More than 350 pre-kindergarten students from the Marshall Early Childhood Center participated in a field day sponsored by the East Texas Baptist University kinesiology department on Oct. 30. ETBU students led the 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in a variety of physical activities, ranging from parachute play and tricycle riding to obstacle course running. Prior to the event, the university students spend time developing lesson plans appropriate for the age range of children who attended the event. “ETBU students were able to gain practical experience in a physical activity-based environment at a fairly early stage in their own college careers,” said Will Walker, professor of kinesiology. “At the same time, we served the greater Marshall community through providing opportunities for the MECC students to enjoy games and play with ‘big kids,’ who happen to be dressed up as superheroes, sports stars, pandas, crayon boxes and a variety of other fun things.”

Texas Baptist Men volunteers hope to provide Nederland-area residents affected by Tropical Storm Imelda an extra reason to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. A TBM Rebuild is scheduled Nov. 10-22, focusing particularly on individuals and families with the highest needs, including the elderly and single parents. Volunteer teams will install drywall and make homes safe for residents. TBM will provide the materials for the projects, as well as providing volunteers lodging at a church, access to showers and meals. “Imelda devastated Southeast Texas,” said David Wells, TBM associate director of disaster relief. “As we responded with feeding and mud-out efforts, we identified significant needs that we believe we can meet. Together, we can make sure families have a safe, secure place to celebrate Thanksgiving.” For more information, click here.

Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville and First Baptist Church in Center Point—together with Hosanna Lutheran and Impact Christian Fellowship in Kerrville—will host First Blessing events on Nov. 23 to provide free new shoes and socks to students in need from eight school districts. Calvary Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church in Kerrville and Amistad Community Church in Center Point also are participating. First Blessing is working with school districts in Kerrville, Center Point, Medina, Harper, Hunt, Bandera, Comfort and Ingram, along with Medina Children’s Home and Hill Country Youth Ranch. Students are required to register in advance with their school’s counselor to receive the shoes and socks, as well as a free breakfast. For more information, contact Kellee Parish, minister of children and families at Trinity Baptist Church, at (830) 895-0100 or kparish@tbck.org.

Patty Villarreal of San Antonio was honored during Howard Payne University homecoming as recipient of the José Rivas Distinguished Service Award. Villarreal graduated from HPU in 1976 with a degree in sociology and a minor in psychology. She earned her master’s degree from the Carver School of Social Work at Campbellsville University and was recognized by Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work as an honorary graduate alumna. Villarreal served on the Baptist General Convention of Texas staff as a community ministry consultant and with Buckner International as national director of church and community initiatives and as a social work consultant. She is an adjunct instructor at Baptist University of the Américas and is co-founder of the Latina Leadership Institute. She is a deacon at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio. She is a board member of the Texas Christian Community Development Network and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Texas Council. She also is a trustee of the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio.

At its fall convocation chapel service, Dallas Baptist University awarded Stephen Mansfield, CEO emeritus of Methodist Health System of Dallas, the honorary doctorate of humanities for demonstrating outstanding servant leadership in the healthcare industry at the helm of the hospital system for more than 10 years. The convocation also marked the 10^th anniversary of the completion of Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel.

Logsdon Seminary at Hardin-Simmons University hosted David Hardage, Steve Vernon and Chris Liebrum from the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff for BGCT Day on Oct. 24. They spent a few hours with students, educating them about the Cooperative Program, which provides scholarship funds to Texas Baptist ministerial students at 10 Texas Baptist colleges and universities, and pledging to help graduates find places to serve. Hardage exhorted scholarship recipients to “be good and faithful stewards” of what so many have invested in them. On Oct. 28-29, Logsdon held the annual George W. Knight Lectures. The lecture this year was titled “Women of the Old Testament” and—in honor of Knight, who died Nov. 3, 2018—featured students he taught.

Howard Payne University will host its inaugural Ministry Monday event on campus Nov. 11. The school is inviting high school juniors and seniors interested in ministry to visit with faculty, staff and students in the HPU School of Christian Studies. Prospective students will be able to sit in on a class, tour the campus and enjoy a free meal. The event is free for prospective students and guests who accompany them. Register in advance online here or the day of the event during check-in from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in HPU’s Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center.

East Texas Baptist University hosted its fifth annual Calling Conference on Oct. 30. The conference provided students with a deeper understanding of specific callings and provided opportunities to learn from experienced ministry professionals. Keynote chapel speaker was Brent Gentzel, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Kaufman. He encouraged all students to pursue their vocational calling. “Whether you’re a plumber, carpenter, pastor or teacher, if God called you into that field, then you should serve because you believe God put you there to use you as part of his revolution,” Gentzel said. “Don’t make the mistake of settling for an occupation, something you do for a paycheck. Make the decision to do what God has called you to do.”

Anniversary

80^th for Vanderbilt Baptist Church in Guadalupe Baptist Association on Nov. 10. Jack Hutson is pastor.

Buckner International delivered school supplies and hygiene items for displaced Thomas Jefferson High School students to Thomas Edison Middle Learning Center in Dallas on Oct. 28. The high school is closed for the remainder of the school year due to significant damage from a tornado on Oct. 20. Buckner plans to deliver supplies to two other Dallas Independent School District campuses later in the week. The Buckner Family Hope Center serves many residents of the Bachman Lake area of northwest Dallas who were affected by the tornado. Buckner and Texas Baptist Men worked together to serve meals to families in the area. Through Oct. 28, TBM volunteers had prepared about 1,700 meals, completed more than 100 chainsaw jobs and logged 200 heavy-equipment hours in response to the Dallas-area tornadoes.

The Nederland City Council approved a proclamation designating Oct. 28 as “Texas Baptist Men Day.” The proclamation recognized TBM for “hard work and support of our community and area” following Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda.

The Dallas Baptist University Patriots baseball team traveled to Cuba during fall break as part of the athletic department’s Global Sports Mission Initiative. Team members led training clinics for children, played a series of games against Cuban minor league teams and worshipped with Cuban Christians. “As we sang songs together in a foreign language and prayed together in groups with the congregation, it brought to life that we truly serve the God of the nations, and the power of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming,” said Reagan Ratcliff, director of athletics for DBU media relations. Also during fall break, another student group participated in a “history by immersion” experience in Boston. David Cook, dean of global studies; Nick Pitts, executive director of the Institute for Global Engagement; Deborah McCollister, professor of English; and administrative assistant Rachel Middleton led the “Revolutionary Change: Leadership in America’s Founding Generation” tour.

Texas Baptists’ Hispanic Evangelism Conference will be held Nov. 8-9 at First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. The conference—which will be conducted both in Spanish and English—focuses on equipping pastors and leaders in the Hispanic community with tools to grow their churches and spread the gospel. Featured speakers include Antonio Muñoz, pastor of Redeemer Community Church en Espanol in Katy, and Rolando Lopez, church planting coordinator for San Antonio Baptist Association.

Roslyn Artis, the first female president in the148-year history of Benedict College, a historically black school in Columbia, S.C., was the featured speaker at the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Luncheon at East Texas Baptist University. Artis spoke on the value of education for the empowerment of women in the workplace. Michelle Blackburn, first lady of ETBU, hosted the “EmpowerHer” luncheon for women in leadership at ETBU, Wiley College and the Marshall area.

Anita Mamy, a 2009 graduate of Wayland Baptist University, returns to her alma mater in Plainview Nov. 1 for a book-signing of her autobiography, A Walk for Survival: Escaping the Liberian Civil War. She and her family were considered “enemies of the state” after violence erupted in Liberia on Christmas Eve 1989 because they were members of the Mano tribe. She was 11 years old at the time. “To survive, we concealed our tribal identity, endured a series of narrow escapes, and walked several thousand miles to escape Liberia. This is my story and my account of what I saw happen as a child,” Mamy wrote.

Students in the Social Work Club and Criminal Justice Club at Howard Payne University participated in National Night Out in Brownwood. Members of the Social Work Club volunteered with Good Samaritan Ministries of Brownwood to help collect canned goods. The Criminal Justice Club hosted a registered National Night Out stop on the HPU campus to honor first responders.

Houston Baptist University named Linda and Archie Dunham of Houston as the 2019 Family of the Year. The Dunham family was recognized during HBU homecoming activities on Oct. 26. The Dunhams are charter members of HBU’s Covenant Society and major donors. The Linda & Archie Dunham Theater in HBU’s Morris Cultural Arts Center, the Archie W. Dunham College of Business, the Dunham Bible Museum and Dunham Field in Husky Stadium are named in their honor.

More than 200 alumni, donors and students gathered Oct. 19 in Lubbock to dedicate the Robert H. Pinder Student Center, home of the Texas Tech University Baptist Student Ministry. Pinder, who gave the lead gift for the building, is a former pastor and missionary who worked 23 years as a professor at Texas Tech. He served on a capital campaign advisory team led by Larry Landusky. The advisory team worked through the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation to raise $3.9 million to fund the building and create an endowment to support the BSM in the future. Other team members were Jerry Ashcraft, Joyce Ashcraft, Jerry Joplin, D.L. Lowrie, Don Schroeder and David Wilson. Lubbock Baptist Association raised the funds to provide the kitchen in the new BSM center. Each week, the BSM at Texas Tech reaches 400 to 600 students through various ministries, BSM Director Jeff Kinnon said. The night before the building dedication, many BSM students served up to 200 fellow students at “Pancakes on Broadway,” an outreach event the BSM sponsors prior to all home football games.

The B.H. Carroll Theological Institute recognized Gerald E. Marsh, a military chaplain for 32 years and seminary professor of pastoral ministry for 25 years, at a recent dinner sponsored by its Marsh Center for Chaplains Studies. Twenty-five of the chaplains in attendance agreed to serve on the center’s advisory team. The Marsh Center works with seminaries to develop material to train new chaplains and engage experienced chaplains in lifelong learning. “It is specifically designed to develop competencies for a unique ministry,” said Gene Wilkes, president of B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. “In doing this, we recognize the growing influence and value of well-trained chaplains who minister in settings where other religious workers rarely go.” Jim Spivey, senior fellow at the Carroll Institute and retired U.S. Army chaplain, is director of the Marsh Center.

East Texas Baptist University, in cooperation with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, sponsored the fourth annual Worship Summit on Oct. 17. The event focused on encouraging and training church music ministers and worship leaders by providing instruction focused on congregational music, songwriting and technology in music. Guest speakers included musical artist Caroline Cobb, Christian singer-songwriter; Nate Harrison, associate worship minister at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview; and Andrew Pressley, music minister at First Baptist Church in Lindale. The ETBU Lampsato and Hilltop Singers led worship and performed at the conference.

Gregg Matte, pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church, was elected chair of the Houston Baptist University board of trustees. Matte has been senior pastor at the church since 2004. He joined the HBU board in 2011.

Howard Payne University announced a freeze of tuition rates from the 2019-20 academic year extending to the 2020-21 academic year. “Our administration understands the significant financial commitment that attending college represents for students and their families,” HPU President Cory Hines said. “We hope this tuition freeze will financially assist our students and provide stability for them going into the new academic year.”

The Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society at Baylor University marked the 50^th anniversary of the Keston Institute on Oct. 15. Founded in England, the Keston Institute collected and reported information about people facing religious persecution in the Soviet Union and other communist countries. Baylor acquired Keston’s archive and established the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society in 2007. The event at Baylor also launched the release of Voices of the Voiceless: Religion, Communism and the Keston Archive, a book published by Baylor University Press featuring archival materials. Julie deGraffenried, a history professor at Baylor, edited the volume with Zoe Knox from the University of Leicester.

Anniversaries

150^th for First Baptist Church in Sherman and 20^th for Mike Lawson as pastor. The church will celebrate the anniversaries Nov. 17. A free luncheon follows the morning worship service. For details about the schedule and to make a reservation for the meal, click here.

150^th for First Baptist Church in Grapevine. Doug Page is pastor.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor athletic department hosted its third annual TouchDOWNS event on Oct. 12 in conjunction with Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Families and caregivers of individuals with special needs received free admission to a football game between the UMHB Cru and the East Texas Baptist University Tigers. Prior to the game, TouchDOWNS participants met for a tailgate party in the Bawcom Student Union. At halftime, 60 athletes with Down Syndrome took to the playing field, and 20 served as honorary members of the UMHB cheerleader squad.

Texas Baptists’ annual Hispanic Leadership Conference will be held Oct. 25-26 at Dallas Baptist University. The conference theme, En Sus Manos (In Your Hands), is inspired by Jeremiah 18:6. “What makes this conference unique is that it will focus on two areas—training and equipping,” said Rolando Rodriguez, director of Hispanic ministries with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. “Attendees will receive training at the conference, and when they leave, they will be equipped to put the things they learned into action.” Topics include personal growth, conflict resolution, evangelism, missions, church planting and discipleship. The Hispanic Leadership Banquet immediately follows the conference in the Great Hall of DBU’s Mahler Student Center. Registration cost is $15 per participant for the conference and an additional $10 for the banquet. For more information or to register online, click here.

Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers and ministry partners from Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama have completed relief operations in the Golden Triangle area of Southeast Texas after Tropical Storm Imelda. They donated more than 23,000 volunteer hours and made more than 2,900 personal contacts. Volunteers prepared more than 33,700 meals, distributed 4,000 boxes for affected residents to gather and store their possessions, and treated 182 homes to mitigate the growth of mold. They also provided access to more than 2,000 showers and washed more than 1,000 loads of laundry. Volunteers distributed 352 Bibles and recorded 41 professions of faith in Christ.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas recognized Charles “Rusty” Walton as outstanding interim pastor of the year. Walton, currently interim pastor of First Baptist Church in Sour Lake, received the Maples-Williamson-Daehnert Award Oct. 10 at a banquet at Dallas Baptist University. Walton was pastor of First Baptist Church in Duncanville and First Baptist Church in Conroe before entering into interim ministry in retirement. “Dr. Walton embodies the best of interim pastors as he provides grace, a non-anxious presence, and sound wisdom,” said Karl Fickling, coordinator of Interim Ministry for Texas Baptists. E.L. “Skip” McNeal, a prior recipient, presented the award to Walton.

East Texas Baptist University presented the Bob and Gayle Riley Servant Leadership Award to seniors Lane Craig of Marshall and Helen Sperling of Quitman. Peers, faculty and staff at ETBU nominate students for the award in recognition of their commitment to Christ’s model of servanthood. Craig, a religion major, is involved in Baptist Student Ministry, Kid’s Club, Tiger Camp, Rec-Team and Men’s Ministry. He also volunteers at Travis Elementary School, at Price T. Young Elementary and with Mission Marshall and other community organizations. He also has served in churches as a student ministry volunteer and student intern. Sperling, a mass communication major, has served as a resident assistant, Tiger Camp leader, Titus discipleship leader and mentor to other students.

The Flying Queens women’s basketball program at Wayland Baptist University was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on the strength of its history, impact on the game and continued success over an extended period of time. The Flying Queens were named to the Hall of Fame by a veterans’ direct-elect committee. The Hall of Fame officially inducted the program from 1948 to 1982, when the Queens were instrumental in changes made to women’s basketball. Wayland Baptist University was the first college to offer women athletic scholarships, decades before Title IX. The Queens hold the record for the still-standing longest winning streak in basketball at 131 games, accomplished in a five-year span from 1953 to 1958. Dozens of former Flying Queens and their families, plus other representatives of the university and the Flying Queens including WBU President Bobby Hall and Head Coach Alesha Ellis, traveled to Springfield, Mass., for the ceremony and related events. Linda Price, who played for the Flying Queens from 1966 to 1969 and current president of the Flying Queens Foundation, represented the Flying Queens at the Hall of Fame jacket presentation and other ceremonial functions.

Speaking in chapel on Oct. 2, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., challenged Dallas Baptist University students to be willing to follow Christ into unexpected places. Lankford served in youth ministry 22 years before he ran for Congress. “For months, I kept telling God what a crazy, dumb idea that was. Nobody in my family had been in politics. I had no background in politics,” he said. Once he felt certain God was leading him to pursue elected office, he encountered people who asked why he was leaving ministry to go into politics. “After a while hearing that, I got sarcastic enough to say: ‘Yes, I know, it’s terrible. It seems so odd for God to send light into dark places.’” Lankford encouraged students to be open to God’s leadership, even if it means entering occupations outside the typical notions of Christian vocation. “If our Father calls you to go there, why don’t you follow him, and see what the mission is when you get there?” Lankford said. “The decision we make is not what we’re going to do one day. It’s who we’re going to follow that day when we get there. That’s the real decision.”

Lisa Morris Simon, chair of Morris Strategic Investments and president of the Joella and Stewart Morris Foundation, will speak during the Prince-Chavanne Distinguished Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 23, in Belin Chapel at Houston Baptist University. The lecture series highlights the role of Christian ethics in business. The event is free and open to the public.

East Texas Baptist University presented Hal and Joyce Cornish of Marshall with a Founders Society Award during an Oct. 9 chapel service. ETBU recognized the couple for their recent donations that made possible additional enhancements to the Cornish Soccer Field. Originally built in 2000, the field was initially upgraded in 2007 with funds also provided by the couple, and the current soccer facilities were named in their honor.

Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science has been awarded a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The grant will support scholarships and activities for 22 students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and bioinformatics. Students in the Engineering and Computer Science Scholars program will participate in varied activities, including an orientation, a monthly seminar series and faculty mentoring. The purpose of the program is to increase STEM degree completion of high-achieving undergraduates with a demonstrated financial need. Through the course of the program, ECS Scholar progress will be tracked and documented in addition to using predictive analytics toward achieving benchmark goals in retention, graduation rates, internships, undergraduate research experiences and job placement.

Anniversary

150^th for Clearwater Baptist Church in Scroggins. Bill Holmes is pastor.

Wayland Baptist University received a $300,000 sustainability grant from the Lilly Endowment’s Youth Theology Network for KALEO, a program designed to foster Christian leadership among high school juniors and seniors. Wayland launched KALEO in 2016 with the help of a $600,000 Lilly Endowment grant. KALEO seeks to transform the lives of high school students through discovery, discernment and affirmation of God’s call for Christian leadership. High school students enter into a yearlong mentorship program with a senior pastor or youth pastor through the program. Students also participate in a summertime immersion experience that focuses on three phases of development—a wilderness discipleship event; classroom instruction in biblical and theological studies on the Wayland campus and ministry projects through area churches; and a missional experience. Summer 2020 participants will engage missional service in Olympia, Wash., through the BGCT’s partnership with the Northwest Baptist Convention. After completing the immersion experience, students return to their churches and mentors for continued study and service.

Baylor University has extended the contract of President Linda Livingstone. She began serving as Baylor’s 15th president on June 1, 2017, under a three-year contract. Her newly amended five-year contract will run through May 31, 2024, with the option for two automatic one-year extensions. The contract extension for Livingstone follows recent announcements of new contract terms for Mack Rhoades as vice president and athletic director and for head football coach Matt Rhule. “These long-term contract extensions reflect the tremendous positive momentum Baylor has experienced over the past two-plus years under our current university leadership,” said Jerry K. Clements, chair of the Baylor board of regents.

East Texas Baptist University welcomed Benjamin and Gloria Kwashi as special guests at a chapel service and related events on campus Oct. 7. He is Anglican archbishop in Nigeria, and she is founder of the Zambiri Outreach and Child Care Centre, a primary and secondary school that provides free education, meals, uniforms and medical care for 400 children. In a chapel sermon, he spoke about the religious persecution his family endured in Nigeria. ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn presented Kwashi with a Great Commission Globe Sculpture by Max Greiner, and Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes presented the couple with a Texas flag that flew over the state capitol in their honor.

Houston Baptist University has been awarded a $3 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the Title V funding program for Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program. The award is designed to prepare students in science, technology, engineering and math fields by enhancing HBU’s academic and research-based programming in the sciences, engineering and cyber/computer sciences.

Emmanuel McCall, a Baptist pioneer in racial reconciliation, received the Christian Ethics Award from the T.B. Maston Foundation at an Oct. 4 dinner at Dallas Baptist University. McCall was the first African-American to serve on the executive staff of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board, working there from 1968 to 1991. While on the faculty at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he developed a Black Church Studies curriculum that served as a model for three SBC seminaries. He also was on the faculty of the McAfee School of Theology. McCall is a former vice president of the Baptist World Alliance, past moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in East Point, Ga. Daniel Carro, regional secretary of the Union Bautista Latino Americana and professor at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, spoke at the awards dinner.

Conclave, a one-stop conference for various family ministries hosted by Texas Baptists’ Great Commission Team, will take place Oct. 14-16 at First Baptist Church in Richardson. The conference is designed to provide encouragement, worship experiences, networking, training and resources for youth ministers, as well as those who oversee the family or NextGen ministries in local churches. Speakers include Reggie Joiner, CEO of Orange; Mark Matlock, president of WisdomWorks Ministries; and David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. Jimmy McNeal from Austin Stone Community Church will lead worship. Jane Wilson, youth discipleship specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, noted the conference is centered around teaching ministers how to work collaboratively within their church to reach the entire family unit. “This is for the children’s minister who wants to work alongside the youth minister and the preschool minister and the pastor to reach families,” Wilson said. “That’s the difference in this event. It’s all about collaborative ministry among staff members, in addition to the youth ministry training for which Conclave has been known over the years.” For more information about Conclave, including registration prices and information about scholarships and student rates, click here.

Howard Payne University recently concluded a week of celebrations held in conjunction with the presidential inauguration of Cory Hines as the university’s 20^th president. Events included various receptions, a prayer breakfast, a cookout with students hosted by HPU’s first family, a chapel service and the special ceremony officially inaugurating Hines as president. The week’s festivities culminated with an HPU preview event for prospective students and a tailgate lunch at Gordon Wood Stadium for the extended HPU family. “I wanted the week to not just be about me but to celebrate HPU and God’s faithfulness throughout our institution’s 130-year history,” Hines said. “I am so grateful for the participation of all who took part and look forward to continuing to grow these relationships as together we move forward into the bright future God has for us.” A native of Gainesville, Hines earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in religious education from HPU in 1997. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Christian education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy in leadership studies-higher education at Dallas Baptist University, where he held several administrative posts. He and his wife Melinda have two children, Mackenzie and Caleb.

The Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor University announced Sept. 30 the official launch of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, an umbrella entity that will bring together efforts to address hunger in Texas and beyond. Jeremy Everett, founding executive director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, and Kathy Krey, assistant research professor and director of research and administration, will lead the collaborative. Since its founding in 2009, the Texas Hunger Initiative has provided technical assistance to more than 25 states and plays a prominent role in Washington, D.C., in developing scalable solutions to address hunger and poverty nationwide. The Texas Hunger Initiative will continue to exist as a project under the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, representing the work being done at the local and state level improving hunger and poverty outcomes for Texans. For example, a newly announced $2.6 million grant from the Walmart Foundation will enable the Texas Hunger Initiative to expand its statewide role in supporting communities to assess local hunger, evaluate barriers to food security and find long-term, community-driven solutions to hunger and poverty. The collaborative also will integrate research and practice through projects such as the Research Fellows program, the Global Hunger and Migration Project and the Hunger Data Lab, among others, and will continue to conduct interdisciplinary hunger and poverty research with local, state, national and global relevance.

Kay Warren, international advocate for orphaned and vulnerable children and for people living with mental illness, will speak at Houston Baptist University’s Founders Day at 11 a.m., Nov. 6, in the Dunham Theater on the HBU campus. With her husband Rick, Warren is cofounder of Saddleback Church in Southern California. After their son Matthew took his life in 2013, she devoted much of her energy to encouraging the faith community to understand and support individuals who live with mental illness. She is a board member of the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention and a noted author and Bible teacher. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Her address will be streamed live here.

Family members of East Texas Baptist University students visited the campus in Marshall Sept. 20-21 for Family Weekend. Visitors met faculty and staff, and they participated in social activities such as Lunch on the Lawn and Family Tailgate, as well as a Tiger football game and the Tiger Serve Saturday community service project. This year, the campus community and guests donated, packaged and delivered 2,251 pounds of canned food and other non-perishable items to Mission Marshall.

Costi Hinn, author of God, Greed and the (Prosperity Gospel): How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies, told students in a chapel service at Dallas Baptist University he brought a view of Christ distorted by wealth and success with him when he arrived as a student at DBU in 2008, rolling onto campus in a black Hummer. The nephew of televangelist Benny Hinn grew up in a family that preached the “prosperity gospel”—and profited from it. “We travelled the world, packing out stadiums, promising people the American Dream. … Jesus and the gospel were like a footnote to my already great life,” he said. “The goal was me. The purpose was me. The center of the world, my view of Christ, was me.” Hinn described his experiences as a student-athlete under DBU Baseball Coach Dan Heefner as the time when “someone faithful planted seeds” that later led to a turning point in his life. Hinn, now a pastor in Arizona, challenged students to respond to a question: “Are you all in for yourself, or are you all in for Christ?”

Five Howard Payne University students enrolled in the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy program have been selected as Sumners Scholars—Conner Faught, a junior from Brownfield; Lexie Hobby, a junior from Burleson; Lucy Manning, a junior from Fort Worth; Sierra Ross, a junior from Galveston; and Lauren Piper, a sophomore from Early. Acceptance into the Sumners Scholar Program, created by the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, is based on an assessment of academic excellence, a sense of civic responsibility and leadership potential. Students are selected for the competitive four-semester program, after an in-depth application and interview by the trustees of the Sumners Foundation. The foundation provides a $7,500-per-semester stipend for its participating students to be used for tuition, fees, books or room and board. Sumners Scholars are also provided with opportunities to attend annual leadership and policy analysis conferences to supplement their learning and expand their growth potential.

Bob Marley, athletic trainer for the Houston Texans and UT Health, will be the keynote speaker at the annual fall luncheon sponsored by the Houston Baptist University School of Nursing and Allied Health. The event, supporting the school’s scholarships and programs, is scheduled 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the River Oaks Country Club. Luncheon honorees are The Dunn Foundation, the Hamill Foundation and Toni Cotton, recipient of the Margaret Newman Outstanding Alumni Award.

Anniversaries

100^th for Port Caddo Baptist Church in Marshall. Timothy Pierce is pastor.

10^th for Jeff Addison as pastor of Ridgemont Baptist Church in Abilene.

Hardin-Simmons University’s Cowboy Band hosted high schoolers from around the Big Country region for High School Band Day. During a football game, a group of 30 students from Anson High School played their instruments in the stands and marched with the Cowboy Band during a half-time performance. Also participating were students from Abilene High School and Cooper High School in Abilene, as well as students from Hawley, Merkel, Wink, Hutto and Eastland. One student even traveled from Houston to participate. Bill Harden is director of bands at HSU.

Diego Silva, director of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Penitas, was part of the inaugural Faith and Opportunity Fellowship Sept. 16-20 in Washington, D.C. He was one of only 37 fellows selected for the fellowship, organized by the USDA Center for Faith and Opportunity in the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. The fellowship emphasized skill-building, particularly focused on the creation of local prosperity councils and long-term strategic planning Silva can implement in the Rio Grande Valley. Silva made presentations to government officials regarding Buckner International’s work in the Rio Grande Valley, including a detailed breakdown of the model behind the Buckner Family Hope Center at Penitas. He reported on the economic strengthening program, annual home builds and Agri-Hope program Buckner offers families in the Rio Grande Valley.

Baylor University received two $1.5 million gifts—from Grady Rosier, president and CEO of the McLane Company Inc., and John and Nancy Jackson, who are co-chairs of the national Give Light fund-raising campaign steering committee—to create new faculty positions within the Hankamer School of Business and in support of the university’s Baylor in Latin America Initiative. Because of a $100 million gift for the Baylor Academic Challenge from an anonymous family, the gifts will result in two $3 million chairs—the W. Grady Rosier Endowed Chair in Free Enterprise and the Jackson Family Chair for Baylor in Latin America.

Two East Texas Baptist University students, sophomore Alana Goodson from Lufkin and senior Leovardo Sanchez from Waskom, were selected to receive scholarships provided by the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Foundation and its national partner, the Council of Independent Colleges. Goodson is a Christian studies major, and her scholarship is funded by the PACCAR Foundation. Sanchez is studying kinesiology, and his scholarship is funded by the UPS Foundation.

Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology launched two new undergraduate degree programs—a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry and a Bachelor of Behavioral Science in Worship Ministry. Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Ministry degree program can fulfill the foreign language requirement by taking Spanish to use in the context of missions, or they can take Hebrew or Greek to gain proficiency in the biblical languages. Students in the program not only take courses in theology, church history, ethics, Old and New Testament, and ministry, but also experience mentoring in a ministry internship. The Bachelor of Behavioral Science in Worship Ministry program is similar to a double major in music and ministry. Students take courses in music theory and composition, music history and literature, church music, Bible, theology, Christian history and ministry.

For the eighth time, Baylor University has attained Honor Roll status as a 2019 Great College to Work For, according to a new survey of 236 colleges and universities. Only 85 institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition, with 42 named to the Honor Roll as the standouts in their size categories. Baylor is included in the large university category with 10,000 or more students. The Honor Roll recognizes colleges that get top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies. Baylor received special recognition in 11 areas: collaborative governance; compensation and benefits; confidence in senior leadership; facilities, workspaces and security; job satisfaction and support; professional/career development programs; respect and appreciation; supervisor/department chair relationship; teaching environment; tenure clarity and process; and work/life balance.

Baptist Standard Editor Eric Black spoke in chapel at East Texas Baptist University on Sept. 16. Black spoke to students about God’s guidance and assurance in times of trouble. During a luncheon for faculty and mass communication majors, Black discussed how God guided him from the pastorate to his position as editor, publisher and executive director of a news organization.

Retirement

Jerry Campbell after 41 years as pastor of Springdale Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

Alan Wright, chaplain at the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, and Mike Mullender, director of pastoral care at Baylor University Medical Center, were among about 350 participants in a Swim Across America fund-raising event Sept. 14 at Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall. Wright and Mullender joined other members of the “Baylor Salmons” team in a half-mile event. Other swimmers participated in one-mile and two-mile events. The event raised about $250,000 for the Innovative Clinical Trials Center at Baylor’s Sammons Cancer Center.

Baptist Temple in San Antonio is now home to the satellite campus of San Antonio Clubhouse, a program where adults with mental health conditions can volunteer, learn and grow. San Antonio Clubhouse promotes life skills, job skills, employment, wellness, recreation, connections to resources and healthy meals. The Baptist Temple site is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Multiple congregations and nonprofit organizations share the Baptist Temple campus to meet the community’s spiritual, physical, emotional and educational needs. Earlier this year, Baptist Temple announced its plans to build an inclusive playground to serve children of different ability levels on the city’s Southside. Jorge Zayasbazan is pastor.

Hundreds gathered at East Texas Baptist University for the 9th annual Great East Texas Hymn Sing on Sept. 13 in the Baker Chapel of the Rogers Spiritual Life Center for the time of worship and fellowship. Along with the university community, church groups from Texas and neighboring states attended the event in Baker Chapel of the Rogers Spiritual Life Center. During the service, Charles and Jo Ann Whiteside of Kilgore, longtime supporters of ETBU, were inducted into the Founder’s Society.

Stacey Martin, dean of students at Hardin-Simmons University, was named vice president of student life at the university after serving in that post five months as interim. Martin earned her bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences from HSU in 1996 and her master’s degree in 2001. She anticipates completing her doctorate of education in leadership next May. Martin has served in a variety of positions at Hardin-Simmons. She is a member of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene. She and her husband Cody have two sons, Caden and Creed.

Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary and the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching, in partnership with Texas Baptists’ African American Ministries, will host the National African American Preaching Conference on Sept. 24-26. “The conference will especially note the 400th anniversary of slavery and the power of black pulpit speaking against slavery’s evil agenda,” said Joel Gregory, professor of preaching at Truett and director of the Kyle Lake Center. Conference speakers include senior pastors William H. Curtis of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Penn.; Charlie Dates of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, Ill.; Phillip Pointer of Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark.; and Ralph Douglas West of The Church Without Walls in Houston, TX. Bishop Vashti McKenzie of the African Methodist Episcopal Church also is featured at this year’s conference. Registration cost is $99, which includes a Legacy Banquet. For more information or to register, click here.

Hardin-Simmons University dedicated its newly constructed Tommy Hale Short Game Facility on Sept. 12. Named after Tommy Hale, who played on HSU’s golf team from 1952 to 1955 and is the only individual national champion golfer from the school, the facility includes a putting green, chipping green, fairway and two sand bunkers. Joe and Susan Black provided the funds for the facility. Black was Hale’s teammate at HSU.

Anniversary

30^th for George Mason as pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas.

Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary named Wally Goodman as director of the Doctor of Ministry degree program and Jeff Johnson as director of the Logsdon Seminary campus in San Antonio. Goodman was director of the San Antonio campus the past nine years. Previously, he was assistant professor of biblical studies and director of institutional effectiveness and quality enhancement at Baptist University of the Américas. Goodman earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University, Master of Arts in Religious Education and Master of Divinity degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctorate in religion from Baylor University. Johnson, a past president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, most recently was part-time director of Logsdon’s Dallas-Fort Worth campus. He has more than 34 years combined pastoral ministry and theological education experience. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

East Texas Baptist University faculty, staff, and trustees broke ground Aug. 30 at the future site of the Chapel on the Hill and Kenny Ponder Park. Gene and Patsy Ponder of Marshall, along with their children and grandchildren, donated initial funds to create a park in memory of their son Kenneth, who died in 2017. The family contributed additional funds to construct the Chapel on the Hill, overlooking the park, which is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Daniel “Tiny” Dominguez, pastor of Community Heights Church in Lubbock, was featured speaker at Howard Payne University’s Encounter Week fall revival services, Sept. 9-11. Katie Curry Kresge, an HPU alumna from Christ Church in Cedar Park, led worship.

Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing and Baylor Scott & White Research Institute recently received funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health. Co-leading the research study is Kelly Rossler, assistant professor and research fellow at the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, and Ganesh Sankaranarayanan, assistant director of the Center for Evidence Based Simulation, Academic Simulation Program at Baylor Scott & White Health. Rossler and Sankaranarayanan will develop an immersive virtual reality simulator and examine outcomes when registered nurses use the simulator for training in safe medication administration practices. This immersive virtual reality simulation-based education offers an environment where the learner can engage and interact actively within a realistic patient care setting in which medication errors can take place. Medication errors account for up to $46 million in daily loss to hospital operational budgets in the United States. Rossler and Sankaranarayanan will test the effectiveness of the simulator with practicing registered nurses at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Aran Puddle, creative director at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia, led a night of worship at Dallas Baptist University on Aug. 28. A partnership agreement allows students of Hillsong International Leadership College to transfer up to 78 credit hours to DBU. Qualifying students also are eligible to receive financial assistance through the HILC Scholarship and Christian Leadership Scholarship.

Randy Lewis, former senior vice president of Walgreens, delivered the keynote address at the Hardin-Simmons University convocation, marking the school’s 128^th academic year. Lewis is the author of No Greatness Without Goodness. As the father of an autistic son, he became an advocate for creating an environment of equality for disabled employees to thrive in the workplace. At Walgreens, he created a distribution center where one-third of the employees are individuals with disabilities. Last year, it was the company’s most productive and cost-effective distribution center.

Anniversaries

175^th for First Baptist Church in Huntsville. Jason Bay is pastor.

160^th for First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs. Jeff Gravens is pastor.

Students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University donated and customized more than 200 wheelchairs for disabled individuals in Thailand. Working in partnership with Joni and Friends Cause 4 Life and the Thailand-based RICD Wheelchair Project, students journeyed to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Students assessed the needs of individuals, prayed with them and fitted wheelchairs to their specific needs. Modifications included adding cushions, installing footrests and adjusting leg straps. In preparation, the HSU students attended seminars about the proper use of wheelchairs, volunteered as short-term missionaries at the Joni and Friends Family for people with disabilities and played wheelchair basketball with professionals.

Baylor University President Linda Livingstone officially announced the school’s plans to pursue Research 1/Tier 1 classification, setting a goal of joining the nation’s top research universities. “Baylor University’s vision affirms that the world needs a preeminent research university that is unambiguously Christian, and we are uniquely positioned to achieve this goal by building on Baylor’s historic strengths and strategically investing in new areas of research and service,” Livingstone said. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designates 130 colleges and universities in the United States as R1, which are doctoral-granting institutions with the “highest research activity.” Baylor is among the 131 schools currently classified as R2—doctoral institutions with “higher research activity.” Baylor’s Illuminate strategic plan provides the framework and commitment to investment over the next decade that will guide the institution towards becoming a top national research university, Livingstone said.

New and returning students at Howard Payne University participated in a variety of community-wide service projects as part of SWARM—Serving With A Right Motive. Students volunteered at Good Samaritan Ministries, the ARK Domestic Violence Shelter, the Brownwood Area Community Garden and Brownwood’s Lyric Theatre. SWARM was one of the Jacket Journey welcome events at HPU. Others included Chime In, a ceremony symbolizing the beginning of students’ time at the university; Campus Celebration, a worship service organized by the HPU Baptist Student Ministry; and a free lunch for students and their families at the home of HPU President Cory Hines.

Jennifer Manning, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor trustee, was guest speaker at the university’s 174th Fall Convocation, marking the official opening of the new academic year. “I want to encourage you to strengthen yourself academically, spiritually, physically,” Manning told incoming students. She encouraged the students to seize every available opportunity to them to try something new. “Take charge and take a risk,” Manning said. “This is the perfect time in your life to step outside of your comfort zone.” Manning, who earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from UMHB in 1994, is a partner in the accounting and business consulting division of Pattillo, Brown & Hill in Waco.

Hardin-Simmons University is piloting a recommended scholars admissions program in Abilene-area high schools. The modified test-optional program allows principals, teachers and counselors to recommend their students for admissions to the university. “We believe the high school academic record and the endorsement of trusted high school faculty and staff who know the student’s potential and capabilities are better predictors of college success than an ACT or SAT score,” said Vicki House, vice president for enrollment management at HSU. The university will evaluate data based on the class that participates in the pilot program to determine the viability of expanding the program to include other high schools in the future.

Anniversary

50^th for the Neighbors International program at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. The program offers seven levels of English-as-a-Second-Language classes. It also offers free to all Waco-area foreign-born internationals courses in citizenship, driver’s manual, piano, computer, fabric arts, Spanish, painting, scrapbooking, choral music, crafts and crochet/knitting. Last year, more than 200 internationals from more than 30 countries enrolled in the program, and more than 50 people a week meet each Sunday morning for a Bible study geared toward internationals.

About 650 new students at Dallas Baptist University and 200 student leaders, faculty and staff served in 19 locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area as part of SWAT—Student Welcome and Transition. Community service projects included clean-up, distribution of goods and apartment visitation at Mission Arlington; sorting donated items at the Salvation Army’s disaster relief resource center; painting and decorating a children’s educational outreach center for Voice of Hope; and cleaning facilities and organizing English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms for refugees at Gateway of Grace. 

Texas Baptist Men volunteers served a free lunch to 1,000 students at the University of Texas at Dallas early in the fall semester. While students waited in line for fajitas, rice, beans and side dishes, Baptist Student Ministry leaders introduced themselves and engaged the students in conversation. UTD is one of fastest-growing universities in Texas with more than 28,000 students, including 8,000 international students from around the globe. “This is a beautiful mission field,” said Mark Warrington, director of the campus BSM. “College students love free food. We’re building relationships and having conversations. We’re grateful for TBM. We couldn’t do this without them.”

Students at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor celebrated a Welcome Week tradition by participating in Love CTX, working on projects to benefit the Central Texas area. Students gathered in front of Luther Memorial at the center of the UMHB campus to work on one of three projects—make dog toys out of recycled t-shirts, write thank you notes to teachers, or pack meals for area schoolchildren. UMHB donated more than 500 dogs toys to animal shelters in Belton, Temple, Killeen and Harker Heights. Students wrote 100 letters to teachers and staff members, thanking them for their service. They also packed sack lunches and backpacks for the One More Child organization, providing more than 50,000 meals for students in the Belton Independent School District.

Howard Payne University recently named Donnie Auvenshine as vice president for academic affairs and Gary Gramling as dean of the School of Christian Studies. Auvenshine served as the school’s dean from 1994 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2019. He earned his undergraduate degree from HPU and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Gramling will continue to serve as director of Christian studies graduate programs and professor of Christian studies, in addition to his new responsibilities as dean. Gramling also earned his undergraduate degree from HPU, as well as his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his doctorate from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Center for Christianity in Business at Houston Baptist University will hold its fall 2019 Networking Luncheon and Seminar on Sept. 27. The event, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Morris Cultural Arts Center on the HBU campus, will feature guest speaker Kevin Garland, CEO of Mountaire Farms. Cost for the lunch is $10 for students and $25 for professionals. To register, click here.

Anniversary

125^th for First Baptist Church in Riesel. The anniversary celebration will begin with a worship and praise service at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15. Former pastor Kenny Burkhart, now pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Houston, will preach, and several other pastors and worship leaders will attend. Following the worship service, a barbecue lunch will be served in the church’s fellowship hall.

Johnny Shelton, chaplain for the Baltimore Ravens football team and founder of Attitudes In Motion, was guest speaker at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University Assembly on Aug. 20. UMHB’s University Assembly is an annual gathering of faculty and staff held on the eve of each year’s Move-in Day and Welcome Week. “I came all the way from Baltimore to, No. 1, remind you of the great job that you’re doing and, No. 2, thank you for answering the call,” Shelton said. “The challenge and the charge is to fulfill your ministry. God sent these children to you so that you could speak life into them.” Shelton, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, was team chaplain for the Virginia Tech football team before joining the Ravens in 2013.

Great Value Colleges ranked Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio among the top one-third of its 100 most affordable small colleges west of the Mississippi and No. 1 in Texas. BUA ranked No. 31 in the overall listing of small colleges in the western United States. The organization made its selections and rankings based on location, student population and net price. Abraham Jaquez is president of BUA.

Hardin-Simmons University opened its new College of Health Professions on Aug. 15. While existing degree programs in several health profession fields will remain in the same physical locations, housing all the programs in one college allows for “engagement in interprofessional education and servant leadership activities,” said Janelle O’Connell, dean of the college.