By LORETTA FULTON A worship service on the campus of the Abilene State Supported Living Center is part church camp, part old-time revival, part Sunday morning worship–and all love. “Hi, Bill!” a young man yells at the chaplain, Bill Spencer. The young man is jumping up and down in his cowboy boots, greeting the chaplain, and directing music–all at the
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS It is not December and not close to Christmas, so why does this title have a seasonal ring to it? Even people who have only a passing knowledge of the Bible know a few of the most famous stories. One of those is the description of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and having difficulty finding a
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK I vividly remember my mother’s words to me as I neared the door to leave home to visit a friend or go on a date: “Behave yourself!” As a teenager, I didn’t know I would become an English teacher and would study sentences of all types. Do you remember these: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory? If not,
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By LORETTA FULTON A standing ovation–make that a rousing standing ovation–isn’t something that’s often experienced in a Roman Catholic Mass. But Sunday, June 27, was special. And admirers of Msgr. Frederick G. Nawarskas, better known as “Father Fred,” made sure he knew it. It was Father Fred’s last Sunday as pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church and the congregation wanted
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS When you are a little boy, there is hardly anything more impressive than a big boy. They look like a little boy, only they are strong and fast. They can be idolized as good athletes or even role models; they can also be terrifying. Once upon a time a little boy went on an errand with his
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By LORETTA FULTON “Brook Hollow Christian Church is not closing.” That is the main take-away from a statement issued by the church’s board of trustees, as real estate signs began to populate the lawn of the iconic church at South 23rd and Willis streets. Brook Hollow is not closing, but it is looking to a future in a new location.
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McMurry UniversityNews Release Rev. Zachary Harrison Kerzee, a 2011 graduate of McMurry University, recently was honored with the university’s Outstanding Alumni Award in Religious & Spiritual Life. Kerzee is a minister and woodworker in Sterling, Massachusetts. He studied religion and Greek at McMurry, was highly involved in Religious and Residence Life, and co-founded the McMurry Gay Straight Alliance. After McMurry,
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Remember growing up eating cotton candy? You’d go to the fair and see folks carrying huge billowing clouds of pink just waiting for its carrier to devour it. It looked so good that you just had to buy some for yourself. The problem with cotton candy is that it’s mostly fluff. In fact, a typical serving of
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By LORETTA FULTON In August 2020, Stan Allcorn started a trend that is continuing this summer among other local pastors and people serving in ministry roles–retirement. Allcorn came to Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in 1998 and stepped down from his position as senior pastor last August. He and his family were honored at an outdoor retirement party Sunday night, Aug.
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Spirit Of Abilene 