Overcoming divisions, University Heights Baptist Church focuses on shared Christian faith

A group of 62 Baptists, committed to the concept that they would work hand in hand with any Christian organization that is doing God’s work, joined together in 1945 to start a church.

After 76 years, University Heights Baptist Church is still committed to that goal. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, which was postponed due to the pandemic, representatives of many of the organizations with which the church works were on hand, showing that — even in a time fraught with political and even religious tensions — people with common goals can overcome differences and disagreements.

The Baptist church has a long history of calling for religious freedom, for Baptists as well as other religions. It was started by a group that broke from the Church of England in the early 1600s under the leadership of Roger Williams. A few decades later some of those early Baptists ultimately settled in Providence, Rhode Island, which became a haven of religious freedom, even hosting a Jewish synagogue.

Wayne Bartee, a retired history professor and lifelong Baptist, explained that those early Baptists believed in congregational freedom. Since people don’t always agree with each other, many different churches were established. But the one thing they did agree on was the need for missions, so they worked together on that despite their other differences.

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However, the issue of slavery was something that became a major split for the Baptists, as well as many other Christian denominations. In 1845, the issue divided the church into Southern and Northern. Many Missourians, including Baptists, were torn over which side to be on.

“After the Civil War, Baptists in the North sent missionaries to the South,” said Bartee. “One from Kansas started a church in Springfield.” That church is First Baptist, which continues to this day. With that Northern connection and later Southern influence, First Baptist continued its affiliation with both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Northern (now American) Baptist Convention until 1945 when a pastor connected to the SBC was called to the pulpit and convinced the majority to break with the Northern group, Bartee said.

That is what led that original group of 62 members to leave their home church and start a new congregation that would embrace both conventions. “I would like to think that University Heights stands for the older tradition of freedom,” Bartee said.

That was the theme of the anniversary celebration, from the hymns sung and the Bible passages read, to the speakers at the service and the following luncheon.

The Rev. Delano Benson, an associate in the American Baptist Churches USA and pastor of an inner-city church in St. Louis, was on hand for the event. He pointed to the importance of “doing the Christian work together” regardless of denomination or affiliation.

“We ought to look for ways to work together rather than looking for ways not to,” Benson said. His own church is also affiliated with the National Baptist Convention and works with various churches in its outreach to the neighborhood.

'We've chosen to focus on things we agree on'

Over the generations, the Southern Baptist Convention has become more adamant on the “single alignment” requirement, although University Heights was grandfathered in so the congregation was able to keep both connections, and ultimately also affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. But in 2004, the Missouri Baptist Convention voted to require all its members to align only with the SBC.

University Heights was asked to leave, which the church did. But that didn’t stop the church from continuing its affiliation with the Greene County Baptist Association.

“University Heights is a vital member” of the association, GCBA Director Mike Haynes said.

Haynes, who also spoke at the anniversary event, admits that there are some differences between University Heights and most of the other member churches. For instance, University Heights allows women in ministry, including ordination as deacons. But Haynes calls those differences minor.

“We’ve chosen to focus on things we agree on, particularly when it comes to missions and service.”

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University Heights’ emphasis on missions includes supporting foreign missions through each of the various organizations, as well as local ministries, including the GCBA’s Grand Oaks Mission. Haynes also called University Heights “a leader in social justice ministries,” something he supports as biblical.

One of those social justice issues is the payday loan trap that so many people have fallen into. Bob Perry, a retired missionary, as well as former director of missions for the SBC and church consultant for the CBF, is now a deacon in University Heights. Perry and a group of church members began to study poverty in Springfield and proposed the idea of creating a “bank” to help people get out of that trap. University Hope was started with more than $80,000 donated by church members to set up a revolving loan fund administered through local credit unions with low interest rates.

“We help people regardless of their religious affiliation or non-affiliation,” Perry said.

Another outreach from a University Heights member is Safe To Sleep, an emergency overnight shelter for women that is housed in Dale Street United Methodist Church. Ramona Baker had volunteered for the Rainbow Network, a locally-based mission to Nicaragua, and discovered the joy of working with a variety of religious organizations to address a common goal. So, when she began Safe to Sleep in 2011 she knew that she could reach out across the community for support.

She is also pleased that her church is interested in working with other groups that seek to reach the poor, homeless, disaffected and disheartened, not as a religious outreach but as a response to the Christian’s call to help the “least of these.”

That outreach is also extended to other church organizations. One of the founding members of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks, University Heights provided office space when that organization was getting started. The Baptist Student Union is using that same space right now as it awaits construction of its own facility. The Chin Church from Myanmar used the original chapel for more than three years until it could find a permanent home.

And University Heights continues a tradition it started shortly after its building was constructed in the early 1950s — feeding students from Missouri State University. In fact, Chris Wilson, director of Springfield Collegiate Ministries and the Baptist Student Union, recalled that eating at one of those dinners was also one of the first times he had been in a church. “I came to Christ through food,” he admitted.

'We all just love God'

Sally Freeman and Jan Hockensmith are both deacons in University Heights, something they could not be if they were in the Southern Baptist Convention. Both are longtime Baptists who were drawn to University Heights because of its openness to all types of diversity.

Hockensmith has been a deacon for more than 20 years. “I’ve always experienced such a freedom in this church,” she said. “It is liberal in grace, like Jesus was … I was given a freedom that some of my friends didn’t have.”

With many friends and family who are affiliated with the Southern Baptist tradition, disagreements over women in ministry and other issues were inevitable. “We don’t always agree,” she admitted. “But we love each other … Besides, we are all Christians.”

This is Freeman’s first year as a deacon. She was drawn to University Heights 17 years ago because the church was “very tolerant and very inviting,” as well as its multiple affiliations.

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“We could discuss, agree to disagree, without people getting all upset,” she said. That was especially important to her as she pondered her own beliefs and questions.

“We’re all just Christians,” she said. “We all just love God. It doesn’t matter. That is a great attitude.”

Holidays together when you don't agree: Tips for peaceful gatherings

With the holidays approaching, for many people this is a time of anxiety over spending time with loved ones who hold varying opinions that could lead to arguments and hurt feelings. So, we have turned to a mental health counselor to find out what he suggests for individuals who are not sure how to navigate the season.

Darryl J. Schafer, who has a private practice in Springfield and works with CoxHealth, has offered some insights.

“Sometimes, we all need to set aside our differences if we have any chance of occupying the same space, especially around the holidays,” he said. “Reach out and let your family know you want everyone to enjoy the holidays and that in order for this to happen, certain things need to be in place. Maybe your family needs to refrain from talking about politics or vaccines or that one family member that gets on everybody’s nerves. Whatever the case, be clear about what you need. Hopefully, your family assumes good intent on your part, and the way will be paved for everyone to focus on spending time with one another.”

But the ground rules need to be laid out first, he pointed out. “Have this discussion before you gather together so that everyone is clear on the expectations. Otherwise, you run the risk of everyone making things up as you go along, which will only add to the potential for chaos and hurt feelings. Get that clarity well before you meet, and that will go a long way towards solidifying the boundaries you’ve set.”

Schafer pointed out that these methods may not work for everyone. “There are people who don’t feel safe around their families, and they might need firmer boundaries. It is absolutely permissible, perhaps even necessary, to not spend time with your family if this is the case for you,” he advised.

“You might fear the potential backlash, but know that you are in no way responsible for your family’s response to your decision. You’re not ‘ruining the holidays.’ What you are doing is accepting kindness and care from the person you need it from the most — yourself.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: University Heights Baptist Church focuses on shared Christian faith