HOWARD PAYNE UNIVERITYNEWS RELEASE Dr. Don Newbury, Howard Payne University chancellor, will sign copies of his new biography this Friday and Saturday, October 14-15, as part of the university’s Stinger Spectacular. The book, titled Faith, Fervor and Fun: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Don Newbury, Howard Payne University’s Popcorn President, was commissioned by friends of Dr. Newbury and written by
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By LORETTA FULTON Each December, members of Religion News Association, including Spirit of Abilene creator and editor Loretta Fulton, choose the top religion stories of the year. Voted Number 1 for 2021 was the role that religion played during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump insurrectionists. Some voiced Christian prayers, while others displayed Christian or pagan
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A new book by Loretta Fulton accompanies the opening of a new main building at Hendrick Home for Children, South 27th Street and Treadaway Boulevard. Grand opening ceremonies have been postponed due to COVID concerns, but the book is available at Texas Star Trading Company, 174 Cypress St. Titled “Hendrick Home for Children: Still Building on a Firm Foundation,” the
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(Editor’s Note: This article was written by Loretta Fulton in August 2001 after a trip to Belgium to write about the making of a documentary on Abilenian Bill Grosvenor, who had to ditch his plane in the Belgian soil in November 1943 and escape the Nazis who were chasing him. While there, Loretta visited the grave of her uncle, Paul
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By LORETTA FULTON In normal times, Thursday, Jan. 28, would be the date for the annual Point in Time survey conducted locally by the West Texas Homeless Network. But 2021, at least in the early months, isn’t “normal times.” The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, curtailing in-person and face-to-face activities. Due to a change in the way the scaled-down PIT
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By LORETTA FULTON Not many people can cite something good from the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Elizabeth Miller is an exception. She, like everyone else, would rather the pandemic had never occurred. But it did. And with it came the cancelation of many in-person events. Once that started happening, the word “Zoom” zipped into our vocabulary.
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By LORETTA FULTON It shouldn’t surprise anyone that members of Religion News Association voted the effects of COVID-19 on religious institutions and their members as the top religion story of 2020. Coming in second was the racial unrest that followed police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans, with many faith-based activists and groups taking part in
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ACU SUMMIT—IT’S A WRAP* Theme for the 114th Summit was “Blessed are the Peacemakers: Bridging the Divides.” Thirteen interactive digital guidebooks were created to supplement each Pathway. Those guidebooks, with links to videos, can be used as a resource for church and Sunday School curriculum planners. The free guidebooks can be accessed at http://www.acusummit.org* Summit 2020 was in an all-virtual
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By LORETTA FULTON In March 2019, Bishop Michael Sis of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo conducted Ash Wednesday services at all three of Abilene’s universities–and no one did a double-take. All three universities are affiliated with a denomination, but none has a Catholic connection. The campuses are affiliated with the Church of Christ (Abilene Christian), Baptist (Hardin-Simmons) and United
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Spirit Of Abilene 