HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972 Thirty Years History: First Baptist Church Book (Pg. 3)The year 1919 was perhaps the most interesting and challenging year
m Rev. Brown's entire life. He received his M. A. degree from the
University of Pennsylvania and his B. D. degree from Crozer Seminary.
It will be remembered that he represented his class in the academy and
college as orator. At the Crozer commencement he represented his class
as .,.lot. It should also be noted that while in college he completed all
the work for the Sunday School Normal diploma given by the Sunday
School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Also, the work for
the Sunday School diploma given by the Northern Baptist Convention
was completed as well as the work for the North American diploma
given by many other denominations in the North. The most important
event of all was when he married un July 2 the girl he had waited for
more than five years. After a short honeymoon in Washington, D. C,
the couple set up housekeeping in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, where
Rev. Brown was pastor. At the beginning of the fall semester_ Rev.
Brown enrolled in Crozer Seminary and continued his studies,
completing all the work required for the advanced degree given by the
seminary during the spring semester of 1920.
Baily in the fall of 1919 Mrs. Brown was asked to accept the
position as science leacher and to teach physics and biology. This, of
course, doubled her duties as a busy pastor's wife; however, it was a
most rewarding experience and a great help financially for the young
couple.
It was during the early part of 1920 that the Browns received letters
from Texas asking them to consider coining to Texas A & M College to
start a definite Baptist program for the Baptist students in that Inst,
tution. After receiving letters from Dr. J. P. Boone, newly elected state
student secretary. to set up a Baptist program for students in Texas
colleges and universities, from Dr. John A. Held, pastor of the First
Baptist Church, Bryan, and from Rev. O. P. Campbell, a close friend of
the Browns and director of the John C. Townes Bible Chair in the
University of Texas, Rev. Brown promised to meet with the committee
during the Southern Baptist Convention to be held in Washington, D. C.
during the spring. The morning after arriving in Washington, he went
down to the lobby to see if he could locate Dr. Boone. After moving
round in the massive group of Texans, he just casually asked a man if he
could tell him where he could locate Dr. Boone. He replied, "yes;' but
unformed Rev. Brown that he imagined he would rather talk to him,
that he was Dr. John A. Held of Bryan, chairman of the committee, and
he knew that he was talking to R. L. Brown of Ridley Park.
After that startling experience, all doubts were removed from the
minds of the Browns for they saw the hand of the Lord leading them to
Texas.
After further meetings with Dr. Held and Dr. Boone and some
correspondence, plans were made to resign the wonderful church and
come to Texas at a much reduced salary. Rev. Brown arrived the last of
July and supplied the First Church of Bryan for a month. Mrs. Brown
joined her husband the last of August and they began immediately to
make plans for the new work.
The reader can see that Rev. Brown was well qualified to take up the
work at A & M. His training included the possession of three degrees
and completion of the work for the fourth degree at Crozet Seminary.
He held four diplomas in Sunday School and Training Union work,
taught and supervised work of a state high school for a year and had
seven years experience as a pastor, four in rural churches and three in
city churches. He soon found that he needed all that training to cope
with the new work connected with establishing a Baptist student
program on a state college campus.