Leadership change at Valley Baptist. The Valley Baptist Health System’s board of trustees has named James Eastham as the organization’s president and chief executive officer. Eastham, formerly chief operating officer and executive vice president for the Harlingen-based health system, will succeed Jim Springfield, who is leaving to become a consultant on public policy, advocacy and health-plan management.
Missions Awards Luncheon set. The Texas Baptist Missions Foundation will honor three people for their missions involvement during its annual Mission Awards Luncheon Nov. 10 during the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Fort Worth. Tickets are $20 per person and must be purchased in advance. To order tickets by mail, make checks payable to Texas Baptist Missions Foundation, 333 N. Washington Ave., Dallas 75246. To order tickets by phone, call (800) 558-8263.
Free barbecue at Missions Team Banquet. Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Director Randel Everett will be the featured speaker at the Missions Team Banquet, 5 p.m. Nov. 10 in Ballroom A at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The dinner features barbecue with all the trimmings. There is no charge for the event, and tickets will be available at the River Ministry booth at the BGCT annual meeting in Fort Worth. Contributions will be accepted for the Win Oakes Minnesota/Wisconsin Church Starting Fund.
Incentives for retaking test draw criticism. Baylor University offered incoming freshmen $300 bookstore credit for retaking the Scholastic Aptitude Test and an additional $1,000 if they raised their test scores at least 50 points. After the campus newspaper, The Lariat, reported the practice, the story was carried nationally, and some academic experts asserted Baylor misused the SAT in order to boost the school’s status in the U.S. News and World Report ranking of colleges and universities. Baylor’s Faculty Senate passed a motion criticizing the incentives program, saying the practice is “academically dishonest and should be discontinued.” John Barry, Baylor’s vice president for marketing and communications, said the program was motivated by a desire to grant students access to additional unused financial aid. About 28 percent of the newly admitted Baylor students accepted the incentives offer, and 151 of them earned the $1,000 per year merit scholarships, collectively raising Baylor’s average SAT score for incoming freshmen from 1200 to 1210.
Substance abuse ministry dinner set prior to BGCT. Current addiction trends in Texas and resources to help churches deal with substance abuse will be the key topics addressed at a 6:30 p.m., Nov. 9, dinner at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Melinda Austin, national outreach manager for Hazeldon Treatment Center in Minneapolis, Minn., and Morgan Malone, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bonham, are the featured speakers. Cost for the barbecue buffet dinner—scheduled the night before the opening session of the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting—is $10. For reservations, call (214) 828-5190 or e-mail [email protected].
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