by Janice Ng | Jun 12, 2013 | News Slider
The huge tornado that swept through parts of Oklahoma on May 20, 2013, destroyed schools, hundreds of homes and a hospital. 24 people lost their lives, and 377 people were injured. Almost immediately, a multitude of volunteers from across the country set out to help the fallen city of Moore, Okla., the site that sustained the most damage. One of those people was Lipscomb student Lydia Yau. “The devastation is like a war zone,” Yau said. “People’s lives are wiped out in a matter of hours. Everything that is familiar to them; homes, schools, hospitals; it’s like some demolition ball came and knocked them to splinters. “The first time I reached the sites, it was like a nightmare,” Yau said. “You see cars that are dented beyond recognition and houses that have only a wall standing. It’s very horrifying to see that. It’s a feeling that grips your heart. It’s hauntingly sad.” Yau, who graduated from Lipscomb this past December with a bachelor of social work, plans to return to Lipscomb in August for her masters in professional counseling. “This is social work, pure and simple,” Yau said. “It’s hands on social work. Not only do we go and clean up debris, but we talk to house owners, too. You’re helping people pick up pieces of their lives, giving them ‘talk therapy,’ because the more times they retell it, that’s when the healing comes.” Yau was one of 12 other volunteers from Living To Go churches in Goodlettsville, Tenn., and Paragould, Ark., who teamed up with Operation Blessing, a non-profit human need and suffering relief organization affiliated with the Christian...
by Cory Woodroof | May 21, 2013 | News Slider
The Churches of Christ got involved in helping the tornado victims in Moore, Okla., immediately after the horror. In fact, the Nashville-based Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort began sending help Sunday, when the storms first began ravaging that section of the country. The most deadly of the storms came Monday, when an around 200 mph EF-5 tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore and also hit elsewhere in the area. According to CNN, 24 people lost their lives, including nine children. More than 230 people were reported to be injured. Tuesday afternoon, rescue workers continued to comb through the rubble to find survivors and bodies. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin described the tornado as one of the “most horrific storms and disasters that this state has ever faced.” Joe Dudney, the executive director of the Church of Christ-sponsored relief organization — whose warehouse is on Allied Drive in Nashville — says that trucks have been sent to Oklahoma with supplies, with more being planned to depart in the coming week. One truck, for example, went to aid the Lakeview Church of Christ in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Although the devastation in Moore, Okla., is the most horrific, there was plenty of damage the day before in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Dudney’s group has also sent help to those who were affected by the storms in Texas. Dudney recommends those who wish to assist the organization’s efforts donate through the group’s website due to the group’s ability to purchase goods at a large discount. If you are available, the organization will be packing boxes at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning to be sent to those in need....
by Kelly Dean | May 9, 2013 | News Slider
Most of us will be lucky enough to go on one or two mission trips throughout the span of our lives. Nineteen trips and counting over the span of 11 years is the number for Lipscomb Bible professor Phil Kinzer, who finds importance in going on mission trips through the strong relationships he has built over the years of leading trips at Lipscomb. Even after a conversation with Phil Kinzer, you will ask yourself how this man has the time of day to serve in the capacity he does. The stories he tells about his life are amazing enough to write his very own book. But where does he find his time? You’d think his daily job as an adjunct Bible professor, pulpit minister at the West End Church of Christ, and grandfather of three would be enough to fill a day’s work. For this man, it’s not enough. In his early twenties, Kinzer started going on mission trips to the Philippines. He described his passion for these trips, saying it that it runs through his blood. Kinzer has traveled all around the world, teaching the Word of God to countries such as Australia, Haiti, Mexico, Egypt and Israel. The Lipscomb professor leads two annual trips with students to Mexico and Haiti. “Going on a mission trip changes your perspective about your country. It opens your mind to people who live in other cultures and other countries,” Kinzer said.“I think there’s a deepening of spirituality because you are so focused for the week. “Anytime you get outside of your comfort zone and focus intently for a week or two on...
by Madeline Smith | Apr 15, 2013 | Sports
Since Lipscomb University has been established for so many years, there are bound to have been a few changes here and there. But with such a rich history and great legacy, much has stayed the same. Mary Anne Thomas Smith attended Lipscomb in the early 1950s. She chose to go to the school to find a Christian husband – an ambition at which she succeeded. Mary Anne Thomas Smith was a Lipscomb cheerleader and also worked in the McQuiddy gym. She describes student activities as being very similar to those of students today. “Mostly, we stayed on campus and went to whatever event was going on. On weekends, we went to movies and church-hopped. We were just entertained by spending time together,” Mary Anne Thomas Smith said. Jan Craig, a classmate of Smith’s who also “loved, loved, loved “ Lipscomb, noted many changes that have occurred at the university, both good and bad. “The faculty is great. There are many wonderful Bible teachers. There are so many more programs, so many things to do, so many improved facilities and the campus is a lot prettier,” Craig said. But, she doesn’t approve of the changed dress code, the cutting down of trees and the overuse of cell phones. Of course, there’s always been romance at college. “We all snuck in kisses when we could, but they were very brief,” Craig said. A big change came to Lipscomb’s campus in the 1960s when Social Clubs were introduced. Cherie Bandy Smith, a student in the 1980s, said Social Clubs (she was a member of Delta Sigma) were the best part of campus life. “The...
by Brianne Welch | Apr 11, 2013 | News Slider
Thursday’s breakout chapel in Collins Alumni Auditorium honored Dr. Richard Goode as he received the Mary Morris Award of Exemplary Service to Society. The award is presented to one faculty member every year who displays a high level of service to the community and to the church. The award is named in honor of faculty member Dr. Mary Morris, who passed away due to colon cancer in 2005 at 36 years old. Dr. Morris worked alongside of an organization called Character Counts. The program has chapters in cities all across the country, and its goal is to teach all ages about having good character. Dr. Morris was able to show her love of Jesus Christ through her work with the program, as well as on international mission trips. Past recipients of the award include former student Brett Flener, AGAPE leader Tom Burton and founder of the I.C. White Stone Foundation and university graduate Kim Tucker. The award was presented by the academic director for Lipscomb University’s Institute for Law, Justice and Society, Dr. Randy Spivey. “If there was every a chapel for you to live tweet, I think this is it. Because the stories you are going to hear and the words you are going to hear today are not the kind that need to stay in this room,” Dr. Spivey said as he began the presentation. Dr. Spivey announced Dr. Goode as this year’s winner of the award, and after the applause, went on to commend Dr. Goode’s accomplishments. “Dr. Goode has inspired students well beyond their time at Lipscomb. He played a signigicant role in the lives...
