Around the State: Good Samaritan Gallery at ETBU nursing school; BGCT staff transitions noted

East Texas Baptist University alumna Rita Storie Turner commissioned artist Melinda Marlowe of Cimarron, N.M., to create replicas of famous renditions of Jesus’ biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. The works are displayed in the new Good Samaritan Gallery of the Marshall Grand, home to the ETBU School of Nursing. The exhibit features replicas of works by Vincent Van Gogh, Eugene Delacroix and Jean-Francios Millet, among others, spanning centuries of art history, style and technique. The gallery also includes an original work by Marlowe, The ETBU Good Samaritan, which depicts a female ETBU nursing student helping an elderly woman.

Jill Larsen resigned as treasurer and chief financial officer of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, effective at the end of July, to become chief financial officer for VisitDallas. She worked 11 years for Texas Baptists. BGCT Controller Jim Reed will serve as interim CFO at the BGCT. Kathryn Freeman resigned as director of public policy for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, effective at the end of July, to pursue full-time studies at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary. Freeman joined the CLC staff in August 2014.

First Baptist Church in Refugio will dedicate its building at a 10:30 a.m. worship service on Aug. 25. The church facility has been renovated after being damaged severely by Hurricane Harvey. After the worship service, a catered meal will be served in the fellowship hall. Reservations for the meal are requested by Aug. 1. Contact (361) 526-5301 or [email protected]. T. Wayne Price is pastor.

The Howard Payne University Woman’s Club presented its Yellow Rose Award to Tracey Carrier of Brownwood during the club’s annual scholarship luncheon. The organization presents the award annually to a woman deemed to have exhibited exemplary leadership within her sphere of influence; who demonstrated fiscal, emotional or physical support to the life of the university; and who represents Christian values and beliefs foundational to HPU. As an HPU student, Carrier was a Hatton W. Sumners Scholar and participated in Student Foundation. She was junior class president, a yell leader for two years, was on the Homecoming Court her junior and senior year, and was named Homecoming Princess and Miss HPU her senior year. Carrier currently mentors several HPU students and also serves in the youth ministry at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, where she has been a member for 30 years.

The Hardin-Simmons University Cowboy Band performed at the Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo in Stamford in early July, just as it has almost every year since 1935. Each year, the Cowboy Band invites new band members to play with them at the event, as well as any alumni, friends or family who are interested in joining the band for a day filled with music and laughter. The band marches in the opening day parade and performs a 20-minute concert before the rodeo begins. During the rodeo, the band plays for each contestant in the grand entry—as well as playing eight-second selections during competitive events.

Since the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Tiffany Horton as the school’s first director of global outreach, she has organized multiple opportunities for students to serve internationally. Previously, UMHB offered only one school-sponsored international missions/service trip. Before transitioning into her new role in January, Horton had served since 2011 as director of student organizations. Horton organized an upcoming student mission trip to North Africa this summer, and she noted student teams will serve on 10 international trips in the next year. “We are looking for this to be a discipleship program,” Horton said. “We want them to be trained and to feel like a part of the team.”

Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor are among 17 Texas schools named as 2019-20 Colleges of Distinction. All three also are named as Christian Colleges of Distinction and are recognized in the areas of business, education and nursing. High school counselors and educators nominate schools, which are then evaluated based on four criteria­—engaged students, great teaching, vibrant campus communities and successful outcomes. HSU also is listed as a Career Development College of Distinction.

The East Texas Baptist University School of Nursing attained a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for the fifth consecutive year. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing recently confirmed that all ETBU Spring 2019 nursing graduates passed the licensure exam. Measured by analyzing the current and historical pass rates, the Annual RegisteredNursing.org registered nurse program state rankings recently recognized ETBU as the sixth-ranked registered nursing program in Texas out of 119 programs evaluated and 50 ranked.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Isaac Felan as assistant director of student leadership and engagement, effective July 15. Felan will manage a variety of campus-sponsored student activities, pageants and events. He holds an undergraduate degree from UMHB and is a former university ambassador and a member of the campus activities board leadership team. He was director of the 2018 Crusader Knights event and assistant director for 2019 Miss UMHB pageant.