclair, Romero’s Acteens leader, said: “Myriam is very smart and capable. She is a leader in many ministries that she is a part of and eager to be a witness and show the love of Christ. Her faith in Jesus Christ is evident in her lifestyle and ministry.” Howard and Romero will serve alongside two other panelists—Madeleine Davis of Deep Springs Baptist Church in Peachland, N.C., and Jada Hanson of St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church of La Puente, Calif. They will serve through 2020, and each will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the WMU Foundation. They may also have speaking opportunities in their respective states and will write blogs for Acteens at wmu.com/students.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Stephen Baldridge as dean of its College of Humanities and Sciences, effective June 1. Baldridge holds both a Ph.D. and master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington, and he earned his undergraduate degree in social work from Lubbock Christian University. He has been on faculty at Abilene Christian University since 2009. He and his wife Hollie have four children: Hobson, 14; Penn, 12 and twins Izzie and Andie, 6.

Houston Baptist University announced online delivery of all summer 2020 courses, offering a 15 percent discount to students who register for six or more credit hours by April 17. “Our goal is to keep faculty and students safe while still providing convenient, quality education,” said Mike Rosato, HBU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We realize students still need to progress in their studies, and this is the best way to help them when face-to-face instruction isn’t feasible.” Registration for both the summer 2020 and fall 2020 terms is underway. Residential classes currently are scheduled to resume in the fall semester.