The Founding and the Guiding Principles of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Sharon, MA by Tim Williams, member Church History Task Force The guiding principles upon which EBC was founded were: The Word of God is the all-sufficient guide in all matters of faith and practice; the education of our children in the scriptures is one of the primary purposes of the church; and the Biblical gospel is to be shared both by foreign missionaries and by ourselves in our community. Part I. Historical Background In the early 1950’s, the First Baptist was the only Baptist church in Sharon. It had a long and admirable history, having been founded in 1814 by several prominent families seeking an evangelical presence in Sharon, as the pastor of the town meeting house at that time was held to be too Unitarian in doctrine. During the 1900’s, the church maintained close ties with Gordon College and Seminary and the American Baptist Convention. When their elderly pastor resigned in 1950, a man named Arthur Lindell was elected chairman of the pulpit committee. An Insurance Underwriter from Chicago Arthur, his wife Gladys, and their two young boys had moved to Sharon from Chicago a few years earlier when Arthur had chosen a transfer to Boston from his employer. At first they attended Park Street Congregational Church in Boston-an all day trip due to the Sunday train schedule. Then Arthur and Gladys decided to try the First Baptist Church in Sharon where they soon became involved in many ministries. Art became the superintendent of the Sunday school and worked with the young people. He was also elected a deacon and was chairman for many years. Gladys and Art taught the older boys and girls in Sunday school. Art and Gladys prayed earnestly for years that a strong evangelical pastor would be called to their church. As chairman of the pulpit committee, Arthur had a key role in the calling of the new pastor. After failing to interest any of the pastors suggested by the Baptist Association in Boston and the Evangelistic Association of New England, the committee ran out of names, except for that of a seminary student at Gordon, who they felt could not meet their expectations. A Seminary Student from Gordon However, with no other prospects, and not wanting to waste the committee’s time, Arthur told them he would go alone to hear Nate Goff, who was speaking at a Congregational Church in a suburb east of Boston. Arthur and Gladys went that Sunday and were impressed with young Mr. Goff. "He was a terrific speaker and very evangelical". In the following weeks, the rest of the committee heard Nate and all agreed to ask him to candidate. Arthur encouraged them to pray much that Nate would come. It was the early spring of 1951 when Arthur called Nate to inform him of the unanimous approval by the congregation. Nate responded that he wanted to seek the Lord’s will in the matter and would call in a few days, which he did, expressing his and his wife Ruth’s conviction that it was the Lord’s leading to accept the call. However, there were some conditions. "My going to First Baptist was God’s doing", wrote Nate Goff. "They were put in touch with me my senior year at Gordon and I visited with the pulpit committee. My doctrinal views were clearly stated. Before my name was proposed to the congregation, I made three stipulations. No more summer united services; no more fairs to raise funds; and a willingness to start prayer meetings and evening services. This was agreed to and I accepted the call under God’s confirmation." Founder Jim Barnett recalls pastor Goff as "an exceptional Bible teacher". Nate preached the Bible, took over the High School class and the youth meeting. "In a very short time the class grew to a sizable group and best of all many received Christ as Lord and Savior…the blessings of God was evident on the ministry". Nate started mid-week prayer meeting and Sunday evening services, and began a Bible class for young couples. Under Nate and Ruth’s guidance the missionaries that the church supported were selected on the basis of whether they could hold to a strong personal acceptance of Christ as savior. God honored the preaching and teaching of his Word. God also added many new young families to the church at this time. During the 50’s America was in the midst of the post WWII boom - ex-servicemen were returning to civilian life, getting married, starting families, and progressing in their careers. The Barnetts, Morrisons, Purdys, Williams, Vaters and Landrums, all such families, moved into Sharon during this period and found their way under God’s sure guidance to First Baptist, where they were nurtured and strengthened by Nathan Goff’s preaching and teaching. A Sunday school teacher from Texas, And a sixth grader from the outskirts of town The Bloods were a local couple that drove their kids to church until they moved far away from the town center and it became inconvenient for Mr. Blood to drop the kids at church and pick them up afterwards. A year or two later, a sixth grade classmate of their son Cliff’s, Ron Hunnewell, a son of one of the trustees at the First Baptist, told Cliff about a neat new Sunday School teacher from Texas by the name of Jim Barnett. The following Sunday, Cliff and his younger brother Randy hitchhiked to church. Jim took an immediate interest in the new, smart-mouthed sixth grader in his class, and he soon arranged to meet with Cliff’s parents. Tam and Winnie Blood were baptized by Nate Goff a few weeks after that meeting. Even though from widely different backgrounds, these recent arrivals and young believers shared much in common, including a desire to grow in their faith. A Bible Club, started by Nate Goff, provided an opportunity to personally study the Bible and Baptist doctrine - many of the new families were from other denominations and traditions. The Bible Club was also a comfortable setting to get to know each other intimately. Here were forged life-long friendships and many godly convictions. The Bible Club provided a forum for the discussion of these convictions. Many of these young couples had children. One conviction, which they discovered they all held in common, was the necessity of teaching the Bible and scriptural principles to their children. Without a strong Biblical training, their children would be ill prepared to deal with life. The concern for the welfare of their children and the conviction that their children’s welfare was dependent on a solid Biblical training was one of the primary motivations for the founding of EBC. Another issue was which missionaries to support. There was much discussion concerning the allocation of missions support to unnamed ABC missionaries during the May 16, 1955 annual meeting. Founder Bart Morrison made a motion that pastor Goff write the ABC to ask if their missionaries "are required to make a statement of faith and if so, do they abide by it". Such was not the case, as Pastor Goff later wrote " when it became obvious that the convention supported workers unable to give a salvation witness and lacking faith in the deity of Christ and authority of Scripture, the deacons approved designating money to evangelical missionaries and projects." The central principle was the inerrancy and all-sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for all matters. In fact, the founding of EBC was primarily a result of a vote on this issue. We will say more about that later. Part II. The Founding of EBC To understand the founding of EBC it is essential to appreciate the ministry of Nate Goff. Humanly speaking, no other person had so strong an influence of the beliefs and practices of the founders of EBC. In Pastor Goff’s own words: "My entire ministry was anchored to complete confidence in the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God; the only absolute directive for faith and practice. I was ordained in October 1951 with a full church and a memorable charge from my professors to exalt our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; to preach the whole council of God; to bring people to faith in Christ and to live a godly and holy life." One of the founding members, Joyce Purdy, said, "Without Nate Goff, there would be no EBC." Founder Howard Williams considers Pastor Goff to be the founding pastor, even though he was to leave Sharon in 1955, almost a year before EBC actually began. Nate Goff accepted a call from Highland Baptist in Fitchburg, MA in 1954. Pastor Goff later served several churches in New England, and is perhaps best known as the first pastor of Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA, which grew rapidly into one of the largest evangelical congregations in New England, as it still is today. When Nate left, a Dr. Johnson, also from Gordon, became the interim pastor at First Baptist. In God’s providence, he too was a strong believer who held to the same convictions as pastor Goff. At one point he challenged the congregation, "Do you want to be a country club or a church?" A Carpenter from Nova Scotia For seven months the pulpit committee, including Rufus Purdy, Jim Barnett, and Tam Blood, who would later become EBC founders, searched for a pastor acceptable to all without being able to come to an agreement. Finally, five deacons, lead by Mr. Purdy, called a special business meeting to address two crucial issues: 1. The kind of message that should be preached in our pulpit. 2. The extent to which the minister and the church will abide by the policies and practices of the American Baptist Convention. That meeting was held on Thursday, April 12, 1956 immediately following the weekly prayer meeting. Interest was high, sixty-three members came out, when only fifty-one had gone to the previous annual meeting. The meeting voted to take up the second issue first. Mr. Purdy stood to give a personal testimony and then made a motion - a motion that had been carefully worded prior to the meeting with the help of the interim pastor Dr. Johnson, stating "that the church instruct the pulpit committee to call a man who is bound in conscience to hold the Holy scriptures as his infallible guide as unquestioned authority in all matters and all considerations." Bart Morrison seconded the motion. The meeting voted it down - 18 for, 35 against. After the meeting, a group gathered around Mr. Purdy. They came to an agreement, in view of the church’s decision on the place of the Scripture, that the best course of action was to form another church. This would allow them to concentrate their energies on following their convictions; to freely emphasize the Word of God as the all sufficient resource for living, and as all important for the life preparation of their children. Three days later, on Sunday, April 15, 1956 Tam and Winnie Blood, Jim and Jean Barnett, Rufus and Joyce Purdy, Robert and Marjorie Landrum, Bart and Virginia Morrison, Howard and Frankie Williams, Vivian Cauthen and youth pastor, Dick Wood, were holding the first worship service of EBC in the Williams home on High Street, with Mr. Wood preaching. This was the founding of EBC. The new church began in earnest. Only two days later, on April 17, 1956, the first organizational meeting of the new Evangelical Baptist Church of Sharon, MA was held. At the onset of business, Mr. Purdy said, "We should remember that when this church is making decisions, we do not want to make them of our own will, but of our Lord." They discussed "the urgency of calling a pastor, particularly in view of the Sunday school children." The members agreed to carry on Boys Brigade as usual and Prayer meeting, and Sunday school. " Mr. Purdy will continue his duties as Sunday School Superintendent as he did in the First Baptist Church. The Sunday school teachers will continue also, teaching their usual grades and preparing their usual lessons." Thus the determination of the founders to honor the Word of God and to teach it to their children can be seen in the matters they took up in their first meeting. The meetings would continue on a frequent basis for some time to come. There was much to be done. But it was well begun. God’s blessing was evident. For one thing, the Holy Spirit created such a unanimity that, especially unexpected for such a diverse group, there was a complete absence of disagreement. They were of one mind, convinced that they were following God’s leading, and God confirmed it by providing for all their needs. As founder Jim Barnett put it "None of us realized the magnitude of what we had started, but we went ahead." A favorite chorus of the group in those early days was, "The Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow." A Swedish Pastor from Norwood Pastor Phillip Backstrom of Norwood Evangelical Baptist Church was a great help to EBC during their fledging period. Although he had his own growing congregation to attend to (they had recently built a new church building), Pastor Backstrom made himself available to the new church in Sharon for visiting and emergencies. The favorable impression he made was partly responsible for the decision to join the Baptist General Conference, the association that the Norwood church belonged to. Part III. The Vision and Zeal of the Founders The primary purposes of this history, undertaken as part of a church growth program called "Changing the World" sponsored by the Baptist General Conference, are to rediscover the historical context in which EBC was born and to rediscover the vision and zeal of our founders. The vision of our founders grew spontaneously out of their love for the Lord and their confidence in Him. To my knowledge they never attempted to write down their vision. Perhaps their vision can be expressed in these guiding principles - The Word of God is the all-sufficient guide in all matters of faith and practice; that the education of children in the scriptures is one of the primary purposes of the church; and that the Biblical gospel is to be shared both by foreign missionaries and by ourselves in our community. The vision and zeal of our founders was also expressed by what they did, or rather what God did through them. The commitment level was tremendous, both in terms of time and money, and can only be explained by the degree of faith of these dear saints. As founder Mrs. Morrison wrote, " The men of the group pledged our respective homes with the bank". And everyone was involved - teaching Sunday school, hosting youth group, leading Boy’s Brigade or GMG, or any of a myriad of ministries. Of course, many were involved in more than one. Embodying the guiding principle of training in God’s Word for their children were Sunday school, Youth fellowship, Vacation Bible School, Boy’s Brigade, and Girl’s Missionary Guild (GMG). Outreach was always a guiding principle. Daily Vacation Bible School was an especially successful outreach. The use of the new Hebrew school at Temple Israel was donated for the first VBS in 1956 and over 100 were enrolled and the average attendance was 85. Many of these children’s ministries combined Biblical training for church youth with outreach. A notable Evangelistic crusade with guest speaker Mr. Virkler and vocalist Mr. Weber, was held at the church, Sunday, Dec. 11 to Sunday, Dec. 18th, 1967. Expenses were $562.72. Decisions made: Children 12 and under - (11), Teenagers -(8), and Adults - (10). Eleven counselors were involved. The image the church had in the community was always an important consideration, as it was desired that a good witness be made. Some in the town regarded EBC as a renegade church. It was especially hard on EBC youth who often were not made welcome. Gina Morrison wrote, "[we] could not do many of the things that kids from the Congregational church could do-like dance and go to movies. And EBC did not have church fairs, part of life in a New England town." The decision to move the church services from the Williams home to the Town Hall on Sept. 16, 1956, was made as much because that location would be a better witness as because it offered more room. Also in choosing a pastor, the church felt that an older, established pastor with a family would present a better witness to the community. Letters of appreciation to the appropriate town authorities were always made for the assistance of the town such as the use of the Jr. High school gymnasium for Boy’s Brigade and the use of the Town Hall for Sunday Services. The large meeting room in the upstairs of the Town Hall building had not been used much and was very dirty. The church all brought their mops and buckets and cleaned it up. One Sunday, it was discovered that another group had used the offering plates as ashtrays. At times the service would be interrupted by the fire horn, which blasted across the town from just overhead on the roof. Unbeknownst to the church, just prior to the coming of the Olssons, the Town repainted the hall, so Pastor and Mae and the children had a clean place to welcome them. A Full-Time Pastor from an Established Church Within six months of starting, the new church was desiring to become affiliated with a convention. Representatives were contacted from the Conservative Baptist Convention and the Baptist General Conference. One speaker for the Baptist General Conference was Rev. Alan Olsson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Dorchester, Ma. Such was his impact that not only did the church vote unanimously to join the Baptist General Conference, but they also felt led to call him as pastor. Pastor Olsson left behind "an organized church with a good membership and a beautiful church building" to start all over in EBC, where he began his ministry on the church’s first anniversary, April 15, 1957. A Couple from Wollaston Pastor Olsson obtained lists of newcomers into the area. His visitation brought George and Lorraine Barnett to the church. George and Lorraine had recently moved from South Boston to Canton. In turn, because of their gifts, Pastor encouraged George and Lorraine to visit another newcomer couple, Dick and Jeanette Arlington, who also joined the church. George worked part-time for Lawrence Peck, a local mover and Farley Coombs’ Dad. George often encouraged Farley to come to EBC. Eventually she did. A fourteen year old pianist The Morrison’s daughter Gina recalls that she and Mrs. Purdy were the only two who could play the piano. Just learning to play, she learned quickly when her talents were needed at church. Pastor Olsson was very kind and encouraging in this regard, so at about 14 years old Gina became the church pianist. (She still plays occasionally at her church, the third start-up that she and her husband Daryl have been involved with.) The beautiful church building and parsonage stand as monuments to God’s marvelous provision for the church and to the dedication of the founders and the early church family. Indeed, the community wondered that such a small congregation could erect such buildings. It was not accomplished without God, trust in Him, sacrifice, and hard work. Land was purchased and construction begun on the parsonage by Mr. Purdy. Pastor Olsson and his family were able to move in before Easter 1959, just three years after the first service. Mr. Purdy was soon underway on designing the church. On November 11, 1959, friends from the town and other conferences churches joined in celebrating the ground breaking for the church building. A building fund drive was held in November. Thirteen pledges were turned in that day for a total of $10,419 - $419 over the goal. In addition to his pledge, Mr. Purdy donated his own time and labor. The other men and women rolled up their sleeves and helped as they were able. I remember one Saturday in particular when Mr. Purdy and several volunteers were installing the linoleum floor in the church basement. I’m sure that many of them had never done that type of work before, but that floor is still being used today and has held up very well, especially considering the lack of experience of the installers, which, if you look closely, you can still see evidence of. As in everything that they did, the founders all worked together. As much as the buildings are witness to the blessing and provision of God, the spirit of harmony was equally eloquent. Founder Howard Williams stated in his short history of the Evangelical Baptist Church, written for the dedication of the church building in 1960, that " ...there has not been one minute of arguing or bickering or dispute over any aspect of our building programs of either the parsonage or the church...we praise God for it". Part IV. The Founders We owe much to the founders. We have inherited what they sacrificed and worked so hard for. The example of their lives is a tremendous encouragement to us today to invest our lives as they did in participating in what God is doing. We would do well to dedicate ourselves to the principles that guided them. The founders came from a surprising variety of backgrounds. They served in a wide variety of ways, doing whatever was necessary. All contributed in many different areas and we cannot mention many, and indeed only God knows in most instances. I’m sure they would all object to being singled out for recognition of any sort - both out of the conviction that God should receive all the honor and that they were soon joined by so many others who contributed alike. However, in order to acquaint the present reader who may not have had the privilege to know them, here are these brief, and necessarily incomplete, accounts of who they were. Rufus Purdy was a schoolteacher turned carpenter from Nova Scotia. Rufus and his wife Joyce were members of the United Church of Canada before moving their family to Sharon in 1950, and joining the First Baptist. There, because of his piety, enthusiasm, and leadership, Rufus was called upon to serve both as deacon and as Sunday School Superintendent, and later would be the central figure in the starting of EBC, where he served in those same capacities, and many others besides. He began the Fish and Chips youth groups at EBC. A building contractor of great ability, integrity, and reputation, Rufus designed and built both the EBC parsonage and church. Some forty years later, as this is written, Realtors selling a house that Rufus built, will sometimes mention that in their advertisements. Joyce often exercised her wonderful gift of hospitality. Jim and Jean Barnett moved to Canton in 1950. He worked as an engineer for Allis-Chalmers. Jim grew up in Texas - a Southern Baptist. He had played football in the Sugar Bowl before entering the service, and afterward met his wife, a Congregationalist, in Vermont. Jim also served as a deacon at the First Baptist and was a great help in writing EBC’s constitution and by-laws, particularly because he was one of the few founders who had much experience in church affairs. Bob Landrum, another ex-serviceman, was from Indiana and returned to marry Marjorie, the nurse he had met from Sharon. Bob was a lawyer, and helped especially with the incorporation of EBC. The Landrums moved back to Indiana soon after. Bart and Gina Morrison, both converted Catholics, moved their family to Sharon from Staten Island so Bart could pursue his career as a wholesale shoe salesman. The two family house where they lived was owned by Israel Levin, the man who sold the land on which the church was built. Jim Barnett admired Bart for being very thorough on doctrinal issues, "holding their feet to the fire" until it was right. Bart and Gina, like most founders, served the church in just about every way possible. Tam and Winnie Blood grew up in the Sharon area. They came to a saving knowledge of Christ through the influence of their oldest son, Cliff, who was attending First Baptist and was saved under the ministry of Nate Goff. A Town DPW employee and Legionnaire, Tam helped secure the use of the Town Hall as a meeting place, worked with the Boy’s Brigade, and managed to borrow a Town front-end loader to crane the church building’s I-beams in place. Winnie taught Sunday school for many years and shared her faith often with the townspeople who stopped at the variety store in the center of town where she worked and posted a "saying for the day", often a bible verse, on her cash register. Jim and Jennie Leighton were also longtime local residents who were active in the First Baptist, and remained to complete their duties there before joining EBC. Jean served as a Sunday school teacher. Jim was a deacon, trustee and worked with the Boy’s Brigade. Nick Vaters, from Newfoundland, and his wife, Harriet, had been Pentecostals. They hosted what was probably the first EBC picnic at their home on South Walpole Street, before moving away from Sharon shortly after the founding of the church. Vivian Cauthen was a former member of the Greek Orthodox Church. (If anyone knows more about her please let me know). Howard and Frankie Williams moved their family to Sharon in 1955, shortly after Howard began working in Boston as an investment analyst. Howard was a Presbyterian from the hills of east Tennessee and Frankie an Episcopalian from North Carolina. They offered their home for a meeting place for the new church, which met for several months in their living and dining rooms. Howard is perhaps best remembered for his gift for fund raising and Frankie for her lovely voice. Both taught Sunday school and served in various capacities. Dick Wood was a student at Gordon College and Youth Pastor at First Baptist until leaving that position to serve as the first pastor of EBC. Dick was severely criticized at Gordon for leaving an American Baptist Church, but was allowed to graduate, and subsequently entered full-time Christian ministry. He lived with Jim and Jean Barnett, in their apartment in Canton.