Welcome Back Texas-native Rhodes returns to Texas to fill provost position vol. 101, no. 8
wednesday, september 19, 2012
Features Page 5
1 SECTION, 8 PAGES
res life
Students charter res hall groups
INSIDE NEWS New ACU sign completed on corner of Ambler and Judge Ely Page 4
NEWS Venture Out program will no longer include actual product sales
marissa jones
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managing editor
NEWS Entra a La Plaza to highlight diversity on Friday Page 4
OPINION Students can’t forget Abilene isn’t as safe as the ACU Bubble
COMEBACK VICTORY
The ACU football team captains walk out to midfield for the opening coin toss in the Wildcats’ game in Dallas. For the full story, go to Page 8.
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SPORTS Soccer team falls to 0-2 in conference play over weekend
Summit
Theme opens lectures mark smith editor in chief
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SPORTS Football team defeats Tarleton State in second-half comeback
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ONLINE NEWS David Moses named new director of ACU camps acuoptimist.com
NEWS
Summit 2012 began with a call for people to return to God, a message of intimacy and the announcement of a new university ministry led by Dr. Royce Money. Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, welcomed Summit visitors and students to the first Summit event, a theme lecture on Sunday night in Moody Coliseum. Before introducing the first theme speaker, Schubert announced the launching of the Siburt Institute of Church Ministry. The ministry is named in honor of the late Dr. Charles Siburt, a missions faculty member and administrator who died over the summer after a nearly three-year battle with cancer. “Charlie spent his life furthering the kingdom of
ister at Park Plaza Church of Christ in Tulsa, Okla., then began the message of the first Summit lecture, based on the theme, “Intimacy; Return to God.” “There is one person I wanted to open the pages of this story, and that’s Mitch,” said Brady Bryce, director of Summit. Wilburn built on the theme verse, Hosea 6:1– “Come, let us return to the Lord.” “There is nothing casual mandy lambright chief Photographer about God’s commitments,” Dr. Mitch Wilburn speaks in the opening theme lecture of Summit 2012 Wilburn said. “Hosea lived Sunday night in Moody Coliseum. as a living parable, as a part of an unbelievable story of God,” Schubert said. “It’s ships between ACU and grace. Hosea explores what not possible to replace him, churches, provide resourc- it is for man to feel God’s but we can continue his es and respond to needs. heart on our chest.” legacy.” Schubert said he couldn’t Summit will run until Schubert said the Siburt think of a better person to Wednesday night, with the Institute of Church Minis- lead the new ministry than last theme lecture to take try will serve as a place for Dr. Royce Money, chancel- place at 7 p.m. in Moody. churches and church lead- lor of the university and ers to grow and recuperate. new executive director of contact smith at It will promote constructive the ministry. mds10a@acu.edu and collaborative relationDr. Mitch Wilburn, min-
Encouragement, service and accountability are not things a typical college sophomore commits him or herself to. But this year, 5 groups of sophomores are chartering intentional communities that are centered around acts of service or lifestyle that promote selfless living. Last year, Residence Life Education and Housing offered freshmen signing up for sophomore housing a chance to join with a group of up to eight people and live in intentional communities. The groups were able to choose any dorm and bypass the dorm lottery system sophomores go through to chose their dorm. However, these students had to outline a focus for their community and commit to that focus throughout the year. “We offered them an opportunity to develop an idea for what they wanted their community to be about,”said Jordan Bunch, residence director of Mabee and McKinzie Halls. “Each different community has a different feel. We wanted that to be organic and for students to decide what they’re passionate about as a community.” Zeke Morgan, sophomore psychology major from Keller, is a member of an intentional community in Edwards Hall. “Our focus is serving the ACU community to help promote a sense of unity on and off campus between the many different organizations and ‘cliques’ that are found within the broader ACU community,” Morgan said. “I am personally doing it because I have a passion for serving locally, especially to other Christians that have quessee communities page 4
summit
More than 70 students do mission work with WWW over the summer acuoptimist.com
Author compares ‘Twilight’, Gospel Theology, is an ordained minister in the Methodist online managing editor Church. She initiated New Day and the Epworth ProjDr. Elaine Heath spent ect, two missional, monasthe better part of Monday tic communities. She has afternoon discussing her also written several books. book, The Gospel According Heath’s book, The Gosto Twilight, and delivering pel According to Twilight, lectures to the ACU com- was one of the featured munity as a contribution topics during her lectures to Summit. and discussions. The GosHeath, McCreless asso- pel According to Twilight ciate professor of evange- analyzes the theological lism at Perkins School of messages in the Twilight
melany cox
NEWS Student, faculty go to Democratic National Convention acuoptimist.com
PHOTOS Go to our Flickr for more photos from the football game in Cowboys Stadium
books and movies and points out the positive and negative messages featured in the saga. “This was the hardest part of writing the book,” Heath said, “I didn’t want to lose Twilight readers.” Heath said she was invited by Brady Bryce, director of ministry events, to be a featured speaker at Summit. On Monday she see twilight page 4
brittany williams staff Photographer Dr. Elaine Heath speaks about her book, The Gospel According to Twilight, during Summit on Monday.
summit
Two speakers to replace Willard jimmy isbell flickr.com/acuoptimist
VIDEO See The Ken Collums Show that aired just before the win in Dallas
acuoptimist.com
student reporter Summit is a time when many featured speakers come from around the world to speak on ACU’s campus, but one speaker only walks a few feet. Randy Harris, instructor and College of Biblical Studies director, will be speaking in place of the well-known Dallas Willard, professor in the School of Philosophy from University of Southern California. Willard could not speak due to a recent
medical procedure. Harris’ topic will be a little different from Willard’s topic, “Pornography in a Culture of Desire.” Harris’ topic, “The School of Christ-likeness,” will be covering many of the same issues that Willard would have discussed, just in a more “Randy Harris” direction. Many well-known speakers were contacted to step in for Willard, but Brady Bryce, director for ministry events and assistant professor of ministry in the Graduate School of Theology, was told by
many people around campus that Harris would be an excellent stand in. “He has been a favorite among Summit participants for many years. He is loved by ACU students,” Bryce said. “He speaks widely and is respected, and he is a great stand in and not a replacement for Willard.” The next well-known speaker to step in for Willard will be Don McLaughlin who will speak on Wednesday night. McLaughlin has been in ministry for 29 years at the North Atlanta church
Abilene Christian University
in Atlanta, Georgia, and spoke at Summit in 2006. His topic will be the same as Willard’s. McLaughlin will be speaking on Hosea 14, “How We Can Return to God.” McLaughlin will talk about the many ways we become distant from God, and how we can return to Him. “In 2006, McLaughlin spoke and students begged him to come back,” Bryce said. Katrina Kelly, junior family studies major from Mesquite was happy to hear that Randy Harris
would be speaking. “I was happy to see that Randy Harris was speaking on Wednesday, because he is such an inspirational speaker who encourages his audience to pursue the Lord by his Christ-like example,” Kelly said. Harris will be speaking at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Don McLaughlin will follow at 7 p.m. Both will be speaking in Moody Coliseum.
contact the optimist at jmcnetwork@acu.edu