Texas Tidbits: Names sought for memorials

Memorials Committee seeks names. Each year at the BGCT annual meeting, a memorial service honors Texas Baptists who died during the preceding year. The BGCT Memorials Committee requests names of people who died in the last year and whose lives made strengthened their churches. Submissions should be received no later than Oct. 20. Call (214) 828-5348 or e-mail [email protected].

 
Lineberger to preach at BGCT. Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, will preach the annual sermon at the Baptist General Convention of Texas meeting this fall. Randall O’Brien, provost at Baylor University, was scheduled to preach, but he has been named president of Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn.

Herring to lead congregational leaders. Ron Herring will direct the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Congregational Leadership Team. Herring joined the BGCT staff in April after serving as director of missions for Galveston Baptist Association. He came on staff as intervention specialist, assisting churches working through difficult situations, including conflict resolution and clergy sexual misconduct. Before joining Galveston Association, he was director of missions of Rehoboth Baptist Association and pastor of First Baptist Church in Vidor, First Baptist Church in Lumberton, First Baptist Church in Pineland and Zion Hill Baptist Church in Weatherford.

 
Churches included in mini-grants. Twenty-one organizations, including four San Antonio-area churches, have been awarded grants totaling $138,000 from Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio to assist in providing health-care services to residents in the region. Baptist groups receiving grants of up to $7,500 were First Baptist Academy at First Baptist Church, Universal City, $5,061; Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, $7,500; South San Filadelfia Baptist Church, $7,500; and True Vine Baptist Church, $7,500, all of San Antonio. “We are delighted to be a partner with these churches which are providing important health care ministries,” said foundation President Frank Elston. “We hope more Baptist organizations with health-care ministries will apply for mini-grants next year.”

BUA tabbed top partner. Baptist University of the Americas has been named agency partner of the year by Communities in Schools-San Antonio, the city’s lead agency dedicated to lowering the school drop-out rate. “We recognized BUA for its outstanding dedication and commitment to CIS,” Ilsa Garcia, volunteer coordinator for the agency, said. BUA students participate in multiple CIS programs, including tutoring and mentoring partnerships at Kindred Elementary School and South San High School.

Reed takes financial post. Jim Reed, financial services director for Drury University in Springfield, Mo., has been named controller for the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board. Reed has 25 years of administrative experience an was controller and director of support services for the Missouri Baptist Convention from 1988 to 2000.

Valley hospitals win ‘triple crown.’ Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen are among only five hospitals in Texas to receive “triple crown” awards for care of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke patients from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Out of 1,314 hospitals nationwide participating in the American Heart Association’s data base for stroke care, 714 hospitals participating in the data base for coronary artery disease and 502 hospitals participating for heart failure, Valley Baptist-Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen were two out of only 29 hospitals that received awards in all three categories.

Video highlights Wayland’s 100th. A video created by Wayland Baptist University in honor of its centennial celebration highlights the school’s founding, heritage and pillars. The Wayland Story features president Paul Armes providing a brief background of founder James H. Wayland and the birth of his dream of a Christian college on the High Plains. Wayland’s granddaughter, Beulah McInnish, his oldest-living descendent at nearly 100, is featured. The video includes three segments: “Focus on Education,” “Servant Leadership” and “Into All the World.” To receive a free copy of the DVD, contact the development office at (806) 291-3430 or alumni development at (806) 291-3603 or log onto www.wbu.edu to view online.

Gift enables academy to buy bus. Charlie and Donna Oglesby of Houston made a $100,000 donation to San Marcos Baptist Academy that will be used to purchase a new 44-passanger bus for the school. The Oglesby’s son, Travis, is a 2008 academy graduate, and their daughter, Jackie, will attend the academy this school year.

Endowed scholarships benefits HSU students. Clarke Orr of Abilene has established an endowed scholarship at Hardin-Simmons University in memory of his wife, Fairy Orr. The scholarship benefits students in the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, with preference given to an English major selected by the head of the English department. Recipients for the scholarship must be professing Christians who demonstrate a significant financial need. They must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and maintain an active campus life. Another endowed scholarship at HSU, established in memory of Shaelly Beth Rausch by her family, benefits disabled students in the Irvin School of Education. The recipient must be majoring in education and possess a disability—physical, learning, or mental. The dean of the Irvin School will make the selection. If a qualified graduate or undergraduate student majoring in education is not available, the scholarship may be awarded to a student with a disability in any academic discipline. Recipients for the scholarship must be professing Christians who demonstrate significant financial need. They must maintain a 2.5 grade point average and be students in good standing, free from any disciplinary action.