Baptist Briefs

Baylor elects first non-Baptist regents. The Baylor University board of regents approved a $428.6 million operating budget for 2011-2012 and elected new members of the governing board—including the first two non-Baptist regents in the school’s history. Clifton Robinson, a member of Central Christian Church in Waco, and Kenneth Carlile, a member of First United Methodist Church in Marshall, joined the board of regents. Other new regents are Jay Allison of Frisco, Jerry Kay Clements of Spicewood and Mark McCollum of Houston. Milton Hixson of Austin, elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas last November, also joined the board. Neal T. “Buddy” Jones of Austin was elected chair, and Robert Beauchamp of Houston was elected vice-chair. The officers will serve one-year terms, effective June 1. Regents also approved the establishment of the Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business.

Logsdon dean named. Don Williford has been named dean of the Logsdon Seminary and School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University, effective June 1. Williford began his service at Hardin-Simmons in 1992 as director of church relations and assistant professor of New Testament. He was named a full professor in 1999. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has served as president of the HSU faculty, accreditation liaison, associate vice president of academic affairs, associate provost, interim vice president for academic affairs and interim dean. Before joining HSU, he served in full-time vocational ministry more than 20 years. Robert Ellis has been named associate dean for academics of Logsdon Seminary and liaison to the Association of Theological Schools. Ellis is the Phillips Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew.

National WMU meeting slated. “Proclaim” is the theme of the national Woman’s Missionary Union Missions Celebration and annual meeting, June 12-13 in the Grand Ballroom of the Wyndham Phoenix Down-town Hotel, two blocks from where the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting will be held in Phoenix. Keynote speakers are Ginger Smith, executive director of the Mission Centers of Houston, and Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Other speakers include Don and Diane Combs, International Mission Board field personnel serving European peoples; Jan Lows, who serves with Missions Service Corps as director of Life Among the Nations international student ministry at Arizona State University; Louis Spears, a North American Mission Board church planting strategist in Arizona; and Jason Williams, who serves with NAMB in California. Participants are encouraged to bring school supplies to help Spears with an ongoing ministry at Seyenna Vistas, a 67-acre mobile home and RV park in Phoenix that is home to more than 100 elementary school-aged children. A complete list of requested supplies—along with more information about the WMU Missions Celebration—is available at www.wmu.com.

Alabama Baptists tally disaster relief. The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions reported more than 8,400 Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers from 10 states have been deployed to Alabama following the tornadoes there, and they noted 38 professions of faith in Christ as a result of their work so far. Alabama Baptists also reported more than 200,000 meals served by disaster relief volunteers, more than 900 chainsaw jobs completed, and 365 critical incident stress management chaplains have served 5,292 people. One temporary child care unit was deployed, and 120 children had been assisted. In schools, 350 child crisis response clients had been served. Twenty-two shower units had been deployed, and nearly 4,000 showers had been logged in addition to nearly 1,200 loads of laundry.

Lay leader Vick dies at 76. Ed Vick, a prominent North Carolina Baptist layman and supporter of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and related causes, died May 13, seven weeks after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Vick, 76, a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., served as a director of Associated Baptist Press since 1994 and was a past chairman. He also formerly chaired and was a member of the CBF Foundation board of directors, was a founding member of the CBF of North Carolina Endowment Manage-ment board of directors and was a former member of the CBF Coordinating Council. He and his wife, Laura Anne, made signification financial contributions to moderate Baptist causes throughout the years. Vick is survived by his wife of 47 years, three adult daughters, a brother and nine grandchildren.