A new graduate program and emphasis on sports chaplaincy will be established soon at Truett Seminary to meet a growing need for ministry not only to professional athletes but also for youth athletic leagues, church recreation programs and missions outreach.

Reading Scripture well is like listening to a chorus, the dean of Duke Divinity School explained during the 2011 Winter Pastors' School at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary.

Hearers appreciate music best when they listen for and distinguish between the parts as well as take in the whole, said Richard Hays, the George Washington Ivey professor of New Testament at Duke. Nearly 200 people attended the event, presented by the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching at Truett. Hays' theme was "Reading Scripture Alongside the Gospel Writers."

Dr. Richard Bauckham, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Studies at The University of St. Andrews, Scotland, will be delivering the Parchman Lectures, March 1-3. The title of the series is: "The Gospels as Histories: What Sort of History are They?"

The titles for the plenary sessions with Dr. Hays are: "Can the Gospels Teach Us How to Read the Old Testament", "Torah Reconfigured: Reading Scripture with Matthew", "Turning the World Upside Down: Reading Scripture with Luke", "The Temple of His Body: Reading Scripture with John", and "Opening Our Minds to Understand the Scriptures".

As a part of a BGCT annual meeting workshop designed to help churches proclaim the words of Jesus Christ found in Acts 1:8, Joel Gregory, professor of preaching at Truett Seminary in Waco, demonstrated two ways in which this verse can be preached--the deductive method and the narrative method.

Dr. Richard B. Hays, Dean and the George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament at Duke University will be our featured speaker at the 2011 Winter Pastors' School, sponsored by the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching, February 10-12, 2011.

The Truett Seminary at Baylor University will host the 2010 Fall Preaching Convocation and Workshop on Monday, Sept. 20, and Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary will confer degrees upon the nearly 50 graduates during its commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 14, at the First Baptist Church of Waco.

Dr. David Garland, interim president of Baylor, held his office for about two years. With that, he never lost his love of the small things life offers.

"I will miss my parking space at the Ferrell Center. That is very nice," Garland said. "I will miss the staff. The things I am most proud of were the things that I was able to do for individual staff, professors and students."

"And I will miss the ability to be able to do those kinds of things, make decisions that I felt very proud of and that had a positive impact on various people's lives. That, to me, brought me the most gratification and joy."

Garland has served as Baylor's interim president since June 2008, when Dr. John Lilley was forced out of office.

Joel Gregory, professor of preaching at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, will deliver the annual T.B. Maston Lectures at Hardin-Simmons University, April 5-6.