Bethel University - Spire Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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b THE ACORN religious caro of their countrymen in America. Moved by an unswerving conviction on this question, I sought to make clear the situation to the Conference, which was then in session at Stromsburg, Nebraska, with the result that it was unanimously decided that a Committee he appointed, of which, unfortunately, I was made the Chairman, to look further into this matter and to present plans and recommendations at the next annual Conference. Dr. Sandell had been given a kindred subject for discussion, and, singularly enough, be too reached the conclusions l had set forth, and even suggested that Minnesota was the logical location. The report and suggestions of the school committee, given at the General Conference held at Kansas City, the following year, were unanimously adopted. The schcci committee was enlarged, made more representative, and given full authority to act in the name of the Conference. The first term began in a modest way, in the lecture room of the Klim Baptist Church, Minneapolis. But since 1907 the school has enjoyed its own home in St. Anthony Park. It has long since outgrown the capacity of the building. New and commodious quarters are now being erected to receive the students for the autumn term. The scope and character of the work accomplished during the first ten years ot its existence have more than justified the actions taken by the General Conference in bringing this institution into existence. Its students are already enriching and strengthening our denominational life. iSrijmtttelsnts 3ax$ Arvid Gordh Begynnelsens dag! — ja, den li-gger nu tio ar bakom. Af senapskornet liar blifvit ett betydande trad, sft att t. o. in. him-melens faglar” kommit for att bygga slna n sten pa dess kvistar. Grunden, som lades. har ha Hit att bygga pd, bar hdllit att bygga sjalfva samfutulsskolan pit. Pd den ringa begynnelsens dag hade den nya skclan intet eget hus. Men den lick rum i Elhns hitrberge i Minneapolis. Har vfintade dock ej fiirdiga skolsalar mod nutidens utstyrsel. De forsta elever, som kommo for att sdka kunskap, funno tvenne In rare och en pastor s.vsselsatta med att satta upp vaggar och tillverka svarta tailor m. m. dyl. Nitr arbetet sedan l'rampft morgonsidan var fardigt, skulle man run-nit donna trio i det gastfria pasiorshuset omkring kaffebordet. Nasta dag sago dessa handtverkare gan-ska respektabla ut. och dd matrikulerades — for att anvanda ett ldngt ord om cn enkel handling — dc lorsta eleverna 1 svenska haptisternas i Amerika forsta biro-verk. De kommo redan nu Iran ganska skilda trakter: frail Minnesota och Dako- ta, fran Wisconsin och Michigan, Iran Illinois och Kansas och Nebraska och Connecticut. Nar de alia voro samman, upp-gick antalet till ett och ett lialft tjog. en mind re. Och pd delta material profvade liastan cerfarna larare sina formagor, och af detta material har det blifvit goda man och kvinnor — aklrig framdragna ill ail Un-da utan denna begynnelse. Det bor jades med att arbeta ofvertid, och det fortsattes det ocksa med: tv at'ton-skolor krafde alia formdgor och krafler, sem slodo till buds. Var ieke dagskolans elevkar s stor. voro aftonkurserna sa rnycket slorie. Klasser i engelska och svensk bibel pagingo i Elirn, och bibelklas-ser hollos afvensd. i St. Paul och St. Anthony Park. Entusiasm praglade detta ar bete. Akademien vann vanner och sluden-ter. fdrsaml ingen vann niedlemmar och Herrens sak gynnades. En skola slcall noturligtvis ha forenin-gar, isynnorliet litterara foreningar. Och var skola var icke mftnga veckor •.•animal, da denna fr ga dryftades. Grunden lades till en forening, som vlsat slg vara en god

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The Acorn VOL. VII MAY 1915 No. 8 a,lie 3Urst Uumnt Frank Peterson A the tiny aeon:, when in contort villi the soil, produced the sturdy oak, so a simple thought, germinated in the soil of necessity, brought into existence Bethel Academy. In the autumn of 1903 the program committee of the Swedish Baptist General Conference assigned to me the topic: “What is yet lacking in our denominational development?” In casting about in my mind what should be said on this subject, I was ied t.o look over the field of progress to ascertain in just what we were the weakest. I found we had made commendable progress in the organization of churches, in the erection of church edifices and parsonages, and we certainly made a good showing in the way cf evangelistic work. In all these things we had pushed ahead faster than we could follow up with adequate ministerial supply. Here then was the weak Joint in our denominational armour. Our theological school at Morgan Park could not be blamed for this. It was doing all that could be expected of it, with the resources at hand. The school needed more students and the students needed more thorough preparation than the facilities of the school could offer. The growing demand for an educated ministry made necessary a thorough preparatory training as a base upon which to build the theological course. Without it the student would suffer from a topheaviness which could not balance itself in the contact with the new .generation which was rapidly receiving a high school and college training. Were we to send cur young men to American Colleges, we would run the risk of losing them to the Swedish work altogether. Past experience had abundantly proven this. I could see only two things between which to choose, either to go on as we were doing and continue to send out a ministry inadequate to the demands of the times and thus go down to defeat, or to establish a school of our own where our young men could secure the training needed for their life work and at the same time retain their loyal and sympathetic relationship with their countrymen and their denomination. T believed the latter course was the logical one to take if the Swedish Baptists were to assume their share in the

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THE ACORN i tjanarinna, namligen Alpha Beta Literary Society. Jag kan aldrig glomma dess for-sta mote i mitt hem, da en af de p-A pro-grammet uppsatta var sa blyg, att han kom af sig, nar han skulle trada ham for pul)liken. Han blcf scnare foreningens president, graduerade friln skolan med goda becyg, bar sedan graduerat Iran en annan. skola och r i dag en lieder for Bethel Academy. Vi sago afven fra mat i begynnelseus dag och liinglade ut till storre mark och storre rum. Dct vackra landet i St. Anthony Bark blef v rt, och planerna lades till det hus, som, ehuru litet, betrvggade skolans framtid. Och afven detta blei ju ett trappsleg till del som battre iir. Det vore mycket smatt och godt att saga om “den ringa begynnelsens dag,” men orden m ste rftknas och de aro mojligen redan for ni nga. Men jag far dock sanda en hjartevarm hSlsning till dera som raot-tes i oktober 1905 och troget stodo hi i kri-tisk grundlaggningstid. Stye iFirsl (Thaprl els Soneson Next fall in the month of October it will be ten years ago since Deiliel Academy began its important service as an educational institution, founded by the Swedish Baptists of America. As it is an institution established for the purpose of serving God's plan, in helping those in need of development, it could net accomplish this high and noble service without singing praise to God and without asking Him for wisdom, help and guidance, and hence the daily Chapel. The writer has been asked to say something about The First Chapel . As wc are not in possession of any notes of any kind t'rcm the time we have to rely entirely upon our memory. The school had no building of its own at that time; the chapel was held in the sundayschool as-semblyroora of the Elim Swedish Baptist Church, N. 10. Minneapolis, with which church the school Tor two years had its temporary home. The leader of “The First Chapel” was the honored and beloved first principal or the school, Dr. Arv. Gordh. The number of the song we have forgotten, but not the personality of him who announced it. In the audience we find Prof. J. O. Booklund, who during the first two years of the school faithfully served as teacher. The first students of the school were also present at this precious hour. Three ot' the audience have graduated and gone to their eternal reward. The other students we find in various occupations of life as farmers, contractors, lawyers, dentists and ministers of the gospel. Rev. V. E. Hedberg, for many years tire beloved and successful pastor of the Elim Swedish Baptist Church, was the Chaplain. He read from the book of Joshua, the first chapter. The message which he brought us we find in the 9th verse of the chapter and reads as follows: Have no; l com- manded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thee dismayed: for Jehovah is with thee whithersoever thou .gocst. God said he had made plain to his servant Joshua that he had great work for him to accomplish, if he should be able to perform (his he would need pay attention to God s will and so God would be with him. “Bethel Academy,” said Rev. Hedberg, has a great work to accomplish and hence needs to adhere to the will of God, in order that His promise might he fulfilled with regard to the existence of the school.” How wonderful has not this prophetical message, spoken by the chaplain at “The First Chapel” in Bethel Academy, come true in the existence and mission or the institution? Yes, Jehovah has indeed been with the work and we believe that in the years before us, we shall be able to realize more and more the truth of God’s word spoken at The First Chapel.”