This Week in Texas Methodist History July 1

Rural Texas Methodists Support Texas A&M Methodist Church  July 1943

One of the most important stories in the history of Texas Higher Education is that of the transformation of Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (later University) from a fairly small all male student body with compulsory ROTC studying the Agricultural and Mechanical Sciences to a huge, co-ed student body studying all the disciplines of a comprehensive university.   Such transformation occurred in my lifetime, so I have been a witness to that transformation. 

Texas was very slow to create institutions of higher learning.   All of the early colleges were created by the churches, or even individuals.  During the Civil War when the Southern states did not have Representatives or Senators in Congress, Northerners were able to pass domestic legislation that had been opposed by the South.   Three of the most important pieces of legislation which Southerners had blocked were the creation of the national banking system, the Homestead Act, and the Morrill Act, which created land grant colleges for the education of students in the Agricultural and Mechanical Arts.  The author of the act was Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont.  (BTW  the senator's house and barn are preserved as a museum which I have visited to honor this great educational leader.)  

Some state such as Wisconsin combined the land grant college with the state university.   Texas did not have a state university, so it created the two land grant colleges (one in College Station and one in Prairie View de novo).   Very soon after that the state decided it did need a state university, so the University  of Texas was created.  As part of that creation the Methodist university inn Georgetown changed it name to Southwestern University from Texas University.   

The roles of A&M and UT were clearly defined.  A&M would teach agriculture and engineering.  UT would prepare students for law, medicine, basic sciences, classics, humanities, and social sciences.  A separate set of regional normal colleges would prepare teacher for the pre-college schools.  The names of the universities now in San Marcos, Denton, Huntsville, Nacogdoches, Commerce, etc once had "Teacher's College" in their names.   

Over the years UT enrollment surpassed that of A&M.  Enrollment at A&M was suppressed by its all-male student body requirement.  

In the 1920's Methodists embarked upon ministries to college students.  At A&M that took the form of building a church across from the campus.   The church was intended for students and the general public.  The pastor, King Vivion (later president of Southwestern) asked all the Methodists preachers in Texas to send him then names of their young men attending A&M so he could invite them to church.  

World War II transformed Texas A&M and its associated Methodist church.  The ROTC program was one of the most important in the nation in supplying officers for the war effort--rivaling West Point in the number of officers.  A&M Methodist saw it needed to expand its footprint.  In 1943 the church sat of half a city block across the street from the north gate of the campus.  That year it obtained the other half of the block thereby doubling its footprint.  That location was convenient to the dormitories.  

Naturally it started a fund raising campaign to build a larger facility.  Texas Methodists had already decided that the "student work" at Texas colleges would be supported by all the conferences in the state rather than the conference in which the college was located.  

The fund raising worked very well and was supported especially by the rural churches of Texas.  Here are a few examples.  Winnie sent $169.35 from a congregation of 189 members.   The Blue Grove circuit in the Wichita Falls District sent $24.77.  Anderson Circuit in nearby Grimes County sent $43.00.  Cold Spring Circuit chipped in $37.00.   Liberty gave a whopping $315.00.  Perhaps the highest contribution per member was Stowell which sent $132.30.  Maybe they were competing with nearby Winnie.  

Similar amounts were raised throughout Texas and the A&M Methodist Church prospered.  Within a few decades the College became a comprehensive university and student enrollment boomed.  Today the students are served by a Wesley foundation that is widely recognized for its excellence,