Melba Brown came by her position on the Alabama Baptist Education Commission honestly.
The only daughter of seven children, Brown gave her heart to Christ at age 10. Her parents were very active in a Baptist church, which meant she was, too.
“My memories of growing up are memories of church,” Brown said.
So when she graduated from high school, Brown naturally gravitated toward attending a Baptist college. But with two older brothers already in college and the added expense of tuition at a small private college, the option seemed unaffordable.
But she was determined. To help defray costs, Brown sold an expensive formal gown and her car so she could attend the college of her choice.
“The experience prepared me for the ministry life,” said Brown, now a minister’s wife, Bible teacher and adjunct professor of voice at the University of Mobile (UMobile).
The experience also placed a passion in her heart for ensuring others have access to the same opportunities for Christian higher education that she’d enjoyed.
“That passion is what drives me today,” Brown told attendees at the Alabama Baptist State Convention on Nov. 16 as she delivered the education commission’s report.
Established in 1979, the commission seeks to be an effective advocate for Christian higher education in Alabama and define the role of higher education in relation to the Great Commission.
Its purposes include serving in an advisory capacity, periodically reviewing the distribution of Cooperative Program funds for Christian higher education, acting as a catalyst for prayer and serving as a liaison between the three Alabama Baptist institutions of higher learning: Samford University in Birmingham, Judson College in Marion and UMobile.
The commissioners meet with the presidents of these institutions three times a year to discuss academic issues, student life and related issues.
Also relating to the three Baptist schools in the state is the Board of Aid to Students in Church-related Vocations, which awards scholarships to students who are going into vocational ministry.
Bill Goodwin, vice chairman of the board of aid and pastor of Lincoln Baptist Church, shared the same morning how a scholarship from the board helped him. “When I began as a freshman at Samford, my pastor and student minister urged me to apply for the Board of Aid scholarship,” he said. “And for the next four years, I received it.” Goodwin was touched by “the spirit in which it was given.”
“People had given money through the Cooperative Program to support me and others like me,” he said. “Thank you for giving then and giving now in supporting future pastors, missionaries and church leaders.”
According to the Book of Reports, the board awarded 243 scholarships in the amount of $272,788 to undergraduate students this year. (TAB)
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