Texas Tidbits: Free Advent guide

BaptistWay offers free Advent guide. BaptistWay Press is offering a free devotional for the Advent and Christmas seasons. The guide, a cooperative venture involving BaptistWay and the North American Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance, is written by Baptist leaders from across North America and provides daily devotionals from Nov. 27 to Jan. 4. For more information or to download the devotional, visit www.bgct.org/baptistwaypress.

Baylor seniors seek to leave lasting legacy. This year’s senior class gift at Baylor University will light the fire of education—figuratively and literally. Students not only will contribute as a senior class gift to an endowed scholarship that provides for future Baylor students’ education, but also will pay tribute to Baylor’s heritage by supporting the addition of an eternal flame atop the Immortal Ten Memorial on campus. The senior class gift committee is asking each senior to give at least $25. When making their gift, students will have the option to designate it to benefit the scholarship or the eternal flame. The Immortal Ten Memorial commemorates 10 Baylor basketball players who were killed when a train collided with their bus in 1927.

BCFS expands transitional living program. Baptist Child & Family Services’ Preparation for Adult Living program has been awarded a contract through the Department of Family and Protective Services to expand its transitional living program to include all of South Texas. The new territory will serve the area between Corpus Christi, Laredo and Brownsville. This expansion will help more than 1,400 youths per year make the transition from foster care to independent living.

Churches endow Wayland scholarships. Two endowed scholarships were dedicated recently at churches to benefit Wayland Baptist University students. Friends and church members at First Baptist Church in San Antonio dedicated an endowed scholarship honoring Pastor Don Guthrie and his wife, Holly. The scholarship specifically benefits students at Wayland’s San Antonio campus. First Baptist Church in Dimmitt dedicated an endowed scholarship in memory of longtime member Clara Gladden. The scholarship is designated for a Hispanic Baptist ministerial student with an emphasis on pastoral or youth ministry.

Richardson woman will chair WMU Foundation. Sylvia DeLoach of First Baptist Church in Richardson was selected chair of the board for the Woman’s Missionary Union Foundation. DeLoach becomes the fifth person to chair the board of trustees of the 13-year-old Birmingham-based foundation. “I’m excited about the opportunity to serve as chair of the WMU Foundation board of trustees—a gifted, committed group of men and women whose hearts are focused on the support of missions,” DeLoach said. “For me, it’s not only a privilege and an honor to serve, but it also allows me new opportunities to support and encourage the work of WMU.” For 14 years, DeLoach served on the national WMU staff as children’s ministry consultant, Girls in Action specialist and—most recently before retiring in 2004—as missions innovator.