• Juneteenth In Abilene

    By Loretta Fulton The installation of a historical marker noting the killing of a Black man at an Abilene hotel in 1922 will highlight Juneteenth observances in Abilene. The marker

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  • Returning from a Hiatus

    By Nancy Patrick For some time, I have tried to write an article for Spirit of Abilene about every other week, but lately my life has demanded that I take

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  • Companions on the Journey: 7 Important Women from Church History

    Editor’s Note: The article was first posted on Mosaic, a weekly email from the Siburt Institute at ACU. Mosaic “curates reflections on Christian leadership, spiritual vitality, and cultural engagement.” By

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  • Best Focus

    By Jim Nichols Every school day began in the same predictable manner. Mrs. Scanlin got everyone’s attention and began singing as we all joined in. The chorus of the song

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  • Food Bank Starts Senior Resource Day

    Food Bank of West Central Texas Service area includes 13 area counties. Purpose is to alleviate hunger through food distribution, community partnerships, and outreach programs that connect neighbors with critical

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  • Southern Gospel Music Camp Returns to Howard Payne

    Summer Music CampWhat: 30th annual summer music camp sponsored by the Texas Southern Gospel School of Music. For details and to apply, Click here.Where: Howard Payne UniversityWhen: June 15-26 By Loretta

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  • God’s Self-Revelation in the Least of These

    By Mark Waters On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran Atlácatl Battalion—trained and armed by the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia—entered the campus of the University

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  • Snapshot City

    Editor’s Note: Glenn’s column is just in time for the Children’s Art and Literacy Festival (CALF), which will be held June 11-14. Many of the locations cited are associated with

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  • Noah’s Ark

    By Danny Minton Several years ago, I came across an anonymous post entitled “Everything I Need to Know about Life, I Learned from the Ark.” I’ve since seen it posted

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  • Meet C.V. Blake

    By Loretta Fulton On Aug. 2, one ministerial career will end for C.V. Blake and another will begin. That will be the last day for C.V. to serve as pastor

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Thanks for Showing Up

By GLENN DROMGOOLE In her later years, my friend Betty Moor was so hard of hearing that she couldn’t hear thunder. But every Sunday and Wednesday you could find her at church. Someone asked her, “Betty, if you can’t hear the sermon and you can’t hear the music, why do you keep coming every week?” Betty’s eyes twinkled and she

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Presents of Presence

By MARIANNE WOOD The English language is full of homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings. Every time I meet someone new to our language, even young children, I greatly sympathize with them as they work through many challenges to obtain fluency. Among my favorite homophones are “presents” and “presence.” They contain a notable commonality: a gift.

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Jukebox Memories

By JIM NICHOLS It was a magical machine from my youth. Through the glass top one could see a hundred records lined up in parallel. Each 45-rpm disc was in a position that matched a number in a keyboard. Following the insertion of a dime (three plays for a quarter), you would push a letter and number combination (“A 8”)

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Churches Leaving, But UMC Still Has ‘Strong Presence’ in Northwest Texas

Links to related Spirit of Abilene articles:Aldersgate Leaves UMC; Conference Forms Online Missional Churchhttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/11/12/aldersgate-leaves-umc-conference-forms-online-missional-church/Methodists Must Decide: Will We Stay or Will We Go?https://spiritofabilene.com/2022/05/27/local-methodists-informed-about-decisions-on-whether-to-stay-or-leave/St. Paul to Remain United Methodisthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/17/st-paul-to-remain-united-methodist/Local Methodists Not United on Futurehttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/10/local-methodists-not-united-on-future/Q&A With Dr. Sandra Harper, McMurry University Presidenthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/06/03/qa-with-dr-sandra-harper-mcmurry-university-president/ By LORETTA FULTON “We’re finally past the fighting,” a relieved Jeff Fisher said following the departure of 145 United Methodist

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Problem People

By JIM NICHOLS We all have these people in our lives, do we not? Problem people. There is a person down my street who has flown a gigantic TRUMP flag in his front yard for at least three years. I have exchanged pleasantries with him at the mailbox and he seems like a normal person. What is he thinking? There

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