Rick Hammer, former biology professor at Hardin-Simmons University, is well known in Abilene for his role in the development of a nature park at Kirby Lake and for his creation stewardship activism. He recently had an article published on the Baptist News Global website titled, “Why I see COVID-19 vaccines as a sign of God’s grace.” The article begins with,
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By LORETTA FULTON Fall festivals, religious services, and a Cypress Street takeover are among the many offerings this week as Abilenians prepare to celebrate Halloween, All Saints and All Souls days, and Dia de los Muertos. (Click here to read separate article, including dates of observances, about “El Dia.”) To add an event, send details to editor@spiritofabilene.com Pioneer Drive Baptist
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By LORETTA FULTON It’s that time of year again when religion and culture come together for a mix of somber and fun events. Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve), with its costumes and trick or treat tradition, and Dia de los Muertos, practiced by indigenous people of Mexico for centuries, come on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Also, in some Christian traditions,
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By DANNY MINTON Winter and her close friend decided to take a trip to New York City to meet another friend and have an office picnic in her Twin Tower office. Before the trip, Winter’s mother called and said she planned to come for a visit. Winter tried to persuade her to change the plans, but her mother felt it
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By JIM NICHOLS One of the results of high definition, large televisions and the abundance of sports on the screen is the ability for a viewer to see a player become injured. The pain of the injury is sometimes severe enough that we viewers can see these adult players fighting back or giving into tears. Since each of us has
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Alexander William Kinglake is a name snuggled deeply inside of all-knowing Google. He was a 19th century lawyer who gave up his legal practice to become an author, best known for a single proverb: “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” It is believed that Kinglake’s intent was to help
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By ANNA SCHILLER Pew Research Center As houses of worship continue to reopen, most U.S. adults who regularly attend religious services voice confidence in their clergy to provide guidance on the coronavirus vaccines – and far more say they have heard their pastor, priest, rabbi or imam encourage people to get vaccinated than have heard their clergy raise doubts about
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By LORETTA FULTON Letters from former students, colleagues, and friends poured in a year ago when McMurry University planned to honor professor emeritus of religion Dr. Robert C. Monk. But COVID-19–the grinch that stole 2020–dashed that plan and the ceremony was postponed until Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Monk has had a year to savor those letters, and on Friday he
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By NANCY PATRICK I have not kept up with all the new trends in modern American education since my retirement from public school teaching in 2004. Although I continued to teach at the college level for another 10 years, I discovered that not all state rules apply to private college education. In the Sept. 14, 2021, edition of the Abilene
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury During almost two decades of writing weekly accounts of humorous and/or unlikely occurrences, I’ve never come across anything quite so bizarre as the subject of this week’s epistle. It is a legal case in progress, as the wheels of justice necessarily turn slowly. Otherwise, the folks at Alta Mesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth
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By DANNY MINTON I walked into the backyard one evening, sat in the rocker, and gazed into the clear night sky. I thought about the grandeur of all the heavenly bodies that God placed within our sight. Then I wondered, “How many others over the centuries had gazed at the same array and felt the awe of something greater than
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Jay Moore’s newest book, “Abilene Daily: Snapshots of Home,” contains one or more vignettes from Abilene’s history for each day of the year. Periodically, stories with some connection–however loose–to Abilene’s religious life will be featured in Spirit of Abilene. The book can be purchased at Texas Star Trading Co., 174 Cypress St. www.texasstartrading.com or call 325-672-9696. Books are $27.50. Following is an
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By JIM NICHOLS The Meals on Wheels client was complaining about the expense and size of the local newspaper. The price had gone up and the size had gone down, and she wondered whether it was still worth taking. “The only reason I take it anymore is for the comics and the obituaries,” she said. I used to think people
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury J. Ron Hardin, from most angles, might appear to be the kind of guy others would enjoy competing against. They might figure him to be a “push-over” in recreational or business endeavors, and they’d be wrong. He’d probably get so far ahead of ‘em that he’d soon be out of sight to the naked
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By JIM NICHOLS It was just a green postcard that appeared in the mail. It read “Official Jury Summons” and identified a time, date, and place that I was to report to help construct a jury pool for an upcoming trial. I had occasionally received such a summons but was usually dismissed after reporting because I was not needed or
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By LORETTA FULTON The annual revival hosted by Love & Care Ministries is set for four nights, Oct. 10-13, at the Abilene Convention Center. The revival will include nightly worship, with a different preacher each night, children’s church for grades 1-6, music, meals, clothing give-aways, haircuts and other ministries. Everything is free. “We are extremely excited the theme for this
Read morePew Research Center By SAMIRAH MAJUMDAR Social hostilities around the world involving religion declined in 2019 to the lowest level in five years, while government restrictions on religion remained at a peak, according to Pew Research Center’s 12th annual global study of restrictions on religion. The Center’s study analyzes 198 countries and territories and is based on policies and events in
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By NANCY PATRICK Recently, our country commemorated the events of September 11, 2001. Amid the sorrow expressed across the nation, I saw glimpses of the patriotism I saw back twenty years ago when the effects of the terror attacks were fresh and raw. I will never forget the moment I learned of the tragedy. One of my senior English students
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By MARIANNE WOOD Joan Didion is still at it. At age 86 (she’ll be 87 in December), her latest book, published this year, Let Me Tell You What I Mean, is a treasure for those of us who love to write and who love to read. I have enjoyed this book a lot, but I especially love this quote: “…a writer,
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The Hope Center by the Numbers7,500–square footage of existing activity building6,900–square footage to be added to activity building for kitchen to train students in Culinary Academy18,000–square footage of existing structure to be converted to GLO Daycare facility4,200–square footage that can be converted into after-school program14,400–square footage for future development By LORETTA FULTON The Give Hope Campaign at First Baptist Church
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By DANNY MINTON Browsing through a scrapbook of World War I that belonged to my great-grandmother, I came across a poem from 1916 by a young British soldier named Leslie Coulson. The poem expressed a little of the loneliness and longing to be back home and out of harm’s way. “When I Come Home” When I come home and leave
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By LORETTA FULTON “Can I have your attention, please?” The man asking the question was hard to ignore–Kooter the Clown, also known as Barney Johnson, was talking and the kids were listening. Johnson, 87, is a member of a senior adult organization at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, which is a neighbor to Bonham Elementary School. Every September members of the
Read moreBy MONTY LYNN As a business professor at ACU, I have had the good fortune of teaching an undergraduate course in global poverty alleviation for nearly two decades. The course was crafted when students expressed an interest in the developing world but were unsure how to bridge gaps between the Global South and North. Although my frequent focus has been
Read moreThe IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Jokes and stories attributed to U.S. presidents–true or not–have to make some of them blush with embarrassment. File drawers of the late President Harry S. Truman must have bulged nigh unto disintegration. He was arguably the most plain-spoken president of the 20th century. (Admittedly, in the 21st century, he probably would have been a distant second to
Read moreAbilene Christian University is hosting a webinar on hunger and hope at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29. Hunger and Hope: Ministry in Times of Food Crisis is sponsored by ACU’s Baptist Studies Center and the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry. Featured guests will be Eugene Cho, director of Bread for the World, and Jeremy Everett, director of the Baylor Collaborative
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Animals at the Abilene Zoo are in for a different kind of treat on Oct. 6 when they get a special blessing from clergy at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest. The public is invited to participate in the free event, which begins at 6 p.m. Do not bring pets to the zoo. Family pets may be blessed at
Read moreThe public is invited to a festival of African music, dance, art, cuisine, and culture on Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander. The program will begin and end with one-hour concerts in the church nave. The first concert begins at 4 p.m. and the second begins at 6. Between the two concerts, guests
Read moreDavid Wray, who teaches in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University, will begin a two-part series Wednesday evening at First Central Presbyterian Church. Wray will speak on “Being Christian in a Secular World.” The talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. at First Central Presbyterian, 400 Orange St. Both presentations on Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 29, are free.
Read moreJay Moore’s newest book, “Abilene Daily: Snapshots of Home,” can be purchased at Texas Star Trading Co., 174 Cypress St. http://www.texasstartrading.com or call 325-672-9696. Books are $27.50. The book contains one or more vignettes from Abilene’s history for each day of the year. Periodically, stories with some connection–however loose–to Abilene’s religious life will be featured on Spirit of Abilene. Following
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By DANNY MINTON I opened the Houston Post in July of 1993, looking for the obituary of my father-in-law. While browsing the page, I discovered a small personal obituary in the bottom corner of the page. The note contained few words, and there were no pictures. I don’t remember the exact words, but the message remains with me even today.
Read moreThe IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Blackie Sherrod—arguably the best sportswriter this side of the ancient Olympic Games begun in Greece seven centuries before the birth of Christ–had a name for us. He classified us as drones and worker bees, mostly “9-to-5’ers” with little hope of ever getting ahead. He called us “The Great Unwashed.” He described the masses as
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Abilene Christian University is postponing its annual Summit until spring 2022, due to concerns over the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. A revamped on-campus Summit is scheduled for March 31-April 1, 2022. Summit originally was scheduled to coincide with homecoming, which will proceed Oct. 14-17. The following news release was issued by Leah Andrews, Summit director. “We are sorry to announce that,
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By NANCY PATRICK I hope my title doesn’t imply that I think I know more about life than the rest of you do. I have, however, had so much time on my hands during the pandemic that I’ve done a lot of thinking. I have confessed before that I think too much—always have. One of the issues filling my thoughts
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By JIM NICHOLS It is reasonable that few of us live with much sense of urgency. Occasionally, we find ourselves having to make specific plans and implement them with care, but, generally, what we have as tasks today can wait until tomorrow. Even with important tasks it is our tendency to delay them or build them into some plan. This
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By LORETTA FULTON As sure as the rains come during the West Texas Fair & Rodeo, so do volunteers from Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. It would be hard to say which is a more welcomed sight. Rain is always welcomed in Abilene,, but so are the folks from Pioneer Drive, who year after year provide a home-style barbecue meal and
Read moreBy JANICE SIX Giver of All Life, We, the church, stand before you with our heads reverently bowed and with contrite hearts, for like the Israelites, we, too, have lost sight of your overarching will by focusing so intensely on our own welfare and desires. It’s obvious, even to us, that Jesus’ command to love others as ourselves and his
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St. Vincent 16 de Septiembre celebrationThursday, Sept. 166 p.m.–parade from St. Vincent Pallotti Catholic Church to Sears Park6:45 p.m.–Festivities at Sears Park, including Ballet Folklorico, mariachi band, and moreAll events are free, and the public is invited16 de Septiembre celebrations honor Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1810. Sept. 16 is believed to be the day that a cry for independence
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By DANNY MINTON Tradition in Texas History states that Sam Houston addressed his men on April 19, 1836, as they prepared for the “Battle of San Jacinto” with the words “Remember the Alamo.” Many of his men had friends in the battle at San Antonio and were anxious to take revenge. A little over a hundred years later, there would
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By JIM NICHOLS In an earlier column, I mentioned my appreciation for one of my elementary school supplies, the Rub Clean Green eraser. That eraser represented a tangible indicator of God’s grace because it allowed me to remove errors with hardly a remaining sight. My clearest memory of its aid was during a spelling mistake I made, but during that
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The Rev. David Romanik, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, will lead the Sept. 30 meeting of the Abilene Interfaith Council. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the church, 602 Meander St. The meeting is open to the public. Admission is free. Romanik will speak on liturgical Christian worship. Face masks are requested. No food
Read moreBy BESHEER MOHAMEDPew Research Center An unprecedented amount of public attention focused on Muslim Americans in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. Muslim population has grown in the two decades since, but it is still the case that many Americans know little about Islam or Muslims, and views toward Muslims have become increasingly polarized along political lines.
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The Temple Mizpah schedule for High Holy Days observances follow. Unless otherwise noted, services will be at the temple, 849 Chestnut St.. Monday, Sept. 6:7 p.m. serviceTuesday, Sept. 7:9:30 a.m. service; lunch at noonSunday, Sept. 12:10 a.m. Elmwood Memorial Park cemetery service led by Marc OrnerWednesday, Sept. 15:7 p.m. Kol Nidre serviceThursday, Sept. 16:9:30 a.m. service3:30 p.m. Yizkor service; 6
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By DANNY MINTON May 9, 2021, marked what would have been the 100th birthday for Sophia Magdalena Scholl. Sophia and her brother, Hans, died on February 22, 1943, beheaded for treason against the Nazi government. She was only 21 years old. Sophia was a student attending the University of Munich, where she discovered leaflets that her brother and others had
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By JIM NICHOLS Whatever its mechanism for you, what was really occurring when you were baptized? That is, understanding that important spiritual things were happening, what were they? Here is a suggestion—actually, two suggestions. On one hand, when you were baptized, you were individually connected to God as a redeemed being. It was a point of salvation for you, a
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By NANCY PATRICK “Somewhere at sea”—These words appear at the top of Bill Hahn’s first letter home, dated September 22, 1944, as he looked back at the shores of New York and headed toward Europe. His last set of letters did reveal what I felt sure would happen once he deployed to Europe and faced battles on the ground and
Read moreThe Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest is launching a four-week series, “Returning From Exile: Rediscovering our Common Life after a Time Apart,” on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The series will explore the life of the church following a year of isolation due to COVID. The public is invited to the sessions, which are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. Sept.
Read moreOn Sept. 7, ACU‘s Center for Restoration Studies will host a Restoration Day observance 6-8 p.m. in the Chapel on the Hill. Dr. Wes Crawford, assistant professor of church history at ACU and director of the center. explains why 212 years later, Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address is still relevant to the church. By WES CRAWFORD September 7 marks the
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By LORETTA FULTON First Christian Church opened in a new location with a new minister last spring and now the church has restarted its Mother’s Day Out program, known as Children Come First. The program is held in a remodeled house on the church property, 5125 Antilley Road. Colorful rooms, decorated with child-sized furnishings, will greet children ages three months
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The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of voters in the 2020 elections and the findings weren’t surprising. Similar to past elections, religion played an important role in the 2020 U.S. presidential contest: Republican candidate Donald Trump continued to garner strong support from White evangelical Protestants, while Black Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated backed the Democratic candidate and eventual winner, President
Read moreWendy Kilmer, wendy.kilmer@acu.eduDirector of Communications and Media Relations The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities announced that Abilene Christian University is one of six CCCU-member institutions selected to receive a $10,000 grant as a part of the Inclusion Immigration Collaborative. The grant is designed to support projects that engage students with other groups to build more inclusive and welcoming communities
Read moreThe Abilene Interfaith Council and Cultura Local ABI are hosting a program about Dia de los Muertos at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Center for Contemporary Arts. The program is free, and the public is invited. Joyce Martinez-Sledge will speak about the cultural significance and impact of Dia de los Muertos traditions in our local area. Guests are
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