“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19a)
“(R)emember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 46:9)
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17
Rev. George Klett, retired Presbyterian pastor and PHSSW member and supporter, recently shared a booklet, published in 1927 with the title Presbyterian Expansion in the Synod of Texas of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. According two the Foreword, it is a report on the work of the Synod of Texas requested by “the consecrated womanhood of the Synod of Texas.” The committee of five who put it together consisted of William A. McLeod of Cuero, Thomas W. Currie of Austin, John D. Leslie of Dallas, Brooks I. Dickey of McAllen, and Daniel A. Pence of Austin. In this report one learns that there were nine presbyteries in Texas at that time: Brazos, Brownwood, Central Texas, Dallas, Eastern Texas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Paris, and Western Texas.
One of the fascinating features of this report is the photographs. Most are of buildings that no longer exist – for example, Westminster Encampment in Kerrville; Sampson and Lubbock Halls at Austin Seminary; the administration building in Huntsville for Austin College, the Texas Presbyterian College for Girls in Milford; the administration buildings in Taft in the Presbyterian school for girls (Pres-Mex) and Kingsville the Presbyterian school for boys (Tex-Mex). In addition, there are photos of churches that supported higher education in Texas – for example, First Presbyterian Church in Lubbock; Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nacogdoches, and First Presbyterian Church in San Marcos.
To be sure, some of these institutions and churches either still exist, perhaps under other names (Westminster Encampment gave way to Mo-Ranch and Tex-Mex and Pres-Mex merged to form Presbyterian Pan American School) and most still engage in important and effective ministries. The same can be said of churches and institutions in the other states in the Synod of the Sun – for example, the University of Tulsa had its beginnings in Muskogee as Henry Kendall College, the building in Durant that housed Oklahoma Presbyterian College now houses the Choctaw Nation Tribal Complex, Arkansas Cumberland College in Clarksville (now University of the Ozarks) followed Cane Hill College.
While it is true that the church is more than bricks and mortar, and the mission and ministries of congregations and institutions have to do with people, it’s also true, first, that most of these ministries could not take place without the buildings that serve them, and, second, these places may be considered important, if not sacred in the memory of those who spent part of their lives there. The buildings that housed the two churches in which this writer grew up no longer exist (those churches have relocated and serve the memories of later generations), but memories made in those earlier buildings are powerful reminders of important experiences of faith. They all served to the glory of God, and have now been moved aside to make room for subsequent generations.
This is no longing for the past. It is simply an appeal to an awareness of and an appreciation for those buildings, places, and persons that have borne witness to the gospel in their own time and have contributed to who we are today – just as the buildings, places, and persons today are contributing to the memory of future generations. We are making history today just as others made history yesterday.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to:
PHSSW – 5525 Traviston Ct., Austin, TX 78738.
Payment can also be made online at the PHSSW website: www.phssw.org.
