Why Support Central Christian College?
(The following speech was delivered by L. B. Clayton, Chairman of the Board of Directors, at the Third Annual Lectures, on Tuesday, March 31, 1953.)
All the members of your Board of Directors of Central Christian College are faithful workers in the church.
They consider every act and deed in the light of Christian principles.
They are in constant contact with others of like mind.
They are sincere men who are interested in knowing what the brethren want.
They are men who, by experience, know the value of Christian education.
They are liberal men, willing to back up their acts with their money.
They are family men, with sons and daughters who either have attended, are attending, or who plan to attend a Christian school.
Men of this type cannot fail to develop the kind of school that you want and expect.
To provide for and protect the welfare of your children while they are in Central Christian College, the directors have (1) obtained this beautiful piece of property, and (2) procured the services of godly men and women to make up the faculty — headed by a man of good reputation. Brother Wilson and the faculty are profoundly interested in making this College what you want it to be. This is demonstrated by their untiring efforts and lack of interest in the clock.
The board and faculty have tried to spend the money entrusted to them wisely and for the best interest of the student body.
The faculty and students have endeavored by their good deeds and conduct to obtain the respect and best wishes of the citizens of Bartlesville — and the response is unbelievable.
This is a college, a place where our children can obtain instructions in the arts and sciences. Proper scholastic accreditation must, therefore, be maintained. The college is certified for accreditation by the Oklahoma State Board of Regents. Its credits are accepted by other institutions of higher learning. It is a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. Sometime in the future we hope to grow into a four-year college, and obtain admission to the North Central Association.
In view of these facts, it is the responsibility of your Board to obtain the financial and moral support needed by Central Christian College. This is our most difficult problem.
It has been said that when you are disturbed about a problem, the best way to solve it is to take a piece of paper and write down the problem in plain words, then write down several possible solutions to the problem. When you have done so, the next step is to select the one that will work the best, and pursue it.
Let us try this now, and see what the results are. Our problem is the lack of financial and moral support from our brethren. Now we are ready for some possible solutions. Here are four: (1) We could quit, (2) we could try to continue without it, (3) we could go to the world and not ask our brethren, and (4) we could ask, our brethren.
Now let us consider these one by one. If we should quit because of the lack of interest on the part of our brethren, we would lose all, and be marked as failures. The cause of Christian education would be impaired. Our enemies would point with justifiable scorn. This must of necessity be eliminated.
If we should try to continue without any more support, our hearts would be heavy with grief because of the obligations we could not meet. We would soon be in disrepute. Our students would become discouraged. We would fail if we should attempt this course. We dare not try it.
If we should go to the world we would sell out. They care not for the things we love. Their thoughts are not our thoughts. But if we are compelled to depend on them, we may have to follow their dictates. We cannot take such a risk.
If our brethren are willing to help us, then no one can lose. Together, we can carefully plan all of our work. We can safely chart a course all of us accept as right. Thus, all will be profited. Surely this is the proper course, This has been the idea of your board from the very beginning. Quitting has been the farthest from our minds. Our earnest desire is to see this college properly developed. We disdain the idea of just rocking along. We must move on — and in the right direction. But to do so, we must have the wholehearted support of our brethren.
The preachers and elders among us are our spiritual leaders. As such, they can be a great help to Christian education. On the other hand, they can be a great hindrance. As an elder of the church, I have found that I must use great care in my advice to others because of their respect for this office. Preachers must use the same care. Because of this respect, a word of encouragement from either of these will obtain the results we need.
I believe the failure of preachers to speak out in behalf of such schools as this is due to the fact that they do not fully realize the scope of their work. They assume that their work consists only in things peculiar to the church. Since the college is no part of the church, they refrain from speaking from the pulpit concerning it. This is not good reasoning. I am not only a Christian, I am also a husband, a father, a citizen, and a businessman. I no longer need instruction on how to become a Christian, but I do need teaching on how to be a good businessman. I do not need instruction on how to run the business, but the underlying principles of good business. I need information on how to be a good citizen, to determine my just taxes, and how to obey the laws of the land. Any preacher is under obligation to give me all the assistance he can on being a good husband, a good citizen, or a good businessman. None of these things is any part of the church, but proper conduct on my part concerning these things makes it possible for me to be a better member of the church.
For a preacher to fail to point out to parents the need of protecting the faith of their children in the fields of education is disastrous. What is true of a preacher is also true of an elder. I believe that the elders and preachers of every congregation in planning their work should give some time and thought to special instruction concerning the education of the children. They should be taught the value of schools of this type. They should be taught to dig down in their pockets and support such schools. If we — preachers and elders — do not do this and it results in the loss of some of our young people, then we have failed.
In our immediate area there are approximately five hundred congregations. If every preacher and every elder of these churches would give to this college their wholehearted support, both morally and financially, this campus would soon be covered with hundreds of students.
We earnestly solicit your support in this matter. Central Christian College is our school — yours and mine. All the board members are Christians, all the faculty and employees are Christians, practically all of the students are Christians. With such conditions existing, and with the support of thousands of Christian men and women, I believe we can truthfully say, "This is a Christian's college, and as Christians we will support it."