By LORETTA FULTON Many churches. ministries, and religious institutions are continuing with COVID-19 protocols, including wearing a mask, despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement that the statewide mask mandate will be lifted effective Wednesday, March 10. The governor’s order also allows restaurants to return to 100 percent seating capacity, effective March 10. Reactions to the governor’s announcement vary from “it’s too
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Editor’s Note: Rosten Callarman is the new executive director of ICAN (Interested Citizens of Abilene North). He replaces the Rev. Andrew Penns, director of Curtis House Cultural Center and pastor of Valley View Missionary Baptist Church. Callarman previously was housing navigator for Abilene Hope Haven By ROSTEN CALLARMAN Founded in 1994, Interested Citizens of Abilene North serves as the neighborhood
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS She looked like a regular university student, but she was carrying a background that made her unique and, to me, especially positive. She was a “missionary kid” and had spent most of her life in a country and lifestyle much different from mine. She told me that it had taken her several months after arriving back in
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON The sea’s gentle swells glistened momentarily, then once again fell dark as the moon appeared from behind the clouds and returned to darkness. The clock had just passed midnight breaking into a new day. It was July 30, 1945. Several hundred miles from the nearest shore in the Philippine Sea, the Portland Class Heavy Cruiser, the USS
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury What can be done when mere mortals are caught in the crossfire of “stuff-we-don’t-understand-at-all?” And what if our understanding better “fits” bygone days when basic transportation centered on riding horses or depending on them to pull conveyances? There wasn’t an awful lot to understand when either horses or wagons failed us. Even then, there were
Read moreDaniel McKay is the new associate pastor for teaching and connections at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. McKay, whose position was made official on Sunday, Feb. 28, is replacing John Whitten, who was named senior pastor last fall. McKay and his wife, Anna, were in all four services at Pioneer Drive on Sunday. The final vote was a long time coming.
Read moreBy KRISTY McDONOUGHLocal communications director, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsksmcdonough89@gmail.com One of a series of semi-truck loads of food rolled into Abilene and San Angelo on Feb. 23, bringing more than 41,000 pounds of food from Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Food Bank of West Central Texas in
Read moreFirst Central Presbyterian Church, along with the city of Abilene, is observing its 140th anniversary this year. A group of Presbyterians gathered at North First and Pine streets to form First Presbyterian Church on Feb. 27, 1881, just two weeks before the first town lots were auctioned on March 15. The current church complex, 400 Orange St., is the result
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CURTIS HOUSE CULTURAL CENTER630 Washington St325-701-7804Facebook Instead of meeting in person for the 2020-2021 programming year, the Abilene Interfaith Council is presenting video interview with local religious figures or tours of local institutions. The latest is an interview with the Rev. Andrew Penns, pastor of Valley View Missionary Baptist Church. The setting is the Curtis House Cultural Center, which Penns
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Spirit Of Abilene 