Ohio Valley College Lectureship
Monday evening, April 6, at Parkersburg, West Virginia, I sat in the city park pavilion and heard the opening lecture of the Ohio Valley College Lectureship. This was the first lectureship of the college. Brother Homer Hailey was the speaker. His theme was "Educating For Life." He pointed out what education is and the scope of education. Bro. Hailey showed the place of the home, the school and the church in education. He emphasized that the school is an aid to the home and that the educational program of the church is spiritual. He also pointed out the purpose of a school should be to build character. He stated that brethren should always keep their minds focused on character and not try to substitute bigness for this ideal. It was a joy to hear brother Hailey once again.
Tuesday morning, Brother Brad Brumley spoke on characteristics of a good Bible teacher. In his brief, limited time, he set forth three basic requirements; devotion, deportment and a good general Bible knowledge. I believe these are most essential. Elders sometimes let almost anybody teach Bible classes. Following brother Brumley was Brother Don Gardner of Pittsburgh. His lesson was on personal work and how to go about it. He pointed out that Jesus preached to an individual as well as to multitudes. He urged that personal workers should seek the key to each heart as they endeavor to teach men. Bro. Gardner emphasized that every Christian should be a soul winner for Jesus.
In the afternoon, Brother Elza Huffard talked about the place of the home in educating for life. Brother Huffard urged parents to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, teach them to share and to develop independence.
Tuesday night, Brother Willard Collins spoke on the place of literature in educating for life. He pointed out that the kind of literature one reads molds his mind. Therefore, parents should be careful about the kind of literature their children read. Wholesome literature should be provided, he said. Through Tuesday night was all of the lectureship that I got to attend. It concluded Thursday night.
Also Tuesday night, the master plans for the college were unveiled by the architects. The college is to begin as a junior college with anticipation of growing to become a senior college. The buildings are designed along modern architectural structure. The architects have predicted that Ohio Valley College will have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. After seeing the plans, I believe it will.
One fine feature I like about the college, and the board is to be commended for it, is its policy about keeping the school separate from the church. The school will neither ACCEPT nor SOLICIT money from churches. If any church sends a contribution to the school, it will be returned. Incorporated in the school's charter is a statement that it will never accept or solicit money from church treasuries. I am glad to see the authors of the charter take a firm stand on this thing. It shows that they know the difference between the church and the school. This school and Florida Christian College are the only schools operated by the brethren that I know of that definitely will not accept money from churches. There may be another one or two, but these two are the only ones that I know about. I do know that some of the "old reliable" schools have and no doubt will accept church donations. So, I'm glad to see Ohio Valley College has chosen not to follow along the course that the most popular schools have pursued.
I believe the board will stand firm on this policy and not be moved from it by pressure from the Gospel Advocate and some of its liberal writers and admirers. I believe these brethren will stand steadfast on this issue. I have already heard a couple of rumors about the "college-in-the-budget" brethren. I have heard that one person said that the school was "tainted" with a little bit of "Sommerism" because it refuses to accept money from churches and another brother wrote criticizing the school for using Homer Hailey on the lectureship. Of course, this latter brother is always writing somebody. He tries to get his finger in every church and school he can in the brotherhood. I hope the school at Parkersburg will tell these brethren who want to control everything to run their own business and the school will run its business.
The school's president has not been chosen. The future of the school is going to depend a great deal on the kind of president the board employs. If the board selects a man who believes in putting the college in the church budget, then you can be sure he will use his influence to alter things so that the college can eventually accept donations from churches. Too, he will hire teachers that believe in the church supporting the college. Then, when parents send their children to Ohio Valley College, what will they be taught and how will they be influenced? The answer is obvious. They will be taught that the church can put the college in the budget. The students will come back to their home congregations setting forth the idea, and when the older members die, the younger ones will put the college into the budget then, if not before. This won't happen over night, but it could very well happen gradually by the school starting out with a president and a staff of teachers who have no conviction against churches supporting colleges. The school may as well hire a president who advocates the missionary society as one who advocates putting colleges into church budgets. Surely Ohio Valley College won't hire a president that believes and espouses a theory just opposite to of what has been incorporated in the charter. The board members have taken a stand on keeping the college and church distinct, and I hope also they will use good judgment in selecting the right kind of president to direct the school.
A college of this nature is needed in this section of the country, and with the proper administration, it can be of great benefit to young men and women in helping educate them for life.