Meet our guest editor: Howard Norton
SHERWOOD, Ark. — ‘I really love the Chronicle. It was…
New endowment honors legacy of Howard Norton
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‘The church is not a political party, a civic club nor a country club. It is to be the body of Jesus.”
Those words are every bit as relevant in 2024 as they were in 1981 when Howard Norton wrote them in his first editorial for The Christian Chronicle.
Related: Meet our guest editor: Howard Norton
Brother Norton climbed many mountains during his 88 years on earth. He and his wife, Jane, were members of a pioneering mission team to Brazil. He was a preacher, a Bible professor, a school administrator and a gifted storyteller.
He helped to bring this publication back from near-death, serving as its first editor after missionary John Beckloff gifted The Christian Chronicle to Oklahoma Christian University. Howard was part of a team of dedicated Christians who revived the newspaper and expanded its reach — including Bailey McBride, Joy McMillon, Scott LaMascus, Lindy Adams, Glover Shipp and many more.
Jane and Howard Norton in 2016.
After a long battle with cancer, Howard Norton died Oct. 22, 2023, just 17 days after Jane Norton passed away. About a month earlier, I spoke to Howard about establishing an endowment to honor his service to the Chronicle, and he graciously agreed.
The Howard Norton Endowment, which already has $250,000 in commitments, will help the Chronicle keep telling the stories that meant so much to the Nortons. We will use income from the endowment for these purposes:
The Nortons celebrate Howard’s 80th birthday in 2015 with children (seated) Ted Norton, Laurie Diles and Tom Norton plus spouses and grandchildren. Survivors include their children, seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
• Covering Latin America: The Nortons dedicated 16 years to the people of Brazil as part of a mission team. Later in life, they moved to Honduras, where Howard served as president of Baxter Institute, which trains Spanish speakers for missions. They were instrumental in the founding of Great Cities Missions.
We plan to expand our coverage of Latin America, highlighting new generations of believers. One exciting development we plan to cover is Harvest Brazil, a Brazilian-led effort to plant churches in the six remaining Brazilian states with no Churches of Christ. Efforts in the capitals of three of these states already are underway.
After a group photo, members of the 1961 São Paulo mission team — including the Nortons — and their children sing hymns in Portuguese and English.
• The Norton Colloquium: We want to follow Howard’s example by facilitating robust discussions of issues facing our fellowship. The Chronicle will partner with lectureships, Christian universities and nonprofits to provide guest speakers, panel discussions and special events throughout the year.
The first Norton Colloquium is scheduled for Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 as part of “Inspire: The 101st Lectureship” at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. We plan to present classes on “The Present and Future of Churches of Christ,” “How Should We Talk About Politics?” and “Modern-Day Josephs (and Josephines).”
Howard Norton speaks to an attendee at the Baxter Institute’s annual seminar in Tegucigalpa in 2011.
• The Chronicle en Español: We will pursue opportunities to offer high-quality Spanish translations of our coverage online and in print.
Generous donors have stepped up to help us honor Howard Norton’s legacy. We would love to see this endowment grow to $1 million or more, allowing us to expand on the initiatives you see here.
Please consider a one-time or recurring gift to The Norton Endowment. See christianchronicle.org/norton or mail checks to The Christian Chronicle, P.O. Box 11000, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-1100 (note “Norton Endowment”).
