Inspired by Janice Six Come, visit, share,You are welcomeAt the table. Come, one and all,You are welcomeAt the table. Come, be yourself,You are welcomeAt the table. Come in joy and love,You are welcomeAt the table. Come, join, and sing,You are welcomeAt the table. Come, sit, smile, eat,You are welcomeAt the table. Come, be with God,You are welcomeAt the table. Come,
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By LORETTA FULTON Summer is quickly approaching and that means it’s time for “Space Blast,” “Passport to Peace,” “Be Strong & Courageous,” and the many other Vacation Bible School themes that are popular this year. Most churches are back to the traditional VBS format after the COVID shutdown two years ago and some experimentation with new formats last summer. However,
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By JIM NICHOLS The two sisters had spent their whole short lives wading through the legal system. Their biological parents were dysfunctional, so consumed with their own concerns that the girls had little care or guidance. The child protection system was cumbersome but helpful enough to keep the children from obvious danger, but it involved a succession of foster homes.
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By DANNY MINTON At the end of the movie “The Time Machine,” the primary character, George, makes one final journey to a time century in the future. His friends arrive at his home to find him gone and contemplate where he traveled. They look toward a row of books during the discussion and notice three books missing. The question they
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By LORETTA FULTON Exactly 25 years to the day after Janice Six joined the staff of her lifetime church, she will be retiring as associate pastor. Click here to read a Q&A with Janice Six Six grew up in First Central Presbyterian Church, joined the staff as director of Christian education in 1997, and was ordained and installed as associate
Read moreEditor’s Note: Janice Six, associate pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church, is retiring effective June 1. Following is a Q&A with Janice. Click here for stories and photos from Janice’s retirement luncheon. Q. Where did you grow up and what church did you attend? I was born and reared here in Abilene. My grandparents and their 10 children moved to
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By DANNY MINTON If you happened to catch the national news this week, you might have seen the story of Zippy Chippy. Zippy passed away just shy of his 31st birthday, and his fan club gathered to pay tribute to him. His legacy is firmly established in two books about him, one a children’s book, and the chances are that
Read moreFollow up meetingWhen: 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17Where: Grace United Methodist Church, 1402 Grape St. By REV. TRAVIS REAMES In the process of a ministry study, Grace United Methodist Church at North 14th and Grape streets recently hosted a neighborhood betterment colloquial focused on community interaction with representatives of the City of Abilene. Some thirty residents of the neighbor bordered
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By NANCY PATRICK In today’s world, it may seem hard to find a good place to live, work, raise a family, and build a life of peace and accomplishment. As I remember my parents’ last few years, I often thought or said words such as “I will never . . . .” One of those areas in their lives related
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By JIM NICHOLS One of my most trusted mentors taught me that one should never begin a presentation with an apology or explanation. He had good reasons for that suggestion, and it was good counsel, but I am going to break that rule right now. As you read what follows, please remember that my primary identification is as a child
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By LORETTA FULTON By mid-summer, Love & Care Ministries will open a new location in Anson to go with its Abilene, Merkel, and Clyde facilities. And, the Abilene location is being reconfigured to better accommodate the needs of clients. The move into Anson is part of a plan to expand into more rural areas as the need grows, said Mark
Read moreMcMurry University news releaseRobin Daniels, Vice President of Marketing and Communicationser. Bishop Robert Schnase of the Rio Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church will be speaker for the baccalaureate service at McMurry University on Friday. The service will be held in Radford Auditorium beginning at 5:30 p.m. In January, Schnase also was named presiding bishop of the New
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By LORETTA FULTON For the second consecutive year, Holy Family Catholic Church is getting a new priest. On Monday, Bishop Michael Sis of the Diocese of San Angelo announced several upcoming pastoral changes, including the one at Holy Family. Ironically, when the Rev. Santiago Udayar was named priest at Holy Family in August 2021, it marked the first time in
Read morePew Research CenterMedia Contact: Kelsey Beveridge kbeveridge@pewresearch.org WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2022) – As the country approaches what could be a watershed moment in the history of abortion laws and policies, relatively few Americans on either side of the debate take an absolutist view on the legality of abortion – either supporting or opposing it at all times, regardless of
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To donate to the Global Samaritan project to fill buckets with household items for refugees fleeing Ukraine, go to http://www.globalsamaritan.org. It costs $40 to fill and ship each 5-gallon bucket. By LORETTA FULTON “They need help.” That was the only reason Bill Payne needed to show up May 2 at Global Samaritan Resources to help pack 5-gallon buckets with household
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By LORETTA FULTON At the original National Day of Prayer, held in 1775, colonists were urged to pray for justice, their rights, and “our true, sovereign George III.” It is unknown what the colonists actually prayed for in regard to George III, but the outcome probably wasn’t what King George had hoped for. The brief history lesson was presented by
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By DANNY MINTON “Mother!” cried out a soldier wounded in a World War II battle. He didn’t know why he said it; the word automatically came from his subconscious. The scenario represented a moment in the lives of many soldiers, some wounded, some dying. Why do grown men cry out for their mothers when they feel trapped in a live-or-die
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By JIM NICHOLS One of the most well-known pieces of the Bible is the set of parables of Jesus. Concentrated in certain areas of scripture but also sprinkled at random elsewhere, they contain lessons that are both profound and precise. That is not to say they are necessarily easy to understand. We generally suggest that they are stories using a
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By DANNY MINTON On March 1, 2009, Corey Smith drowned along with two friends, Marquis Cooper and Will Bleakly. The three men and Nick Schuyler were on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico when it overturned while they tried to pull up an anchor that had gotten stuck. Smith and Cooper were both NFL football players. Schuyler would
Read morePenny Biddy, co-pastor of Brook Hollow Christian Church will be honored at a come-and-go reception Saturday, May 7, at the church, which is located at 4606 S. 14th Street in the Woodhaven Shopping Center. Hours are 10 a.m.-noon. Biddy recently earned master of divinity degree and a master of arts degree in ancient and Oriental Christianity from Abilene Christian University.
Read moreHoward Payne UniversityNews Release The grand opening of Howard Payne University’s Newbury Family Welcome Center is set for Thursday, May 5, featuring self-guided tours from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. The public is invited and no R.S.V.P. is required. The nearly 8,000-square-foot facility will serve as an inviting “front door” to HPU’s campus and
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By JIM NICHOLS His given name was Leroy, although everyone called him Roy (except for his children and grandchildren). Roy was a bus driver eventually, although he worked his way through other jobs. One of his early positions was as a door-to-door salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company. That sentence sets the period for his life and this story. Roy
Read moreBy STEVEN T. MOORE American teens sticky beachbeneath their toesgossip laughdrink beerseagulls scream jump and singit’s springtimesun sparklingthis afternoon faraway a young girl wearing yellow lies frozennext to a halfeaten buildingthe grass is graytrees have losttheir leaves a lone arm dangles down the streeta leg leans against wooden fence, a hand rests nearby charred boy still on bike no screaming train in sight vacant homes hollow schools blinking streetlights no birds at allmoon and starshave gone silent Dr.
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By NANCY PATRICK In February 2020 Spirit of Abilene ran an article I wrote entitled “Like a Box of Chocolates.” The title alludes to the movie “Forest Gump,” but the piece focuses on the randomness and serendipity of life. In the article I referred to a television series entitled “This Is Us” on CBS. That series is now in its
Read morePew Research CenterNews release The United States celebrates National Day of Prayer May 5, a day Congress set aside in 1952 for Americans “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.” Pew Research Center surveys indicate that the frequency of prayer among Americans has declined in recent years. Fewer than half of U.S. adults (45%) say they pray on a daily basis, according
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By LORETTA FULTON At least two organizations will host live National Day of Prayer services on Thursday. 1-Kingdom, an organization of local civic leaders and ministers, and the Abilene Interfaith Council, which has members from various faith traditions, will host services that are open to the public. 1-Kingdom is sponsoring several prayer opportunities throughout the day, all at Festival Gardens
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By LORETTA FULTON For the second time in a little over a month, a new senior pastor has been named at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Effective July 1, Benji Van Fleet will become the senior pastor. On Sunday, March 13, Bobby Wilson was announced as the new pastor, also effective July 1. But Wilson, current pastor of St. Paul’s
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Tim Kennedy, former Univerisity Chaplain and director of Religious Life at McMurry University, was one of seven graduates honored by the university on April 22. Kennedy received the Outstanding Alumni Award in Religious & Spiritual Life. The awards were announced at the Annual Night of Distinction dinner. The Distinguished Alumni Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award were among the honors
Read morePalmer McCown, Class of 1961, former director of the HSU Baptist Student Ministry, is the recipient of the Altom Christian Service Award for 2022. The award is given in recognition of McCown’s devoted service to Christian higher eduation and for his exemplary influence in the lives of university students and senior adults. The award was given April 11 at HSU.
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By JIM NICHOLS I suspect my friend does not remember saying it, but I have not forgotten his statement, “Not every task demands perfection.” Like many of you, I have tried to do things correctly for my whole life. It has become obvious that most pieces of life are out of my control; nevertheless, I have worked hard to perform
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Editor’s Note: This is the sixth installment of articles about missionaries Russell and Darlene Deibler. Click here to read the first article, “Evidence Not Seen” Click here to read the second, “Beautiful Feet” Click here to read the third, “Walking With Jesus” Click here to read the fourth, Face to Face With Evil Click here to read the fifth, “Lord, Just One Banana By DANNY MINTON Darlene slowly
Read moreAl Haley, poet-in-residence at Abilene Christian University, will be guest speaker for the Wednesday April 27 meeting of the Abilene Association of Congregations. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at First Baptist Church, 1333 N. Third St. Lunch will be served beginning at 11:45 a.m. A $3 donation is requested for lunch. The program is
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Kelly Pigott, Hardin-Simmons University religion professor, will be guest speaker for the April 25 meeting of the Abilene Interfaith Council. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. at First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St. Pigott will lead a roundtable discussion of peregrinatio, the pilgrimage process for building a personal faith, as featured in his book From Eden to Heaven: Spiritual Formation for
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Abilene’s Ballet Folklorico will perform for Cinco de Mayo events April 30 and May 1 at St. Vincent Pallotti Catholic Church, 2525 Westview. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. April 30 and at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 1. The public is invited to the free presentations. Also, tickets go on sale Saturday, April 30, for the ballet’s “Viva Mexico” presentation,
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The 2022 Don Williams & Royce Money Distinguished Lecture Series has been rescheduled at Abilene Christian University for Monday and Tuesday, April 25-26. The lecture, featuring Dr. Robert P. Jones, originally was set for April 20-21 but was postponed due to an illness. Jones has recovered and cleared to speak in person at the lectures in ACU’s Chapel on the
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON St. Paul United Methodist Church is losing its director of worship arts, Adam Samuels, who has been named the new executive director of the Abilene Education Foundation. His new position is effective June 1. “I am excited and ready to get started,” he said. On July 1, St. Paul also will be getting a new pastor, Bobby
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is losing its priest effective April 25. Rev. Isidore Ochiabuto has served St. Francis since July 1, 2017. His new assignment, announced by Bishop Michael Sis, will be as a full-time chaplain at the federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. The new priest at St. Francis will be Rev. Innocent Eziefule, current
Read moreEditor’s note: Easter is coming a week later this year for Orthodox churches than Western churches. Philip LeMasters, priest at St. Luke’s Orthodox Church in Abilene, explains why and gives a list of services at the church. The church is located at 501 Sunset Drive. All are welcome. By PHILIP LeMASTERS The Orthodox Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ
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By JIM NICHOLS Our bodies are not the only things that need exercise. To try to keep my body functioning as well as possible as I age, I do physical activities that might maintain flexibility and strength. It is not comforting to keep reading how much muscle mass a body loses every ten years. My mind and my soul need
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By DANNY MINTON Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment of articles about missionaries Russell and Darlene Deibler. Click here to read the first article, “Evidence Not Seen” Click here to read the second, “Beautiful Feet” Click here to read the third, “Walking With Jesus” Click here to read the fourth, Face to Face With Evil The black limousine entering camp brought fear to the lives
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By NANCY PATRICK I love my lifestyle as a homebody. I prefer to stay home rather than get out and about with other people. As a matter of fact, the COVID pandemic gave me the perfect excuse to avoid church, shopping, visiting friends and family, and volunteering in the community. I didn’t have to offer excuses or reasons for my
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Hardin-Simmons University news release From April 23 to May 7, the Hardin-Simmons University physician assistant, physical therapy, and nursing programs are going on a joint medical mission trip to Kajiado, Kenya. We are looking to secure funds for needed medical equipment while we show God’s love through service! Will you partner with us to help provide needed medical supplies? Hardin-Simmons
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The final Holy Week luncheon for 2022 will be held Thursday, April 14, at Highland Church of Christ, 425 Highland Ave. Matt Cook, First Baptist Church, will speak on “Crossed Up.” Theme for the week has been “Crux.” The luncheon series is back this year as a live event after two years of virtual services. However, no meal is being
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The annual Eggstravaganza will be held 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16, at Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road. The community is invited to take part in egg hunts, crafts, bounce houses, and photo ops with the Easter bunny. Hotdogs and hamburgers will be available. It’s all free and open to the public. Also, on Saturday, April 30,
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By DANNY MINTON Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment of articles about missionaries Russell and Darlene Deibler. Click here to read the first article, “Evidence Not Seen” Click here to read the second, “Beautiful Feet” Click here to read the third, “Walking With Jesus” The worst days for Darlene and the other missionary women lay ahead. They would begin the day Mr. Yamaji
Read moreThe Celebration Choir and Orchestra of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church will present “The Cross, The Crown” in two parts at the Abilene Convention Center. Part 1, “The Cross” will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, April 15. Part 2, “The Crown,” will begin at 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 17. Both parts will be presented at the Convention Center, 1100 N.
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The 2022 Don Williams & Royce Money Distinguished Lecture Series, set for April 20-21, will feature keynote speaker Dr. Robert P. Jones. The series, sponsored by the Carl Spain Center on Race Studies & Spiritual Action at Abilene Christian University, will be held in ACU’s Chapel on the Hill, located in the Biblical Studies Building. Click here to register Many
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By JIM NICHOLS There is so much darkness in the world it seems, perhaps we need to speak more about light—or more specifically, love. I have always liked to learn unfamiliar words. Once I graduated from Dick, Jane, and Spot, even as a child I relished coming upon a word that contained new meaning. In junior high I learned the
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By MARIANNE WOOD Preface Sometimes, I return to complete paintings I previously thought finished. This column, as you will quickly see, is like that. I’ve come back to review an inkling of understanding in a new light, discovering a more profound truth that I began learning one Sunday morning many years ago. The Story I feel like I’ve been to
Read moreEditor’s Note: Dr. Steven T. Moore, English professor at Abilene Christian University, wrote the following poem in response to the conviction of three men in the February 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Moore also wrote a poem following Arbery’s death. Click here to read the first poem. By STEVEN T. MOORE Black people know the taste of smoke and blood, that
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The memory is lodged in my brain’s recesses, as closely as mistletoe clings to mesquite trees. Our parents–neither with educational opportunities beyond high school–provided common sense counsel for my brother and me. One admonition on their rigid “you-ought-to-do” ladder has remained on the top step. Their advice was sound then and is so today.
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My old Uncle Mort is nothing if not analytical, even when he’s not even looking for ways to make easy bucks. He called recently to provide his analysis of members of the Thicket Community Church whose pastor called for a special mid-week prayer session appealing for rain. It would be at high noon on
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Spirit Of Abilene 