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School of Bible Emphasis Lessons
HISTORY OF THE SBE (SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EMPHASIS)
In 1932 the late Gus Nichols of Jasper, Alabama began teaching men one night each week who wanted to learn to preach. It first began as a session of a few hours one night a week, then became a regular Friday night study, and finally an overnight stay and study Saturday morning. He prepared materials, mimeographed at his own expense, and put them out to anyone who was interested. Through the years hundreds of preachers drove in from long distances to attend his classes. This continued until his death in 1974.
Franklin Camp, well known particularly in the south, taught one night classes of similar nature during the 60's and 70's, beginning at Shades Mt. Church in Birmingham, Alabama and continuing in Leeds and Adamsville until his passing in 1983.
A nephew of Camp and a very highly respected preacher, Winfred Clark, began Monday night classes in Athens, Alabama at the W. Hobbs Street church in 1985. Within two years men wanted adjunct classes in Winfield, Alabama, and these classes quickly spread to Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi. By 1987 there were 7 locations for such classes, and Clark recruited leading men in the brotherhood to teach. Roy H. Lanier, Jr., was among those recruited, coming on board in 1989. Lanier began to teach once a quarter, but that lasted only for half a year. Beginning in September of 1985, he taught classes in these locations the third week of each month.
The word was out and the classes spread to MO, IL, MI, TX, OK, AZ, CA, CO, KY, and SC. At the time of the death of Clark in 1997, there were 19 places conducting classes. Oklahoma City originated 2-day seminars of these classes in 1992.
At the request of the West Hobbs Street church, Lanier agreed to continue teaching, but also to direct the activities west of the Mississippi River. In 1997 the Northeast church in Moore, now the Southern Ridge in Oklahoma City, took the oversight of this work, with Lanier continuing as director. In 2004 Lanier asked Jeff Jenkins, now preaching for the Lewisville, Texas church of Christ, to take the direction of the work. Jenkins continues as Director to the present.
When Lanier took the western part of the work, the elders at the Hobbs Street church asked Jimmy Clark, the son of Winfred Clark, to be the director of the work in the south.
Many good and sound men in the brotherhood have been involved in teaching in these sessions: James Baird, Ron Bryant, Winford Claiborne, Jimmy Clark, Winfred Clark, Bobby Duncan, Earl Edwards, Mark Hanstein, Douglas Harris, Tom Holland, Jeff Jenkins, Roy H. Lanier, Jr. Chuck Monan, Stafford North, Max Patterson, Don Vin Zant, Jack Wilhelm, Dan Winkler, Wendell Winkler and William Woodson.
The elders of the Southern Ridge church in Oklahoma City, who oversee this work, have given us authorization to post material presented in these seminars through the years. Since the theme is textual and the materials handed out were much more than could be covered in allotted time, we thought it would be a good source of knowledge to make these available.
Ed Smithson,
Director www.oldpathspulpit.org
2005
Lessons:
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