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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBaptist Student Program 121503Browns brought first Baptist program to A &M By Dan Bates sped., to Vie Ee9N The Rev. and Mrs. R.L. Brown came to College Station in July 1920 to begin the first Baptist student program on a college campus at Texas A&M College. Of the 1,500 students enrolled at Texas A&M at the time, about 300 preferred the Baptist church. Sunday morning services were sponsored by the YMCA and Texan A&M. Attendance at the 11 a.m. service was compulsory for students. Only three denominational leaders were on the Texas A&M campus in the fall of 1920 — Bap- tist. Methodist and Catholic. The Presbyterians had a rep- resentative at the beginning of the spring semester in 1921. These leaders weren't allowed to meet with or teach their own students and depended largely on contacts made in their homes and dor- mitories. At the beginning of the 1921 -22 college year, denominational leaders were asked to teach their freshmen as a part of the general Sunday school program In the Gulon Hall auditorium. This ex- periment attracted many "Fish" and proved to be a great success. When the 1922 -23 year began, the Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians were asked organ- ize a Protestant denominational Sunday school for freshmen, with the leaders of the three groups serving In turn as superinten- dent. This Sunday school met In college classrooms. The Browns divided the Baptist freshmen into two groups, enroll- ing more than 100, and both served as teachers. The denominational experiment was so successful that at the be- ginning of the 1923 -24 college year, each of the groups was asked to organize its own "Fish," sophomores and Juniors. W.B. Bissell, Texas A&M president, continued to teach the seniors. At this time, a few more local Baptists Joined the group at Texas A&M. Sunday school enrollment among the Baptists included 13 A&M Juniors, 30 sophomores and 100 freshmen. The high atten- dance for the year was 196. The Baptists met in the Electri- cal Engineering Building during the college year, and during the summer In the old Assembly Building, where All Faiths Chapel now stands, Before long, the College Station Baptists wanted to organise as a church. The pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bryan wanted the organization to be an arm of that church and bitterly opposed the formation of a separate church. In April 1923, on the Sunday on which the new church was to be organized, the Bryan pastor told the Browns he wouldn't take part in organizing the church. IN OUR PAST But W.S. Barron, a lay leader In the First Baptist Church In Bryan, made a motion at the be- ginning of the morning worship that the Bryan church call off Its evening service and help the Browns with their chartering meeting. Barron's motion carried. and the Bryan church's pastor and some leaders helped organize the First Baptist Church to Col- lege Station with 91 charter members. The Browns and some of the charter members believed they should immediately try to buy a lot to build a parsonage and a place where the group could have socials and business meetings. Yet some charter members op- posed a building program that would call for raising money. T.O. Walton, director of the Co- operative Extension Service at Texas A&M and a charter member of the First Baptist Church in Col- lege Station, said In a letter dated Nov. 8, 1923: ... I do not believe that any male member of the Baptist group has great enthusiasm for a build- ing program ... They seem to think to do so would be to incur bur- dens and obligations upon the local group that they do not feel they are able to carry, and In addi- tion that such a program would not result In the greatest con- structive effort In developing a spiritual program for campus.re- sldents and members of the stu- dent body." Brown had started planning to acquire church property soon after he began the student pro- gram at Texas A&M. He told W.C. Boyett, who owned all the land Just north of the campus, that the Baptists would want to buy a lot when he began to plan for streets and to sell lots In the newly subdi- vided area at Northgate. Boyett had said that the Baptists would have first chance at a lot. As it turned out, the Methodists were offered the lot the Baptists wanted, but didn't take it because of • lack of funds. Boyett then told the Baptists they could buy the lot for 84,000. The small group of First Baptist Church members didn't have the money, but they did have charter member D.B. Cofer, a bust - newsman with many friends in the kitG,c.E community. Cofer arranged for the First Baptist Church to pay $1,000 down and assume three notes of $1,000 each, to be paid over a period of three years. The new church had a lot upon which to build, as well as a big debt. The next hurdle was building a parsonage for the Browns, who had been living In Bryan since ar- riving to Brazos County. Brown told church leaders he and his wife would personally give 81,000 to build a parsonage if the church could raise the balance of 83,500. But the bank that had promised to furnish the money in- formed the church that it couldn't make the transaction unless the Baptist General Convention of Texas underwrote the papers. Knowing Texas Baptists were in no position to underwrite papers, Brown visited an official of the City National Bank, a Methodist, and arranged for 81,500. Then he called on an official of the First State Bank and Trust, a Presby- terian, and secured 81,000, and finally, an official of the First National Bank, a Baptist, who ar- ranged for the last 81,000. The Browns' increased work- load required them to move from Bryan before the parsonage was completed. Dr. Puryear, dean at Texas A &M, offered the couple a vacant house Nat across from the main entrance to Kyle Field, where they could be near their work at the beginning of the 1924 fall term. This was only time anyone not directly connected with Texas A&M College was ever allowed to live in a college -owned - 9/ house. The Baptist parsonage was the first permanent building north of what is now University Drive. The 84,650 contract for Its construc- tion was let Nov. 5, 1924, to New- some Contracting Co. Since there were as yet no streets In the area, Brown borrowed a horse and turning plow from Charley Atkins and made a raised walk from Uni- versity Drive to the house. The Browns moved into the parsonage in January 1925. During 1924.25, the First Bap- tist Church in College Station gained 122 new members, 21 through baptism. With a total of 250 members, it had an organized Sunday school with an enroll- ment of 150. But It had no church building until 1928. The Browns retired on Sept. 1, 1950, after 30 years in College Station. They were followed by the Revs. O. Byron Richardson (1950-1951), Robert D. Longshore (1952. 1959), Cecil E. Sherman (1960 - 1962), Guy F. Greenfield (1962-1964), Lloyd Elder (1965 -1969) and the present pas- tor, the Rev. Malcolm Bane, who came to the church in 1969. The First Baptist Church of Col- lege Station is now located at 2300 Welsh Ave. in Southwood Valley. The Rev. Dan Bates of the MIlllcan Baptist Church became a Christian In 1954 at the First Baptist Church In College Station, where he was licensed to be a minister in 1964 and ordained In 1968. Bates's father, C.H. Bates, was a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Colloge Station for many years until his death In 1974, and his mother, Corinne Bates Is still a mem- ber of the church.