SBU Homecoming has safari theme Oct. 9-10

BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University (SBU) will enjoy a “Southwest Safari” Homecoming Oct. 9-10. Students will begin their activities earlier in the week with traditions like “Spirit Chapel” and “Bed Races.” The football game will begin at 2 p.m. Oct. 10 at Plaster Stadium against Southern Nazarene.

Approximately 2,000 SBU alumni and their families are expected to come to Bolivar for the events. Local businesses are encouraged to decorate their windows using the theme and SBU school colors, purple and white.

Supercomputer time given to SBU group

BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Computer and Information Science (CIS) Faculty Baochuan Lu and Tim DeClue, along with three CIS students, Ashley Jones (junior computer science major, Shawnee Mission, Kan.), Enam Tamakloe (sophomore computer science major, Accra, Ghana), and Matt Copeland (junior computer science major, Springfield, Mo.) represented SBU at a computational thinking workshop recently held on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

Robert Panoff, director of the Shodor Educational Foundation, led the conference which focused on modeling, simulation, and computational thinking as a useful way to improve math and science education in the U.S.

SBU HR director helps present wellness guide

BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Director of Human Resources David Pierce and Karl Schmidt, regional director, American Heart Association, recently presented at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources regional conference in Branson.

Pierce said their presentation, “Worklife/Wellness, Benefits” was a step-by-step guide on the implementation and tracking of a wellness program at a college or university. Participants learned why a wellness program is a valuable resource for combating increasing health care costs and practical steps any human resources professional can utilize to promote wellness within their institution.

The session also introduced the American Heart Association’s (AHA) START! Program. The START! program is essentially a “wellness program in a box” provided free of charge by the AHA.

Coalition offers help to beat sex addiction

ST. LOUIS – The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, which is in partnership with the Christian Life Commission of the Missouri Baptist Convention, is offering a training seminar for pastors and licensed therapists Nov. 6-7 in the area of sexual addiction.

The seminar will be held at Covenant Theological Seminary and will run from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. each day. Presenters Richard Blankenship and Mark Richardson will cover many topics including neurochemistry, trauma model treatment in addicts, couples recovery and recovery coaching.

Registration is being offered online at www.cornerstonetraining.org <http://www.cornerstonetraining.org/> or by telephone at (770) 457-3089.

Sconces to celebrate 60 years in the ministry

THAYER – On Oct. 4 at 11 a.m., Johny Sconce will preach at Rose Hill Baptist Church near Thayer to celebrate 60 years in the ministry. Sconce was a student at Southern Baptist College in Walnut Ridge when he began preaching at Rose Hill, his first pastorate. He was already familiar with the church. His grandfather, father and a brother have also pastored the church.

Sconce and his wife now reside in Bolivar.

Rose Hill Church invites all interested people to attend the celebration of the Sconce’s 60 years in the ministry. A carry-in lunch will be served at noon following morning worship. The church is located 5 miles east of Thayer just off of Hwy. 142.

SBU quarterback sets school records in loss

SEARCY, Ark. – Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Quarterback Steve Gachette set records for individual total offense (573 yards) and passing (459 yards) in a 49-41 loss to Harding in triple overtime.

Gachette completed 31 of 49 passes and rushed for 114 yards on 21 carries with one touchdown. He is the only SBU player to ever throw for more than 400 yards and rush for more than 100 yards in a single game.

South Haven Baptist calls Palmer as pastor

SPRINGFIELD—South Haven Baptist Church here has called Ryan Palmer as its new senior pastor. Palmer served the past eight years as pastor at First Baptist Church, Neosho. He is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University (SBU) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, Texas, and is currently completing his doctor of ministry degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He is married to Paula, and they have two young children.

SBU branches out in software work

BOLIVAR – Two local non-profit organizations and a crime-fighting lab that supports the FBI are the recipients of help from the senior students in the Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) Department in 2009-2010.

The three recipients are the Bolivar office of the Ozark Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC), the Bolivar Area Ministerial Alliance (BAMA) working in cooperation with the Salvation Army, and the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics (HARCFL) Lab in Kansas City. These three organizations will each receive a critically important piece of custom designed and built software from the software engineering students in the SBU CIS Department by mid-April of 2010.

“We are frankly reorienting our focus a bit this year,” said Tim DeClue, chair of the CIS department. “Our students have produced some great software for some great companies over the years, but this year God opened some doors to allow our software engineering students to help those least able to help themselves—the hurting people who walk through the doors of the Salvation Army and the families who come to OACAC because they can’t afford basic school supplies for their children. And by helping HARCFL, we are indirectly joining in the fight against human trafficking, child pornography, and the worst kinds of crime. These projects are what we should be about as a department and university.”

Texas pastor called to First St. John

ST. LOUIS – First Baptist Church of St John in St Louis is happy to announce the calling of Ken Lovelace from Garland, Texas, as pastor. Lovelace began his ministry with the church Aug. 2. Lovelace and his wife, Liggia, have 10 children ranging in age from 3-18 years. Five are their natural children and five are adopted from Thailand, Romania, and Liberia.

Poet Kooser visits Southwest Baptist

BOLIVAR – Southwest Baptist University (SBU) hosted a free poetry reading featuring two-time United States Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, Sept. 24 at the Davis-Newport Theater. It was part of the university’s Barnett-Padgett Literary Artist Series.

Kooser is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has won many awards for his poetry including the 2005 Pulitizer Prize, the Pushcart Prize, and the Stanley Kunitz Prize.