A group of six evangelical self-titled Christian missionaries arrived on campus around 11 this morning. Stationed at the Bell Tower, they spoke about their beliefs to a growing crowd of students.

The men were from different churches around the country, including Poquoson Baptist Church in Poquoson, Virginia and Lighthouse Bible Fellowship in Fremont, California. They were organized by Robert Parker of Christians from Bread of Life Fellowship in New Jersey.

“We travel to college campuses because we want to make [the Gospel] known to this current generation,” Virginia retiree Don Karns said. Karns also said the “cross-country evangelism” is performed by independent born-again Christians across the US, organized via Facebook groups.

At its peak, there were approximately 100 people gathered around the Bell Tower. Most in the crowd were students, with some faculty members interspersed.

Temple Police also arrived to monitor the situation.

The evangelists and students engaged in heated discourse about topics like evolution, premarital sex and same-sex marriage. There was no physical violence but several students came close to the evangelists and several of them were shouting.

Students held up handwritten signs saying, “On behalf of the Christian people, I apologize” and “Coexist” to counter the evangelists’ “Evolution is a lie” posters.

“It’s a complete waste of time on both sides,” Eddie Ntuk, a junior biology major said. “People are just spitting opinions. They come close-minded.”

Several students spoke individually with the evangelists. Other students gathered into smaller discussion groups. The evangelists visit Temple approximately two times a year.

Zaria Estes, the 15-year-old who is accused of assaulting a Temple student by hitting her in the face with a brick in March, will schedule her trial on Oct. 1.

Estes’ scheduling conference was confirmed in a decertification hearing held in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County around 10 a.m. Friday, attended by Estes and her parents.

Prior to Friday’s proceedings, Estes’ most recent court activity was a Sept. 9 hearing which confirmed she would be tried as an adult.

Judge Benjamin Lerner, who has presided over Estes’ pre-trial hearings since May, will hand over the role to Judge Michael Erdos for the October scheduling conference.

Estes, who was arrested March 26, faces charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, terroristic threats with intention to terrorize another, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

The maximum sentence for aggravated assault in Pennsylvania is 20 years in prison.

The March 21 incident happened in the 1700 block of Norris Street when Estes and two 16-year-old girls allegedly harassed a Temple student before Estes hit her in the face with a brick. The student suffered a mild concussion and a fractured jaw.

The two 16-year-olds were initially charged as adults, but those charges were later dropped.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.

Patricia Madej contributed reporting. 

The Board of Trustees’ Athletics Committee met in back-to-back sessions at Sullivan Hall Wednesday afternoon — a roughly 20-minute public meeting followed by executive session.

Athletic Director Kevin Clark said his department is searching for a new primary apparel vendor for the schools’ Division I programs. The university’s contract with Under Armour, which began in 2010, will run out after Fiscal Year 2015 ends on June 30, 2015.

“I’ve decided to take it to the market,” Clark told those in attendance. “Not that we’re dissatisfied with Under Armour, but … you have Adidas out there, you have Nike out there and to create that competition within those vendors will really help us get a better deal.”

In the meeting, Clark said the department will assess various vendors within the next 30 days, and will likely have one selected by the end of the 2014 calendar year. The new apparel contract will take effect starting July 1, 2015.

Clark also cited Temple’s increased television coverage with its football and basketball programs as reason to test the market.

“Under Armour’s been a great partner for us,” Clark told The Temple News after the meeting. “It’s always good to take to the market to see how competitive it is. … It’s a deadline I set, in a sense, so we have enough time to do an assessment. After 30 days, we get to go through our assessment and see what’s best for our department.”

Clark said that while he is shopping for other potential vendors, a potential contract renewal with Temple’s apparel supplier of the last four years is still a possibility.

“We have a great relationship with Under Armour and they see the movement,” Clark said. “They see that we’re doing things to take our program to the next level and they could be a major player in this deal.”

Other items discussed at the meeting included a fall sports review and a preview of the men’s basketball schedule.

By Joe Brandt

Six Temple buildings lost power yesterday after city crews inadvertently cut a power line while digging in North Broad Street, according to a TU Alert.

A university spokesman said Carnell, Conwell, Sullivan, Shusterman and Pearson-McGonigle halls all lost power around noon yesterday.

Crews from Facilities Management were able to provide power to Pearson-McGonigle around 12:40 p.m., according to a later alert. The building was the only one scheduled to host classes that day.

Office workers in the other buildings either went home for the day or relocated to other buildings, the spokesman said.

Around 11 p.m., crews from Facilities Management successfully rerouted old existing lines to restore power to the remaining buildings.

The spokesman said the old power lines will be replaced in the future.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.