George Washington University recalls Baptist roots

Washington — George Washington University’s (GWU) Baptist origins were celebrated Feb. 8–9 as GWU representatives, student Baptist ministries and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) and its affiliated churches gathered for GWU’s second annual Founder’s Day.

GWU was founded in 1821 as Columbian College by Baptist leaders Luther Rice and Obadiah Brown and other representatives from the Triennial Convention, the first national Baptist denomination in the United States. The leaders set out to create a nonsectarian institute of higher education, meaning anyone could attend or teach without regard to religious beliefs — a stance the private university has maintained for nearly two centuries.

Ricky Creech, executive director/minister of DCBC and former Alabama Baptist, said, “Participating in Founder’s Day … was a reminder to me of dreamers of the past who were not only committed to Baptist principles but to educating the emerging leaders of the future,” Creech said.