In Art's Own Words
“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it”. (Ps. 127:1). Without a doubt, God wanted just such a church. Draw your own conclusions from the facts here set forth.
I was a Colorado-born and raised, young man. My ministry grew swiftly after preaching my first two sermons, back to back. The first was on a street meeting at the corner of 18th and Larimer Streets in Denver; the second, in the Denver Rescue Mission, just a half block away. That was September, 1933.
Much of my early ministry included leading the congregational singing, training choirs, and singing solos. That was because of two things: (1) music was all my service for Christ for two years previous and (2) music men were very scarce. Remember, we are talking of the great depression days.
From September of 1933, until February of 1937, I was kept busy in meetings throughout Colorado. That month, I received an invitation from the College Hill Baptist Church (Central at Erie) to come for a meeting in the Fall. It commenced in mid-November and concluded the week following Thanksgiving (3 weeks).
The Pastor had expressly requested that I would speak to the church on the evils of the old Northern Baptist Convention (now American Baptist) and show them how to get out and to become Wichita’s first “Independent Baptist Church”.
That night I spoke on the subject. The Pastor and Board of Deacons of the Faith Baptist Church (1400 South Broadway - now Immanuel Baptist) attended at the Pastor’s invitation, specifically to hear what I would say because that church, too, was a convention-controlled church.
After the service, that pastor and those deacons stayed to talk with me. God had moved and challenged their hearts. The result - they invited me to hold a meeting at their church and during it to preach that same sermon and give the same instructions to their congregation (about five times larger than College Hill’s).
When the night came, God gave a packed house and a powerful meeting. I could not, as a visiting preacher, preside over the business of a church vote on the matter in either church, but as God’s preacher, I could and did say, “Now that you know the truth, how many believe that your church should stop supporting Bible-denying schools and professors and get out of the Convention and that when your pastor brings it up at a business meeting, you’ll vote for withdrawal?” At College Hill, the vote was unanimous (about 93-0). At Faith, there was one loud dissenter against over 500 who stood for the truth.
Summarily the two pastors were overjoyed and stated that at their next church business meeting, they would take the official vote. They declared that they looked forward to the joy and liberty of an independent church.
Before leaving to return to Colorado, both pastors and their deacons, knowing I had a large tent (60 x 120), asked me if I would come back to Wichita for a tent meeting that the two churches would sponsor. A date was set - about mid-August.
In the meanwhile, we were corresponding on the coming meeting. I returned to Wichita for three days in May to search for a location. It was at that time I leased and paid for the use of a city block in Mathewson Pasture, between Central and 3rd Streets and two blocks east of Cleveland. I also made contracts for radio time and newspaper advertising. It’s a good thing I did, as you’ll see momentarily.
By mid-June, I received letters from some families in each church, telling me that they did not know what happened, but that their pastor did not bring the convention matter to the floor for a vote at their recent business meeting and were acting “strange” when approached on the matter.
Because I was in a battle with the School Board, Chamber of Commerce, and a few prominent citizens in the city of Ft. Morgan, Colorado, over banishing the Bible from the school (mind you, this was 1938) and could see my meeting there would need to be extended, I wrote both pastors to tell them. I also said that I would be starting the Wichita meeting on Labor Day Sunday night; that I would arrive Thursday and needed much manpower to get the tent up, seats and platform built, etc.
Soon I got the shock of my life when I received a registered, special delivery letter from both of them the same day. They said the same thing. “If you can’t start when you first said, then surely the meeting is not of God, so we will not sponsor the meeting either financially or in attendance of our people. In fact, if you come, we are convinced that the meeting will be of the Devil and utterly fail.”
I laid the letters on a chair and got down to pray, asking the Lord what to do. He did not delay His answer, but assured my heart that I should go to Wichita anyhow, and that He would be with me and see me through. He also said, “Just pray for those men, but do not mention the matter at any time.”
I obeyed God and kept His promise. For seven and one-half weeks, the meeting was glorious, but it became so cold we had to stop. So on Thursday night, October 27th (1938), I announced, “The meeting closes tonight, but we are going to begin the first ‘Independent Baptist Church’ in Wichita on Sunday morning.”
In December, the 3rd and Cleveland property was purchased. On January 1, 1939, a ground (and snow) breaking service was held. On May 14, 1939, we moved into the Tabernacle.
There are a thousand other details, but I’m convinced God wanted to do it like He did.
