by Emily Snell | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider
A bus accident killed one Abilene Christian University student and left at least a dozen passengers injured Nov. 4 when the driver lost control on a curve, crashing the bus into a concrete culvert, causing it to roll and eject several students. ACU, Lipscomb’s sister school in Abilene, Texas, annually sends agriculture students to serve at a children’s home in Medina, a town about 230 miles from the university. The bus was carrying 12 students, three faculty and one faculty member’s wife. Anabel Reid, a 19-year-old student, was killed in the crash. Monday afternoon, Nov. 7, the ACU Optimist reported that two people were still in critical condition, three others were listed in good condition and three more were in fair condition. Seven had been treated and released. Several members of the Lipscomb faculty have ties to ACU and responded with heartfelt concern for the community. Kent Gallaher, chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Biology, taught at ACU from 2004 to 2008. He and ACU Professor Emmett Miller started the annual trip to Medina Children’s Home. “My dear friend Emmett Miller experienced major head trauma and a broken arm,” Gallaher said. “His wife, Pat, was very badly injured and, as of this morning, continues to be in a coma. “I’ve been in close contact with folks in Texas since Friday evening. It makes my heart ache,” he continued. “The annual Medina trip was something that Emmett and I did together. If I were still teaching there, I too would have been on that bus.” Lipscomb’s Jackie Halstead, associate director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality, worked at ACU for 12...
by Emily Snell | Nov 3, 2011 | News Slider
Retired astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly received a standing ovation before a single word had come out of his mouth Thursday morning when he spoke at The Gathering.Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut who has piloted four space missions, is also husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords and Kelly were thrust into the national spotlight in January when Giffords was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz. Kelly said he never expected his wife’s political position to be more dangerous than his own unpredictable career. “I didn’t contemplate how risky of a profession that would be,” Kelly said, thinking back to when his wife began her work in Congress. “I never considered that she was the one with the risky career … but as it turned out she would be the one to nearly lose her life serving our country.” Kelly encouraged students to pursue their dreams and not give up, even when it seems like failure is inevitable. He gave an example of his experiences in Navy flight school, which he “barely passed.” “We all don’t learn at the same rate,” Kelly said. “How well you do in the beginning of anything you try is not a good indicator of what you can become. I am a prime example of someone who was able to overcome a lack of aptitude with practice, persistence and the drive to never ever give up.” Kelly told students that he has one-year, five-year and ten-year plans that help him stay focused on his goals. Sometimes plans change, he said, but it’s good to have an aim. “A plan plus...
by Emily Snell | Oct 31, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Students in the Lipscomb Run Club will race in a Zombie 5K this Saturday at the riverfront. Three undergraduate students and two graduate students plan to participate in the Zombie Buffet 5K, a benefit event for the Nashville Rescue Mission. The race will include runners and zombies who chase them. If the runners get caught, they will be transformed into zombies and begin to pursue other runners. Dominique Jacoy, graduate assistant for wellness, is head of the Run Club and said the race should be fun for everyone involved. “I love wacky stuff like this,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. The only thing is that my team has been training really hard for a 5K, but when someone else is chasing you that’s a whole other story.” Jacoy said she thinks the race might be a little scary for participants but should have a good turn out because of its unusual nature. “The fun races always attract a lot of people,” she said, adding that it benefits a good cause as well.” The Zombie 5K starts at 11 a.m. and aims to raise $100,000 for the Nashville Rescue Mission. The race is sponsored by Backyard Burgers, 96.3 Jack FM, The Score, Greater Nashville House and Home, Fleet Feet Sports, Hob Nob and Bloc 434 Productions. Jacoy said Lipscomb’s running club started in September with 17 people. The initial participants determined how competitive they wanted the club to be and when they wanted to practice. The team runs at 6:30 a.m. two days each week and once on Sunday afternoons. “It’s a dedication...
by Emily Snell | Oct 13, 2011 | News Slider
Katie Davis faced a dramatic life transformation nearly five years ago, and now at age 22, as the mother of 13 Ugandan children, she is changing the world one life at a time. Davis spoke at The Gathering on Thursday Oct. 13 to tell her story and the stories of people she has met and to encourage students to walk in obedience to God’s call. During her senior year of high school, Davis went on a Christmas break mission trip to Uganda. Her heart was so deeply touched by the people she encountered that she had to go back to the East African nation and care for them. “I wanted to do something, even if it was small,” Davis said. Davis established Amazima Ministries in 2008, in order to help more children by partnering them with sponsors around the world. The organization “feeds, educates, and encourages orphaned and vulnerable children and the poor in the country of Uganda.” A $300/year sponsorship provides some medical care, school supplies, three meals a day and spiritual encouragement. When Davis began Amazima, which means “truth” in Lugandan, she said she expected to have a couple dozen children involved. In January 2008, there were already 150, and now the ministry has more than 450 sponsored kids. Davis has adopted 13 AIDS orphans, some of whom have special needs. “God created this family out of brokenness,” she said. Davis said most people hear her story and either think she is crazy or extraordinary. But she says she simply obeys the commands Jesus gave. “I’m just a normal person,” Davis said, “and in these little ordinary...
by Emily Snell | Oct 13, 2011 | News Slider
“Occupy” protests are taking place in Nashville, across the nation and even worldwide as people voice their concerns about corporate corruption in politics. The Occupy Nashville movement made its first appearance in Music City on Thursday, Oct. 6, when several hundred protesters led chants and gave speeches for an hour and a half in Legislative Plaza. On Saturday, Oct. 8, about 150 people congregated at Centennial Park for an informational meeting to determine further efforts to support the worldwide protests, which began on Wall Street on Sept. 17. Late Sunday, another 35 people gathered in Legislative Plaza. Lipscomb’s Clay Smith, a senior from Troy, Tenn., majoring in Spanish education, went to Thursday’s protest to document the activity and to hear participants’ perspectives. “I’ve been following what’s happening on Wall Street,” Smith said, “and I wanted to see what that would look like in other cities. “I think that a lot of people’s frustrations come from the fact that a lot of government agencies have gotten bail outs, but the average person hasn’t been helped much by it.” Smith believes America was founded on accountability and the right of the people to confront the government when it does something wrong. “I think it’s always important for us to hold the government accountable,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing for people to be talking about.” Smith said he thinks the protesters hope the government will take them seriously, just as it takes corporations seriously. He said many people are upset by the idea of “corporate personhood” and think the government has lost focus on the nation’s true citizens. “I...
