Church Trivia
Q. What was the first name of this church?
A. Missionary Baptist Church of Hale City, later changed to Hale Center. In 1938, it was changed to First Baptist Church.
Q. Who was the first music director?
A. Mrs. Nils Akeson, 1900-1910.
Q. Can you name another lady music director?
A. Maggie McMinn, 1950's.
Q. Name the first mission sponsored by First Baptist Church.
A. Iowa Avenue Baptist Church, October 6, 1912. It was located five miles south of Hale Center across the road north of Gary's Cotton Bowl Gin.
Q. Which Anglo church was the first to sponsor a Spanish mission in Staked Plains Baptist Association?
A. Hale Center First Baptist Church, 1937.
Q. Who helped to establish and maintain the Spanish mission in Hale Center until a pastor was called?
A. Mrs. Mae Abbott, Area Missionary.
Q. Who was the first pastor called to serve in the Jerusalem Baptist Church?
A. Brother Samuel Hernandez, 1941.
Q. Who was the only man to serve as church secretary?
A. Otto Triplett, at more than 70 years of age.
Q. How many acres of land did First Baptist Church members farm in 1933?
A. 100 Acres.
Q. What Sunday School Board member preached in this church?
A. James L. Sullivan, Executive Secretary, January 27, 1957, after a note-burning service.
Q. Name the deacon brothers who have served in First Baptist Church.
A. J.D. and Melvin Ritchey, Hubert and Cecil Turner, W.C. and Bobby Johnson
Q. Name a grandfather and two grandsons who were First Baptist Church deacons.
A. W.T. Johnson, grandfather
W.C. & Bobby Johnson, grandsons
Q. How many father-son deacons can you name?
A. G.E. Ritchey; J.D. Ritchey and Melvin Ritchey, W.B. Smith; W.B. Smith, Jr., E.W. Patterson; Walter Patterson, J.H. Sweat; Joe A. Sweat, L.M. Anderson; John L. (Jack) Anderson, Gene Hammit; Bub Hammit, Cecil Turner; Eddie Turner, Butch Harrell; Michael Harrell
Q. Who was the first and only deacon emeritus?
A. Otto Triplett, (deceased, 1990).
Q. Can you name a father and son who were ordained deacons at the same time in First Baptist Church?
A. G.E. Ritchey, father, and J.D. Ritchey, son, December 1, 1946.
Q. Who established a kindergarten in First Baptist Church?
A. Mrs. Frances Clemmons, 1965. As a result of the tornado, the kindergarten had no place to meet. The WOW building was rented for $50 a month. Thirteen students were enrolled.
Q. Name two deacons ordained by this church who have served the longest number of years.
A. Melvin Ritchey (deceased) and Troy Brown, ordained June 8, 1958.
Q. Which First Baptist Church member baptized five candidates? Why?
A. Melvin Ritchey, deacon chairman, because interim pastor, Dr. John Freeman, had a broken arm. (1960)
Q. What father and son served as pastors of this church?
A. Brother F.N. Allen, 1942-1949. Brother Tommie Allen, 1960-1963.
Q. Who was the first paid church secretary?
A. Ortha Pope.
Q. Who was the Alzada Sunday School Class named for?
A. Mrs. Alzada Sanders, longtime Sunday School teacher.
Q. Who was the first pastor and family to live in the present parsonage?
A. Brother Bill Ratliff, wife Doris, and daughters Becky, Debbie, and Cindy.
Q. Which pastor first served as interim pastor and was later called as pastor?
A. Dr. T.J. Ozbun, 1966-1971.
Q. Name the first pastor to receive a PhD.
A. 1)Dr. T.J. Ozbun, 2)Dr. Carrol Green, 3)Dr. Ron Mooney, 4)Dr. Gene Meacham
Q. Which deacons of First Baptist Church have worked with the Gideons?
A. Cecil Turner, Don Maddin, Allan Martin, and Dr. Mike Hinze, Rick Turner, Don DeJarnett, among others.
Q. Whose favorite songs are "The Royal Telephone" and "The Great Speckled Bird"?
A. Don Maddin
Q. What two members were coordinators for Lay Witness Missions?
A. Cecil Turner and Don DeJarnett
Q. Who was the Scout Master when the Boy Scouts met in First Baptist Church in 1982?
A. Lester Carr
Q. What former music director of First Baptist Church has a hymn publishd in the 1975 edition of the Baptist Hymnal?
A. James D. Cram (1931-1974) "Teach Me, O Lord, To Pray," Page 312
Q. Name two sisters who were simultaneously baptized in 1967.
A. Debbie Boyd (Langford),8, and Lynette Boyd (Ginn),7. Brother T.J. Ozbun held them side by side and immersed them together.
Q. Name a former member of First Baptist Church who was selected Miss America.
A. Jo Carroll Dennison, 1942. She was baptized in First Baptist Church on May 19, 1935. She is first cousin of Paul Brownd and Barbara Brownd Burnett.
Q. Where was the baptistry located in the old church building?
A. Under the pulpit.
Q. Who is the T.E.L. Class named for?
A. A son, mother, and grandmother in II Timothy 1:5; Timothy, Eunice, and Lois.
Q. Who was the Laura Alice Class named for?
A. Laura Alice (Mrs. E.W.) Patterson in 1954.
Q. What grandfather and grandson were baptized at the same time?
A. Bert Jacobs and Gary DeJarnett, baptized by T.J. Ozbun in 1971.
Q. What pastor was known as the human tidal wave?
A. Brother Carrol Green. During the 1970's, First Baptist Church reserved the American Legion swimming pool on Friday nights. Brother Carrol enjoyed doing a cannon ball off the high diving board to cause a tidal wave that reached the length of the pool.
Most of this information was taken from A CENTURY OF LOVING, CARING, SHARING; 1891-1991; FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, HALE CENTER, TEXAS and was compiled by Mildred Brown. The book is Copyright 1991 First Baptist Church, Hale Center, Texas and published by Nortex Press, A Division of Eakin Publications, Inc., Austin, Texas. Compiled by Melvin L. Ritchey and History Book Staff. All Rights Reserved. IMPORTANT: THIS TRIVIA PAGE IS NOT UPDATED REGULARLY, BUT IF YOU SEE AN ITEM SHOULD BE EDITED, OR IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION TO ADD, EMAIL IT TO WEBMASTER2 ON THE MAIN PAGE, AND I WILL APPEND THE INFORMATION.
