OPTIMIST THE
TUESDAY September 18, 2007 Vol. 96, No. 8 1 section, 10 pages www.acuoptimist.com
Does ‘3:10’ deliver as a Western?
Visual raid
“3:10 to Yuma” represents what makes a western great, page 7
See highlights from the Wildcats’ 41-3 win against SE Oklahoma, www.acuoptimist.com
Just kickin’ it
Wildcats get first LSC match Friday at Angelo and continue road trip, page 10
Pendergrass puts on travelin’ shoes for Abilene By Denton Josey Features Editor
He may be new to ACU, but many ACU students have grown up with George Pendergrass’ voice. Acappella, the group Pendergrass sang with, was popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Anyone watching Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 heard George Pendergrass sing “They Are More Precious Than Gold.”
The song was played on a commercial put out by Sony during the game and featured the vocal group Acappella. The most prominent voice belonged to Pendergrass. A tenor with Acappella from 1988 to 1995, now Pendergrass is the director of multicultural enrichment at ACU. Pendergrass is originally from New York City. Though he began college at Southwest College on a mu-
sic scholarship, Pendergrass earned degrees in Bible and education from Lubbock Christian University. He went on to earn his master’s in community leadership from Duquesne University. While Pendergrass was working as a youth minister in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, he heard a singing group was coming to town. Intrigued, he watched it perform — not knowing the
group was looking to recruit. Pendergrass said he met with the group’s founder, Keith Lancaster, and joined. “It was history from that point on,” he said. Moyers, former minister of worship arts at the Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, said Pendergrass brought charisma and integrity to the group. “When he got around people he glowed, he came to life,” he said. “He
brought charisma and joy to our presentation.” Within a year, Acappella was formed, with Pendergrass singing second tenor, Wayburn Dean as baritone, Duane Adams as bass and Gary Moyers as first tenor. When he joined Acappella, Pendergrass moved to Paris, Tenn., but he wasn’t home very much. The group was on tour for 9-10 months out of the year performing 120-140
shows. “I don’t think we did all 50 states, but I think we did most of them,” Moyers said. Outside the U.S., Acappella went to South Africa, Jamaica and several European countries. Moyers sang with the group for 11 years and watched its popularity rise. He said it sang to a crowd of 125,000 in Utrecht, Holland See
ACAPELLA page 8
Student gives time to serve in Ghana By Mallory Edens Page 2 Editor
Just two months ago, Emily Jo Simpson was lying next to a 13-year-old girl named Erica, watching the stars twinkle in the West African sky. Emily was one of five ACU students who traded the later half of their summer vacation to intern through World Wide Witness in Ghana with the Village of Hope, teaching, befriending and ministering to orphaned African youth. The Village of Hope is an orphanage composed of a clinic, school and church. It has been caring for orphaned children for 50 years and currently houses 235 needy children. According to the Village of Hope Web site, 62 live in homes on the Village of Hope campus under the care of Christian House Parents, 49 are living throughout Ghana with foster parents who are given funding from the Village of Hope, and 120 are cared for by the Village of Hope’s Street Children Program. These children come from impoverished backgrounds, and Simpson, senior psychology major from DeSoto, said she was inspired by testimonies of their pasts and how far they have come since then. “Some were abandoned, seven were slave children, some of their parents died, and they were found trying to fend for themselves by selling things on the street, and some were abused and hurt,” Simpson said. “Some didn’t understand why they were there or what was going on. That was hard to see. They’ve had hard lives, and they know it’s God that’s gotten them through it.” She said she would ask the children how they were, and each time they would respond, “By the grace of God, I’m fine.” The children are saved by the Village of Hope from areas of high poverty and harsh environments, and are brought to the Village where they are offered a highquality education, Christian guidance, love and a secure, nice place to stay. “We stayed in houses, and they had
See
GHANA page 8
katie gager CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Fred Asare from Accra, Ghana, director of the Village of Hope, spoke on “Her Wound is Incurable” from Micah 1:1-9 Monday in Moody Coliseum.
Monday speaker urges change By Kelsi Peace Managing Editor
Fred Asare challenged Americans to change the world, drawing sharp parallels between the “incurable wound” in Micah and the one found across the world today, at a Lectureship session in Moody Coliseum Monday. “While there is time, let’s not just sit down,” Asare said. “My brothers and sisters, let us rise up and change the world.” Asare, the director of Village of Hope in Accra, Ghana, attend-
ed Lectureship for the first time this year and is the only speaker to be featured on “Oprah.” The talk show hostess invited Asare to “Oprah” after discovering that a slave she planned to rescue had already been saved and was residing at Village of Hope, a refuge for about 160 children from preschool to high school. Asare said he was apprehensive about speaking as an outsider but found reassurance in the text, Micah 1:1-9. “I am reassured by the fact that Micah was an outsider,” he said.
Asare set the scene in Micah — a scene of inequity — where the greedy rich crushed the powerless poor, perverting their religion to serve their interests. “Those who went to feed the flock were fleecing the flock,” Asare said. Little has changed. “I see a nation that is strong and powerful,” Asare said to his American audience. “I see people who have so much and yet keep on grabbing more and more. I see a people who are never satisfied.” Asare said Americans live in
finery: fine clothes, fine cars, fine food. Students at Christian universities in America discard textbooks at the end of the semester. But, Asare said, the world houses many who have very little. In Africa, four of five children will die before they reach age 5, Asare said, because they have no food and dirty drinking water. In one year, more Africans will die because they cannot afford medicine than the number of Church See
ASARE page 8
Taylor challenges Sunday crowd to ‘keep walking’ By Lauren Sutton Copy Editor
Matt newhouser STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dr. Jerry Taylor delivers his message, “What does the Lord require?” during the theme lecture Sunday night in Moody Coliseum.
Sunday night, students, professors, alumni and visitors from across the country filled Moody Coliseum to hear a message of justice and marked the beginning of ACU’s 90th annual Lectureship. The evening began in song as Steven Moore, assistant professor of English, led the audience in both contemporary praise worship and traditional hymns. Jack Reese, dean of the College of Biblical Studies, served as the master of ceremonies in place of the absent Royce Money, president of the university. Laughing about his casual dress attire, Reese welcomed guests to “experience this trans-
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forming event,” but cautioned attendees that this week’s theme text, Micah 6:6-8, is a less familiar, less comfortable text than in previous years. In regards to this year’s challenging theme, director of Lectureship Mark Love wanted to “raise the stakes in terms of vision for the kingdom of God.” “I’m hoping that people will have a bigger sense of the purpose of God,” Love said. “He’s concerned about the human condition and how we live here. That’s the good news.” Following Reese’s welcome, Glen Pemberton, chair of the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry, prayed for Lectureship speakers, presenters and attendees, and Eric Hampton, sopho-
more theatre major from Olalla, Wash., and William Christoferson, junior theatre major from Abilene, read Micah 6:6-8 and New Testament Scriptures. This year’s opening lecture was presented by Dr. Jerry Taylor, assistant professor of Bible, missions and ministry, as he preached on the topic, “What does the Lord require?” Comparing demonic wisdom to Machiavellian theory, Taylor challenged Christians to be wise, discerning people, and reminded listeners that arrogant pride is the root of social and economical injustice. “When we walk humbly with our God, we will care about he people God cares about,” Taylor said. “Keep on walking. You walk humbly with your God, and keep in
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step with his movement.” Love said he was thrilled to have Taylor speak at the opening lecture. “Jerry has a great way of saying hard things that people need to hear,” Love said. “[Taylor] said direct things tonight, but the standing ovation [at the end of his sermon] is testimony to Jerry’s skill and integrity as a person.” The evening was concluded with Reese presenting a plaque to Love for his seven years as director of Lectureship and introduced the future director Brady Bryce. Love was pleased with the events of the evening. “I was thrilled,” Love said. “I thought it was great.”
E-mail Sutton at: les03c@acu.edu
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