Roger Williams Fellowship

The Roger Williams Fellowship came into existence informally in 1925 at the Seattle Convention of the Northern Baptist Convention, and more formally at the 1935 Convention in Colorado Springs, as shared by D. R. Sharpe, considered the “Founding Father.” The 1920’s were a time of upheaval, fierce social ferment, people who opposed the Social Gospel and those who approved of it. A powerful group of Conservatives/Fundamentalists planned to write a Baptist Creed and have it adopted by the delegates at Seattle.

Cornelius Woelfkin and Harry Emerson Fosdick presented to Dr. Sharpe a Resolution making the New Testament our sole rule and guide. Some 35 men gathered in a hotel room and the RWF was born. The presence of these great men – Woelfkin and Fosdick—gave the younger men a sense of mission.

The substitute resolution read: “The Northern Baptist Convention affirms that the New Testament is the all-sufficient ground of our faith and practice, and we need no other statement.” It was adopted by the delegates by a vote of 1264 to 637. This might be called the Great Awakening of the Liberal Wing of the denomination.

We were never a single-issue group. We sought to bring the Christian faith to bear upon a wide range of justice concerns. In the 1930’s, the assault upon the Foreign Mission Society escalated and the appointment of Elmer Friddel as Foreign Secretary for the Orient in the mid 1940’s stirred up new opposition. GARB (the General Association of Regular Baptists) was formed about this time.

A major break in the denomination occurred in the mid 1940’s. The newly formed Conservative Fellowship of Northern Baptists and their Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society questioned the appointment of overseas missionaries by the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. The issue had been brewing since 1924 and the break came at the 1946 Grand Rapids Convention.

We are a guardian of freedom. Over the years there were outstanding persons in the American Baptist denomination, persons holding key denominational staff positions, who helped make RWF what it was and is.

The first two women Presidents of the denomination, Helen Barrett Montgomery in 1922 and Anna Canada Swain in 1946, faced major divisions in the denomination. RWF played a principal role in maintaining denominational integrity through these years.

By 1935 the need was felt for more organization, so officers, a Board of Directors and a Manifesto came into being. The Manifesto said in part:

“...controversy is heady business but it often betrays itself, cooperation is less exciting but never fails in satisfaction. Let us accept our convictions with the strength of brotherhood...”  Forty-five men signed as Charter Members and several Vice Presidents from various parts of the country were elected. Charter Members included:
Earl Adams, Theodore Adams, Bradford Abernathy, Frederick Allen, Forest Ashbrook, Robert Ashworth, Ambrose Bailey, Raymond Bailey, David Barnwell, Lee Beynon, Hugh Burr, George Collins, Arthur Cowley, Edwin Dahlberg, William Davison, Julis Fishbach, Harry Freda, Elmer Fridell, Harold Gamble, Charles Gilkey, Charles Goodall, Elijah Hanley, Reuben Harkness, Orval Hendrickson, Charles Heimsath, Joseph Hazen, Harold Husted, Alvin Lee, Merrill Lenox, Hal Norton, Valentine Parker, Ivan Murray Rose, Wilbur Saunders, Charles Seasholes, D. R. Sharpe, Erdmann Smith, Otherman Smith, Currey Spidell, Francis Stifler, Martin Storegaard, P. L. Thompson, Ray Williamson, Thomas Wylie. W. S. K. Yeaple, Wayland Zwayer. (1935 Convention, Colorado Springs).

Our purpose statement as printed on current membership cards reads: “The Roger Williams Fellowship brings into informal organizational relationship a varied group of American Baptists who believe in the value of frank and free discussion of their several viewpoints. The Fellowship welcomes the membership and support of all who earnestly desire to preserve and promote the traditional Baptist spirit of free creative inquiry. The Fellowship includes members who hold widely divergent theological positions.” Another way of expressing it is:  “a force within the denomination, working constantly for depth and vitality in spiritual life...keeping alive the social conscience...preserving and nurturing basic freedoms in religion which we have associated with liberalism at its best.”

To join in the 1940’s, you had to have two people vouch for you and know the password to get into the RWF evening fellowship time (held after the formal Convention sessions). In more recent years the fellowship did not begin until George Hill came with his supply of stories. He was pastor at First Baptist Pasadena, long-time pastor of Lake Avenue Baptist in Rochester, later at Calvary Baptist Washington, D.C. and then interim at Riverside in NYC. He died in 2003.

In 1946 Mrs. Charles (Laurinda) Sanford applied for membership. Her husband, a pastor, was a member and she wished to join. Oops, wrong question! She was informed NO, but if she wished to start a woman’s auxiliary, she should feel free to do so. SHE DID NOT!! In 1989 Andy Davison told me her story and I wrote to her, and gave her an honorary life-time membership.

A partial list of presidents includes (not in chronological order): H. W. Smith (1937), Wilbur Saunders, Gordon Poteat, Gene Barlett, Morse Bettison, Fred Blue, Franklin Elmer, Jim Webb, Herb Murray, Bob Spencer, Gary Reif, Bob Withers, Tom Clifton, Andy Davison, Ken Williams, June Totten, Bob Mathis, Martha Barr, David Wheeler, Jerrod Hugenot and, for 2009-2010, Marcus McFaul.

Treasurers have included: A. Ray Petty (1947), l. Higginbotham, Ed Stevens, Bob Spencer, Gary Rief, Bob Withers, Betty Mae Shear (1982-2009), and, currently, David Wheeler.

Our publication, Baptist Freedom, was first produced in 1944. Its purpose was provocative and constructive articles, reports of meetings and conferences, a vehicle of expression to all sides--all in order to foster the objectives of RWF, which can be summed up in three words: Fellowship, Freedom, Faith. The lamp is our symbol.

Editors have included: Franklin Elmer (1951-1963), Ray Jennings, Bob Sanders, Jim Dick, Phil Shear, Don Lawrence, Jeff Kelly, Gary Reif, Kevin Butler, Dick Myers, and Hugh Tucker (Final issue 2007).

Conferences: At the convention in Chicago in 1951, D. R. Sharpe gathered some men around him to discuss an idea he had. He laid before them the idea of a conference. Some were enthusiastic, some lukewarm. He got Dean Bernie Loomer of the University of Chicago Divinity School to promise the school’s cooperation, and the group voted approval. For many years, there were annual conferences in connection with the D. R. Sharpe Lecture Series. The topics were many and varied. In those “golden days”, your registration and transportation were your only cost; the Divinity School picked up the tab for meals and lodging. These conferences were held in Chicago at least through 1982. When Larry Greenfield became president of Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, conferences moved to the CCRDS campus for several reasons. Much of our membership was in the East. In more recent years, we have combined with other groups to meet in Providence, R.I., Washington, DC, and Kansas City.

Banners: In the 1980’s, Shirley Pabo of Hilton, NY, made a large vertical blue banner, with the words Faith and Freedom, a lamp, and the words Roger Williams Fellowship. In 2001, a church in New Jersey (pastor Jerry Johnson) made a horizontal banner with the words Rogers Williams Fellowship, and in smaller letters, Knowledge – Freedom – Spirit and the lamp. (These are the words in the flames of the lamp.) These are displayed at RWF events, and David Wheeler now has both of them.

Exhibit Booths at Annual/Biennial Conventions:

These started in the 1960’s when Herb Murray was president. They continued through 1991 at Charleston, WV, when all groups who wished to have exhibit space were welcome. In 1993, (San Jose), American Baptists Concerned were denied space, so RWF displayed their literature. Starting in 1995, RWF provided alternate space for any of the ten or so groups denied space in the mail exhibit hall.

This came about with the passage in the General Board of ABCUSA of a resolution which stated “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” A letter from the Office of Special Services in 1994 stated: “as you know, the General Board must approve rental of space to Biennial exhibitors. During its recent meeting the General Board discussed fully the matter of Biennial exhibit space and noted with sadness that too frequently issues surrounding exhibitors resulted in the kind of controversy which did not contribute to the major objectives of the Biennial Convention. While the Board recognized that groups using exhibit space vary widely in their mission focus, it was their decision to approve exhibit space only to ‘groups officially related to ABCUSA or one of its convenanting bodies and ecumenical organizations with which ABCUSA has had long-standing association.’”

In 1997 we were all together at Indianapolis, only because there was sufficient space in the exhibit hall and RWF (and others) went through the Convention Center to reserve

space, not through Valley Forge. In 2001 in Providence we were in the main exhibit hall – in fact just inside the front door!! Perhaps because of our connection with Roger Williams and our emphasis on soul freedom, it seemed best to have us there BUT WE COULD DISPLAY ONLY OUR OWN LITERATURE. At some Biennials there is simply no place near enough the Convention Center to make a separate display space worthwhile.

Our Future:

Recently I received a letter from a member, asking these questions:

What’s up with RWF? I never hear anything about it except when it’s time to renew dues. If I don’t have opportunity to go to the Biennial, I hear nothing. Do they publish anything? Is there an email mail list? A Board of Directors? Now I don’t know who’s involved. How do I stay in touch and know what’s going on? I’d like to be more involved.

So I, Betty Mae, close with these questions. Does RWF have a future? Are we needed? Are we over-lapping with any other group(s)? Send your thoughts, questions and concerns to Dr. David Wheeler, Sec-Treas, First Baptist Church, 909 SW 11^th Ave, Portland, OR 97205 (cadlwheels@yahoo.com)

At the recent Biennial in Pasadena, a TOTAL surprise for me was “The Phil and Betty Mae Shear Award, presented to David Hunt for his commitment to Baptist freedom – Roger Williams Fellowship, June 26, 2009.” David Hunt is Speaker of the House in Oregon, and due to very important pending legislation could not attend Biennial and be our evening speaker. This award will be presented to someone at each Biennial, and is in recognition of the long years of RWF service from Phil and myself.

I knew nothing about this (my son and daughter did know) and my daughter was able to come from NY to share in the evening.

Betty Mae Shear
August, 2009