Around the State

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Dallas Baptist University will hold homecoming festivities Nov. 14-19. Events begin Monday with an alumni dinner for the College of Education. On Thursday, the master of arts in counseling program will hold its alumni dinner, and the Mr. Big Chief competition will be held in the Burg Center at 8 p.m. At 4 p.m. Friday, a pep rally and parade will be held, followed at 6 p.m. by the alumni homecoming banquet. David Fletcher, professor of religion at DBU 41 years, will be named an honorary alumnus. Ronald Jones, mayor of Garland, will be named a distinguished alumnus. At 8 p.m., the Homecoming Extravaganza will kick off, with songs and performances from DBU alumni. A variety of activities are planned for Saturday, including reunion luncheons at 1 p.m. and a 4:30 p.m. tailgate party. At 7 p.m., the Patriot basketball team will play LeTourneau University in the Burg Center. For more information, call (214) 333-5628.

Lorin Vega, a student at Amarillo College, receives a hamburger from Texas Baptist volunteers during a cookout sponsored by the school's Baptist Student Ministry. Volunteers served about 450 students. (PHOTO/Eric Guel)

Abilene Association will honor several people and a church at its annual meeting, Nov. 1 at First Church in Abilene. Evelyn Dorsett, a member of First Church in Abilene, will be named the layperson of the year for her service through the association's social ministries. First Church in Tuscola will be honored as the church of the year; Charles Maciel, who recently retired as pastor of Ambler Church in Abilene after 27 years of service there and 44 years in bivocational ministry, will be named pastor of the year; and Marsha Langford, who served Belmont Church in Abilene more than 23 years before beginning a recent role as ministry assistant at the Abilene-Callahan Baptist Area Resource Center, will be named staff person of the year. The afternoon session begins at 4 p.m., and a meal will be served at 5:30 p.m. The evening session begins at 6:30 p.m. Richard Darden, pastor of Shining Star Fellowship in Abilene, will preach the annual sermon. Truman Turk is director of missions.

Hardin-Simmons University presented several awards during homecoming activities. Billie Martin was the recipient of the John J. Keeter Jr. Alumni Service Award. The Distinguished Alumni award was presented to Elizabeth Abernethy, Charles Douglas and Robert Moates. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees included Jimmie Keeling, football coach; George Hine Jr., sports information director; Kirk Rogers, football; and Gary Marable, tennis player and coach.

East Texas Baptist University has added several faculty members including Bernadette Bruster, English; Kristen Bugos, music; Katie Edwards, kinesiology and associate athletic director; Ellen Fineout-Overholt, nursing and dean of professional studies; William Griffith, chemistry; Judy Hogberg, education; Gerald Nissley, psychology; Elizabeth Ponder, manager of instruction and information services; Scott Ray, dean of school of business; Laci Wallace, kinesiology; and Connie Wyszynski, nursing.

Howard Payne University has announced a new scholarship for students entering the master of education in instructional leadership program. At its highest level, the scholarship would cut tuition almost in half. The program is for students who wish to become certified principals in Texas. Instrution for the 36-hour, non-thesis degree is delivered entirely online, and residency at the university is not required. It can be completed in as little as 22 months. For more information, call (325) 649-8205.

Anniversaries

Jack Burton, 60th in ministry, Oct. 21. A reception was held in his honor at Woodlawn Church in Austin, where he was pastor 23 years prior to his retirement in 1997. Since retirement, he has served four churches as intentional interim pastor, and currently is pastor of SkyView Church in Austin. A graduate of Southwestern Seminary, he has been pastor of churches in Kansas, New Mexico and Texas.

Deaths

Boyd O'Neal, 86, Sept. 24 in McKinney. He served almost 40 years as a Southern Baptist missionary in Brazil and eight years on staff at the International Mission Board headquarters in Richmond, Va. Born in Novice, he was the youngest of 13 children. While a student at Howard Payne College, he worked two full-time jobs and hitchhiked every Sunday to Silver Valley, where he was pastor. He and his wife, Irma, were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board to Brazil in 1949. During his time there, the state where he worked went from having 12 struggling churches to 52 thriving ones. He also directed the construction of a Baptist camp there and then served as camp director 32 years. After retiring from foreign service in 1988, he served as director of volunteers for the IMB. He retired in 1996 and moved to McKinney, where he was a member of First Church. He was preceded in death by seven brothers, five sisters and a great-grandson. He is survived by his wife of 66 years; daughters, Melba Hogue, Betty Brown and Becky Gore; son, James; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.


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Homer Wright, 99, Sept. 28 in Texarkana. A retired pastor and former volunteer prison chaplain, he was a member of First Church in Red Lick. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn. He is survived by his son, Kenneth; daughter, Joyce Stone; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

W.J. "Doc" Isbell, 89, Oct. 4 in Bessemer, Ala. After working 17 years as a veterinarian, he became Baptist Brotherhood secretary for the Alabama Baptist Convention. During 13 years there, he developed the Royal Ambassadors Boys Camp at Shocco Springs. In 1968, he joined the Southern Baptist Convention's Brotherhood department as director of the men's division. In 1977, he accepted a position with Texas Baptist Men, where he was instrumental in building a hospitality house for prisoners' families to use during visits to Huntsville. He later became executive secretary of the men's department of the Baptist World Alliance and visited world Baptist men's work and wrote a Baptist Men's manual for all churches throughout the alliance. He is survived by his wife, Nell; son, Jay; daughter, Cissy Isbell; brother, Roy; sister, Lee Wood; two grandsons; and three great-grandchildren.

Kim Hall, Oct. 21 in Hot Springs, Ark. He was pastor of Hunters Glen Church in Plano almost 22 years. During his 35 years of ministry, he also served churches in Louisiana and Mississippi. He served on the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and on its mission funding committee. He served in numerous positions with Collin Association. He was a chaplain for the Plano police and fire departments. He was the founder of Advance International, which partners with New Orleans Seminary and the International Mission Board to provide theological education to Christian leaders in remote areas of the world. He is survived by his wife, Martha; sons, Hunter and Daniel; sisters, Lydia Willis and Myrna Tarver; brothers, David and Joey; and two grandchildren.

Revivals

First Church, Devers; Nov. 6-10; evangelist, Herman Cramer; music, Sam Craig; pastor, Harry McDaniel.

First Church, Normangee; Nov. 13-16; evangelist, Mike Satterfield; music, Richard Mabry; pastor, Bob Shirley.

Event

Wylie Church in Abilene recognized Oscar Fanning as pastor emeritus, Oct. 2. He served the church as pastor more than 20 years.

 


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