51Æ·²èÔ¼ÅÚ

PLAINVIEW, TX — 51Æ·²èÔ¼ÅÚ Baptist University reminds area residents, pastors, alumni, and friends that the 2026 Willson Lectures public chapel event takes place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Harral Auditorium on the Plainview campus. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Featured speaker Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson, Ralph and Bessie Mae Lynn Endowed Chair of History at Baylor University, will present A History of Revolutionary Faith, reflecting on themes of faith, calling and moral conviction in personal life and the broader culture.

“Each year the Willson Lectures give our campus and community a chance to think deeply about faith and its place in everyday life,” said Dr. Charles Starnes, chair of the Willson Lectures Committee. “We especially encourage people from across the region to join us for the chapel event and be part of this meaningful tradition.”

University officials also announced that the reservation deadline for the invitation-only Willson Lectures dinner has been extended to Saturday, Feb. 7. The dinner lecture, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in Trinity Sanctuary, will feature Johnson’s presentation, New Birth(s) of Freedom in the American Revolution.

In addition to campus events, a related community program will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Floydada Economic Development Corpo. Technology Center, 105 S. Fifth St. in Floydada. The event connects the lecture series with Floydada’s historic ties to both the Willson family, whose gift established the lectureship in 1951, and Annie Taylor, the Floydada educator who became 51Æ·²èÔ¼ÅÚ’s first Black student during the university’s voluntary integration.

The 2026 Willson Lectures mark the 75th anniversary of both the Willson endowment and 51Æ·²èÔ¼ÅÚ’s voluntary integration—two historic developments that continue to shape the university’s commitment to faith, scholarship and service.