Around the State

• Wayne Shuffield, director of the Evangelism/Missions Center for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, will speak on “Go, Speak and Deliver Hope” for Texas 2010 at the 9th annual Hispanic Baptist Convocation of the Laity, Oct. 9-10, at Camp Buckner Hill Country Retreat near Burnet. Other key speakers include President Victor Rodriguez and Vice President Manuel Rios of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas; Baldemar Borrego and Alcides Guajardo, former presidents of the Hispanic Baptist Convention; Lorenzo Pena, director of associational missions for the BGCT; Alfonso Flores Jr., pastor of First Mexican Baptist Church in San Antonio; and Damon Hollingsworth of Texas Baptist Men. Aida Morales, former president of the Pastors’ Wives Conference, will speak at the women’s conference. For more information, contact Eli Rodriguez (214) 341-9435.

Johnny Dammon

Kathy Dammon

• Two couples with Texas ties have been appointed as missionaries by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. John and Kathy Dammon will serve in evangelism and church starting among the people of Southeast Asia. Both are graduates of East Texas Baptist University. He previously was pastor of First Church in Fairfield and was pastor of Fredonia Hill Church in Nacogdoches at the time of their appointment. They have three grown children.

Doug Taylor

Kathryn Taylor

Doug and Kathryn Taylor will serve in evangelism and church starting among the Sub-Saharan peoples of Africa. He has served in youth ministry at Central Church in College Station, Meadowbrook Church in Rockdale, Prestonwood Church in Plano, Sugar Creek Church in Sugar Land, Pinelake Church in Brandon, Miss., Istrouma Church in Baton Rouge, La., and Bear Creek Church in Katy. They consider First Church in Yoakum as their home church. They have three children—Kylie, 7; Karis, 5; and Caleb, 3.

• Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing has dedicated the Barnabas Success Center and the Diane Roose Brinkman Study Room to position nursing students for success in the academic and professional lives. The dedication was part of a series of events marking the nursing school’s centennial this fall . A reunion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the nursing school will be held Oct. 9-11 at Sheraton Hotel in Dallas. Check-in is from 2 to 6:30 p.m. The initial mixer event begins at 4 p.m. Friday. Rooms still are available at (888) 627-8191, mentioning Baylor nursing for a discounted rate.

• Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary will be the site of a conference titled “Baptists @400: Celebrating the Past. Imagining the Future” Oct. 12-13. The first session is at 2:30 p.m. Monday. Among the presenters are Tommy Brisco, Pam Durso, Jesse Fletcher, George Mason, Ellis Orosco, Keith Parks, Ronnie Prevost, Dan Stiver and Bill Tillman. The conference is free, including meals, but reservations are requested so adequate preparations can be made. For more information, go to www.logsdonseminary.org. To make reservations, call (325) 670-2194.

• Dillon International will present a free adoption information meeting from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Buckner Children’s Home in Dallas. An overview of adoption from China, Korea, Haiti, India, Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Russia and Honduras will be given. A domestic program for Texas families and new opportunities in Ghana and Nepal also will be highlighted. For more information or to reserve a spot for the meeting, call (214) 319-3426.

• The National Center for Church Architecture will hold a workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at Dallas Baptist University to equip church leaders considering or planning a relocation of their church. In addition to the stages of a move, participants will learn how to compare the potential of their current location to the potential of a future location. The $200 fee includes lunch and syllabus. The fee is discounted to $150 for registrants prior to Oct. 16. For more information, call (817) 937-8292.

• Howard Payne University students will join with The Good Samaritan of Brownwood in an event that will raise awareness and money for hunger needs Nov. 6. The event will be held at Brownwood’s Depot and Civic Cultural Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature musical presentations each half hour, a silent auction and soup. The cost is $10 per person. Ninety percent of the proceeds will go to fight hunger locally while a tithe will go to Heifer International to combat international hunger issues. For more information, call (325) 643-2273.

• Peter Williams will give a lecture at Houston Baptist University’s Dunham Bible Museum Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. on “Moral Objections to the Old Testament.”

• Larry Baker has been appointed director of the doctor of ministry program at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary. In addition to 25 years of pastoral ministry experience, Baker was a professor of Christian ethics and pastoral ministry at Southwestern Seminary and Midwestern Seminary.

• J. Gordon Melton has been named a distinguished senior fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. The author of more than 40 reference and scholarly books, he is noted for his Encyclopedia of American Religions, first published in 1979 and now in its eighth edition.

• The Texas Education Agency has approved East Texas Baptist University to begin offering a special education supplemental certification to its students in the School of Education. ETBU teacher education students who seek this certification will be able to teach special needs students in their primary area of certification.

• In recognition of September as “Infant Mortality Awareness Month,” Baptist Children & Family Services’ Healthy Start program held informational forums at community centers throughout Laredo, focused on protecting babies’ lives by mitigating dangerous circumstances in the home. In addition to the educational pieces given to parents, BCFS also distributed nearly 100 home fans to families living in the colonias to protect children from the South Texas heat.

Anniversaries

• First Church in Aransas Pass, 100th, Oct. 15-18. On Thursday at 7 p.m., the Singing Men of South Texas will present a concert followed by an ice cream social. A reception will be held Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday will include gospel music from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., meal at 5:30 p.m. and words from former pastors. A bonfire on the beach also will be held for youth. Sunday will begin with a continental breakfast at 9:45 a.m. The morning service will feature the recognition of former staff and leaders. Marshall Johnston is pastor.

• First Church in Onalaska, 100th, Oct. 25. A meal will follow the morning service, with singing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. History books will be available for $13. Don Wilkey is pastor.

• Lino Castaneda, 10th, as pastor of New Jerusalem Mission in Sherman.

• First Church in Blanco, 150th, Nov. 8. A reception will begin at 8:45 a.m. For more information, call (830) 833-4632. A barbecue lunch will follow the morning service. Rusty Hicks is pastor.

Ordained

• Jeremy Labelle, Joe Pickle, Bill Plummer, Scott Reib, Chris Sale, Roger Segars, Richard Stephens, Jeff Thomas and Brian Wood as deacons at First Church in Denton.

Revivals

• LakeView Church, San Angelo; Oct. 4-7; evangelist, Robert Barge; pastor, Mike Dorman.

• Springlake Church, Paris; Oct. 14-16; evangelist, Rick Perkins; music, Teresa Harmening; pastor, Michael Redus.