United Pentecostal Church - Texas Bible College (1968) - We Shall Be Changed

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United Pentecostal Church - Texas Bible College (1968) - We Shall Be Changed.

HISTORY OF TEXAS BIBLE COLLEGE

History is something that gives us the opportunity to feel connected and a part of something bigger and greater than ourselves. The history of Texas Bible College certainly is such a story, connecting to ministries that have literally encircled the globe.

In October, 1960, a sectional conference of the Texas District, United Pentecostal Church passed a resolution in Beaumont, Texas, to bring a proposal to the next district conference that the district form a Bible college to be owned and operated by the district. That proposal was considered the following March in 1961 at the district conference in Kilgore, Texas. It was decided that the Texas District Board would appoint a nine-member committee with the district superintendent as chairman, who at that time was Brother V. A. Guidroz. That committee was to explore all the possibilities for the creation of such a college, and they were to report their findings to a special called district conference in Bryan, Texas, in November 1961.

After several meetings and much exploration, the committee reported to the conference in Bryan their desire to move forward with the project. They desired to have a doctrinally-sound, spiritually-strong Bible college in the Texas District. The conference in turn voted unanimously to establish Texas Bible College for the purpose of training ministers and Christian workers. Finally, after much preparatory work Texas Bible College opened its doors in Houston, Texas, in January, 1964.

One of the factors that contributed significantly to the strong foundation of Texas Bible College was the unique environment of Houston in the mid-1960s. Obviously, it was a great and growing city, but that is not what made TBC so strong. The sixties was an era of strong, dynamic ministers in the UPCI history—and many of those strong and dynamic pastors were in the Houston metropolitan area: James L. Kilgore; C. L. Dees; O. W. Williams; Arless Glass; Wayne McClain; Franklin Jones; T. G. McNeely; Orlin Ray Fauss; and his father, Oliver Fauss. Young Bible school students had the privilege of hearing these and other great ministers of the gospel—men and women who were such a vibrant part of the UPCI history at large. It was a time of dynamic, strong apostolic churches that contributed greatly to the strong foundation of Texas Bible College.

Fred Foster was elected president and served in this capacity from January, 1964, until January, 1970. Upon his resignation, James L. Kilgore was elected and served as interim president from that date until June, 1971. At that time, E. L. Holley became president of TBC and served until 1977, when he was elected district superintendent of the Texas District. President Holley was succeeded by C. E. Lott, Sr., a member of the Board of Directors, who served for two years until June, 1979.

In September, 1979, the Board of Directors appointed T. M. Jackson as president, who served until July 1982. At that time, J. R. Ensey became President of TBC and he served through early 1996—the longest tenured president at 17 years. To close out that school term, James Kilgore was asked once again to serve as Interim President. However, his presidency lasted longer than a typical interim tenure because he served as president from 1996 through the Spring of 2001. In a special district conference in Mesquite, Texas, the district voted to move Texas Bible College from its storied Houston campus to the district campground in Lufkin, Texas.

In order to facilitate the move of the college, TBC closed its operation for one year, from Fall 2001 through the Spring of 2002. This closed the Houston chapter of TBC history, and in the Fall of 2002, the Lufkin campus opened and the TBC story continued its great legacy!

James E. Boatman was asked to help coordinate the transition from Houston to Lufkin and he spent much of 2001 and early 2002 overseeing this endeavor. Brother Boatman then served as president of the school from 2002 through 2005.

Following Brother Boatman, Bret Cooley served as TBC president 2005 through mid-summer of 2015 — a total of 10 years. Following Brother Cooley, Carl McLaughlin, pastor of the church in Euless, Texas, served a one-year interim as president of the college. During that year Brother Gary Carter was asked to serve as vice-president, working alongside Brother McLaughlin. The college board then appointed Brother Carter as president of Texas Bible College in the summer of 2015.

From January 1964 through May 2001, the Texas Bible College campus was located at the historic 816 Evergreen Dr., in Southeast Houston. The college has conducted its operation in Lufkin since the Fall of 2002, at 3900 College Drive, Lufkin, Texas.

?Guided by its original foundational principles, Texas Bible College has become a leader in the field of developing apostolic preachers and dedicated workers for God's great church. A constant expansion of programs and facilities has kept pace with the ever-increasing demands of growth and it now offers four areas of major focus: Theology, Missions, Music, and Christian Education

Associated terms/ file under

Apostolic Oneness, Oneness Apostolic, Jesus Only, Jesus Name, Oneness Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Azusa Street, United Pentecostal Church, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, ALJC, Oneness of God, Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, Apostolic Pentecostals, Bible Way Church of our Lord Jesus Christ Wordwide, Assemblies of the Church of Jesus Christ, Jesus Only Apostolic Church of God, Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Oneness Pentecostalism, Apostolic Church of Pentecost, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, The Way Of The Cross Church Of Christ Inc, Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Baptism in Jesus Name, Jesus Name Baptism, Holy Ghost Fire, Trinity, Trinitarianism, Pentecostal Holiness, Holy Ghost Baptism, Speaking in Tongues, Glossalalia, Revival, Pentecostalism, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Word Aflame Press, Pentecostal Publishing House, Indiana Bible College, COGIC, C.O.G.I.C, Apostolic Bible Institute, G.T Haywood, Arroyo Seco, New Issue, Robert T. McAlister, Marvin Arnold, Frank Bartleman, Pentecostal Church Inc, Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ, Andrew Urshan, Glenn Cook, John G. Schaepe, Nathaniel Urshan, Frank Ewart, Frank Smale, Thoro Harris, David K. Bernard, T.F Tenney, Mangun, William Chalfant, Nona Freeman, James O. Russell, Vinson Synan, William Menzies, Carl Brumback, Society for Pentecostal Studies, James Tyson, S.C. McClain, C. B. Dudley, Mary H. Wallace, Morris Golder, Fred Kinzie, Lajoyce Martin, Gregory Boyd, Calvin Beisner, Benjamin Urshan, Georgia Smelser, Fred Foster, Arthur Clanton, Murrell Ewing, Kulwant Singh Boora, Thomas Weisser, Stanley Frodsham, Harvey Cox, National Holiness Association, Agnes Ozman Laberge, Bonnie Brae Street, Los Angeles, G. B. Cashwell, Bishop Charles H. Mason, Church of God in Christ, William Durham, Finished Work doctrine, Jennie Moore, thomas fudge, david reed, Florence Crawford, Clara Lum, John G. Lake, Thomas Hezmalhach, Evening Light Saints, Lucy Farrow, Azusa Street Mission, Aimee Semple MacPherson, Oral Roberts, Lanny Wolfe Trio