HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972 Thirty Years History: First Baptist Church Book (Pg. 5)morning services were sponsored by the "Y" and the college. The
YMCA had complete charge of the Sunday School and the college
provided a Sunday morning convocation service for faculty and was
compulsory for students at the eleven o'clock hour.
The denominational leaders were not asked to take any part in the
Sunday School program—not even allowed to meet with or leach their
own students. Therefore the denominational workers had to depend
largely on contacts made in their homes and the dormitories. There
were ody three denominational leaders on the campus during the fall
of 1920—Baptist, Methodist and Catholic. The Presbyterians had a
representative at the beginning of the spring semester.
The Daily Bulletin, College Station, on October 27, 1920, gave much
space to the return of the first delegation to the very first student
convention under the following heading: "Delegates from A & M
Attract Much Attention at the Brownwood Conference." The A & M
delegation to the Baptist Student Convention at Brownwood returned
to College Station Monday and reported a great time at the convention.
The delegates from A & M were: Rev. and Mrs. R. L. Brown, Miss Lois
Pipkin, T. Hall, F. L. Bertschler, E. J. Howell, 1. H. McDonald and L.
Garland.
F. L. Bertschler was elected to serve as convention reporter. Due to
the fact that only two general officers were elected by the entire
conference, the nuan'unous election of Bertschler as Baptist Student
Union reporter is considered as an indication of the strong favor with
which the A & M delegation met. The other general officer, Rouse, was
elected from the Baylor University delegation to serve in the capacity
of treasurer.
The A & M delegation attracted much attention, especially since
they were in uniform. When the convention opened, an announcement
was made that the boys &um A & M would be allowed to sit in the
same section with the girls from CIA and Baylor College of Belton. On
the return trip the boys were with the girls from CIA, Baylor College
and Southwest Normal. They made so much noise that a special coach
was turned over to them.
The convention was formally called to order on Friday afternoon
with Rev. Joseph P. Boone, Student secretary of the State Department
as chairman. The first student conference at Brownwood is noteworthy
as being the very first of its kind in history and its success indicated
great work and benefit in the future. Twenty institutions were
represented by delegations, varying from two to forty, and every
Baptist and State school was represented. Considerable comment was
aroused by the strong representations from the State University, A & M
College and College of Industrial Arts. The average attendance at the
sessions was 500. Rev. and Mrs. Brown have watched this organization
grow until now, in January 1972, it is worldwide. They have attended
all 52 State conventions.
It is interesting to know that during the very first year at A & M, the
ansoonary-minded and trained Mrs. Brown organized a woman's
missionary society with three members and carried on a full program.
Things changed a little at the beginning of the 1921-22 college year.
The denominational leaders were asked to cooperate with the "Y" in
the Sunday School program. They were asked to organize and teach
their "Fish" as a part of the general Sunday School program. They were
given a space in the Guion Hall auditorium. The Baptists were located
just inside the right hand door, leading into the auditorium. This
experiment attracted many "Fish" and proved to be a great success.
The following appeared, together with pictures of Rev. and Mrs. R.
L. Brown, in the Greenville News on April. 10, 1921: "Two Prominent
Instructors in School of Methods Arrived in City Last Night."
"Plans are complete for beginning one of the greatest School of
Methods for Christian Workers ever launched in Greenville in that two
of the best instructors in Sunday School work arrived last night and are
in readiness for the great week of learning for Baptists of Greenville and
Hunt County. Rev. and Mrs. R. L. Brown have given this line of work
many years of study and together with many years in school preparing
for this special service have attained the highest degrees of capability.
Rev. Brown is also student pastor at A & M College and is an able
preacher as well as teacher. At three o'clock this afternoon a great
get-together meeting will be held in the First Baptist Church and plans
for the coming week will be outlined. Inspirational talks will be had
from both the Rev. and Mrs. Brown at that time. This is the beginning
of a Statewide service for the Browns."
At the beginning of the third year, 1922-23, the Baptists, Methodists
and Presbyterians were asked to take their freshmen and organize a
union denominational Sunday School. They met and organized in the
auditorium of the E. E. Building. The three denominational leaders,
Brown, Vivion and Matthews, served in turn as superintendanl. The
groups met in class rooms. The Baptist pastor and his wife decided to
divide their freshmen in two groups and both serve as teachers. They
enrolled more than a hundred in the two classes which was very good
considering the number of Baptist freshmen on the campus.
The denominational experiment was so successful that at the
gin
bening of the 1923-24 college year, the groups were given their
"fish", sophs and juniors and asked to organize their own students. The
college president, Dr. W. B. Bizze6, continued to teach the seniors as
long as he was president of the college. The college continued the
compulsory convocation service on Sunday morning; therefore, the
denominational programs consisted only in an evening meeting and a
10:00 o'clock Sunday School program.
At this time a few more localBaptists joined in the group. The
Baptists provided a class for four small children, lack and Austine
McDonald and Robert Lee and Davis Burley. This was the beginning of