7 May, 2024

Harvey Bacus, Who Led OCC’s Missions Department for 33 Years, Dies (Plus News Briefs)

by | 21 December, 2022 | 0 comments

HARVEY BACUS

Harvey Bacus, a 1958 Ozark Christian College graduate and former missionary to Jamaica who came back to lead the OCC Missions Department for 33 years, died on Friday. In retirement, he took the good news with his wife, Nancy, to the nation of Jordan where they started Books and More, a public library “designed to be a bridge between all cultures and faiths.” Nancy Bacus died Oct. 17 (we reported on her death here). Survivors include their children, a daughter, Jackie, and a son, James (who lives in Jordan and now leads the Books and More library ministry). In an OCC Facebook post, president Matt Proctor shared that he was at the Joplin, Mo., hospital when Harvey Bacus died, along with the hospital’s chaplain (an Ozark graduate who grew up in a church Bacus helped start in Arizona) and a nurse (another former Ozark student).

(Images courtesy of Ozark Christian College’s Facebook page.)

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News Briefs

Pressing On: A Conference of Encouragement for Ministries and Missionaries is slated for May 9 to 11 at Cincinnati River Center in Covington, Ky. Speakers will include Jeff Vines, Dick Alexander, and LeRoy Lawson. The gathering—powered by ICOM and Kairos Benevolence Fund—is designed for encouragement, inspiration, and fellowship. Attendees will travel to the Ark Encounter, enjoy gospel music by Pastors 3, and take several meals together. Lodging will be at Embassy Suites by Hilton. Learn more and register at KairosBenevolenceFund.org.

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The late Dr. Jack Cottrell, who died Sept. 16, selected Mid-Atlantic Christian University (Elizabeth City, N.C.) to house his library collection. Cottrell, considered the Restoration Movement’s foremost theologian, taught at the now-closed Cincinnati Christian University for 48 years and wrote 43 books in his lifetime. “MACU is beyond honored to have the privilege to be the home of the Dr. Cottrell Library,” according to the school’s Facebook page. “Our library staff are working on sorting through his collections and plan on having a room dedicated to the Dr. Cottrell collection available to the public by fall 2023.”

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Johnson University Tennessee in Knoxville will host its Spring Church Leadership Conference on March 4. The theme “What’s Next?” will be developed by speakers Richard Clark and Gary Johnson; they will explore how “thinking forward” moves the church forward. Cost is $30 before Feb. 6 ($40 after). Learn more and register at Johnson.edu.

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Robert E. Shoaff, PhD, has been appointed the new dean of the Keeran School of Bible and Ministry at Kentucky Christian University, effective Jan. 1. KCU president Terry Allcorn made the announcement.

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ICOM has five “portable church” boxes it wishes to sell for $2,500 (total). Church plants often use these types of boxes to store items that must be set up and torn down each weekend. The boxes are in very good shape and can be picked up at ICOM in southwest Indianapolis. If interested, call (317) 403-6110 or write to [email protected]. (Learn more and view some pictures by clicking here.)

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