The Opening Year 1972-1973

[Vince Massi]

Believe it or not, HAC was a very good college in its opening year. I arrived in Chicago and a very friendly staff member was there to greet me and drove me to HAC. That evening, Dr. Evans (one of the finest Christians who ever lived) told us happily that with 301 students, we were the largest opening class of any college in US history. Everybody loved the Lord, and we were all happy to be there.

 

[Sherryh]

I arrived in 1974 it was the best of times..... best people were there 

 

[Smellin Coffee]

I arrived in year two as well. Entered the second grade. My dad was a student and my mom was hired on faculty right away.

Remember how the church buses were blue at the time?

 

[kaba]

Someone that covers up his daughter having an affair with a married man, or covering up the fact his son had a divorce is not "one of the finest Christians".

 

[RAIDER]

That evening, Dr. Evans (one of the finest Christians who ever lived) told us happily that with 301 students, we were the largest opening class of any college in US history.

Say what??!!

 

[IFB X-Files]

That evening, Dr. Evans (one of the finest Christians who ever lived) told us happily that with 301 students, we were the largest opening class of any college in US history.

Say what??!!

He probably really said, "We're the largest opening class of any independent, Baptist college that's ever opened in Lake County, Indiana."

 

[RAIDER]

Believe it or not, HAC was a very good college in its opening year.

I hate to burst your bubble, but HAC was a very good college (if you wanted to be an IFB in full-time service) for many years.

 

[Sherryh]

kaba the early years were good.... after we left in 1983 it was on a down hill slide...

 

[Allen45Fan]

I came to HAC in 1974 right after High School. Met good people learned how to do lots of things I apply to my life today. I left in 1980 so I missed most of the bad stuff. My first roomates was Don Colvin, Cecil Eggert, and Tom Ballew.  Cecil married a girl named Vicky Proffit and Bro Helton always joked and said Cecil couldn't be a proffit so he married one. My first year I didnt go home so Dr Billings took some of us Christmas singing.  Went to staff member houses and a rest home. The early years was great.

 

[Vince Massi]

Believe it or not, HAC was a very good college in its opening year.

I hate to burst your bubble, but HAC was a very good college (if you wanted to be an IFB in full-time service) for many years.

Good Heavens, Raider! All this time I thought you had a bad attitude! I humbumbumbly apologize.

 

[Vince Massi]

THE FIRST SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE

Brother Hyles preached "The King is Coming!" telling how David had to flee Jerusalem to get away from Absalom. People had to choose, and Jack went over each one as he chose whether to serve the King in disgrace or the victorious Absalom. Then the King returned n triumph.
Over and over, Jack shouted "The King is coming!" as he called on us to serve God no matter how rough things got. I sat there in shock, astounded at the power of his preaching. 41 years later, I am still motivated to keep serving God no matter what, because "The King is coming!"

 

[RAIDER]

Believe it or not, HAC was a very good college in its opening year.

I hate to burst your bubble, but HAC was a very good college (if you wanted to be an IFB in full-time service) for many years.

Good Heavens, Raider! All this time I thought you had a bad attitude! I humbumbumbly apologize.

 

[Vince Massi]

The first guest speaker was Walter Gramacki, and he spent a week teaching on the tongues error. I need to explain that the charismatic movement was pretty big around 1970. They were raising havoc in fundamentalist churches, trying to turn them charismatic. They were also producing one of the most successful missionary movements in history--most big Christian churches in Latin America are charismatic.

Charismatics had many stories. Thee was the one about the Catholic priests who sneaked into a charismatic service and heard people speaking in tongues who were actually cursing and blaspheming in Latin (which the priests understood). And there was the one about the rabbi who sneaked in, and got saved after a charismatic witnessed to him in Hebrew, after which he became a preacher.

Gramacki had tracked down these stories, and he found the Catholic church where the first incident had taken place. He told us that the priests were very polite, and they told him that they were familiar with the story, but it wasn't true. The Catholic Church had investigated, and none of their priests had ever been involved in something like that. He also tracked down the story about the rabbi. The synagogue told him that they had heard the story, and it also wasn't true.

I later learned that Gramacki was a Calvinist author who did not pastor a large church.

 

[tobytyler]

I arrived in year two as well. Entered the second grade. My dad was a student and my mom was hired on faculty right away.

Remember how the church buses were blue at the time?

Did your family come for your mom to teach or your dad to be a student?  I wonder what other families came to Hammond to be on faculty? 
I know that Billings did the hiring, and many faculty had TTU and BJ backgrounds.  (i.e. Godfrey's, Helton's, Evans')

 

[Smellin Coffee]

I arrived in year two as well. Entered the second grade. My dad was a student and my mom was hired on faculty right away.

Remember how the church buses were blue at the time?

Did your family come for your mom to teach or your dad to be a student?  I wonder what other families came to Hammond to be on faculty? 
I know that Billings did the hiring, and many faculty had TTU and BJ backgrounds.  (i.e. Godfrey's, Helton's, Evans')

My dad came to go to school and when doing research, visited Hammond. It was on the recon trip  that my parents met Billings and he found out my mom had a Masters in English and was teaching in the public school system in New York. So they offered my mom a position if my dad decided to move to go to school. So he decided to go and my mom was hired at that time.

 

[Vince Massi]

About six weeks into the school year, Dr. Billings (who had purchased his doctor´s degree from a diploma mill) got up in chapel and blasted away at the working students. Ignoring HAC´s clearly-stated rule that there was to be no criticism of other Christians, he tore into the working srudents for all the difficulty they were causing the college by needing sasck lunches. He did this every couple of months the entire time he was there, going into a rage each time.

 

[BALAAM]

About six weeks into the school year, Dr. Billings (who had purchased his doctor´s degree from a diploma mill) got up in chapel and blasted away at the working students. Ignoring HAC´s clearly-stated rule that there was to be no criticism of other Christians, he tore into the working srudents for all the difficulty they were causing the college by needing sasck lunches. He did this every couple of months the entire time he was there, going into a rage each time.

Why? Was thee free tuition, room, and board at that time?  lol

 

[Vince Massi]

And then the second guest speaker was the beloved John R. Rice (and yes, I did love him). We cheered wildly as he advanced to the pulpit, and then Dr. Rice asked everyone to stand up. "Ïf you have read every last single word of the Bible,¨he said,¨and I mean every last single word, including 1 Chronicles, sit down." About 80% of us sat down.

A visibly angry John R. Rice scolded the poor suffering (but honest) souls who remained standing. Then he turned on a dismayed Dr. Billings. "This isn´t Hyles-Anderson Bible College!" he told Billings. ¨This is Hyles-Anderson Heathen College!"

I wonder how much Rice knew?

 

[RebeccasRants]

I remember Dr. Rice thundering from the pulpit, "There are NO uninteresting parts of the Bible.  There are just uninterested people!"

 

[Vince Massi]

Balaam, the problem MIGHT have been that the working students could shut down the college if they all got organized and refused to pay their tuition if their demands weren´t met. (What demands? That they serve us better sack lunches and they provide more social events for the working students). I never heard of any attempt to organize, but that is the only explanation for Dr. Billings´behavior that I can come up with.