Newsletter Vol.2, #37—October 1, 2006

Matthew 9 ²⁰And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well."

A Brief History of

THE CAPROCK CHURCH OF CHRIST

IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS

Brother Grover D. Stevens was the evangelist at the old College Avenue congregation in Lubbock, Texas in 1954-55. Sometime in the spring of 1955, the elders at College Avenue dismissed brother Stevens at the morning service because of his stand in opposition to institutionalism that was spreading through the congregations in Lubbock. Brother Stevens and a few others from the College Avenue congregation made arrangements that same afternoon for a store building on 34^th Street as a place of meeting beginning that same day. This was the beginning of the Caprock congregation with brother Grover Stevens as the evangelist. Within a few weeks, several families from the Vandelia Village and the Southside congregations joined the work. Shortly thereafter elders were appointed and land was acquired on South University Avenue for a permanent building site and in July, 1955, a corporate charter was applied for and obtained from the Secretary of State under the Non-Profit Organization provisions to allow for the borrowing of money to fund the construction. In early 1956 construction began on the permanent facility that would house the new congregation.

It was a time of great upheaval. People were waking up to the digression being taught, and were seeking biblical authority for their practices. Caprock and West End (a congregation started by families leaving the Northside congregation in the spring of 1956) were the only doctrinally sound congregations in Lubbock until the mid-1960s, when the combined membership reached approximately 500. The West End congregation obtained land and constructed a building on 26^th Street just east of Milwaukee Avenue in the far west side of the City. In the mid-1960s, several of the families at Caprock decided to start a new work on the east side of the city to accommodate people in that sector, plus the communities east of Lubbock; thus the Auburn Street congregation was born. Then in 1969, another group of families from Caprock started a work on South Indiana Avenue.

Caprock’s sustained attendance by 1960 was approximately 400. By 1970, after the two new congregations were established, the membership had dropped to approximately 175. Today, Caprock is a congregation of older Christians (senior citizens) with an average attendance on the Lord’s Day of about 40.

Those who have served the congregation as evangelists are: Grover D. Stevens, 1955-1960 and 1970-1991; A. Hugh Clark, 1960-1965; Paul Keller, 1965-1969; Lynn Trapp (worked with Grover during the 1970-1991 period); J. Dee Lancaster 1990-1996; Daniel S. Dow 1996-2002; Gregory Madden 2002-2005; Larry A. Bunch 2005-Present. Evangelists: (Trainees) include: Dee Bowman; Jay Bowman; Bobby Dodson; William Schlabach; Phillip D. Stevens; Patrick Jones; Dan Fassoy; Erik Smith.

Those who served the congregation as elders are: E. M. Booker (Original, deceased); D. R. Bright (Original, deceased); M. L. Davenport (Original); A. C. Finley (Original, deceased); T. P. Moore (Original, deceased); J. R. Morrow (Original, deceased); Clay Turner (deceased); Hughy Shaw (deceased); Leslie A. Duncan (deceased); Lindsey Doss; Harold G. Carnes (Current since 1978); James D. Beard; Bobby E. Mayfield (Current since 1984); Del Moorhead (Current since 1984).

Editor’s Note: I asked Harold to write a short history of the church here and he did so promptly. What has not been so prompt is my working on it and submitting it to The Preceptor for publication (The Preceptor is running a monthly article like this about churches in Texas).

I am not sure if I made all the changes submitted to me since Harold first submitted the above to me. Please check it carefully and if there is something that needs to be changed, let me know so I can finish it and submit it to The Preceptor.

Sentence Sermons

"When a Christian stops doing, he starts dying."

"A narrow mind and a long tongue usually go together."

"If you hold your religion lightly, you are sure to let it slip."

"Faith is never surprised at success."

"Beware of the rubber conscience and the concrete heart."

"The trouble with little sins is they don’t stay little."

  "The length of one's life is of less importance than its breadth and depth."

"Any dead fish can float down stream, but it takes a live one to swim up stream."

"Too many people study their neighbor's faults more closely than their Bibles."

"Hammering hardens steel, but it crumbles putty – can you take it?"

If this doesn't make your day.... I give up.

An older couple is lying in bed one morning, having just awakened from a good night's sleep.  He takes her hand and she responds, "Don't touch me." "Why not?" he asks.

She answers back, "Because I'm dead." The husband says, "What are you talking about? We're both lying here in bed together and talking to one another."

She says, "No, I'm definitely dead." He insists, "You're not dead.  What in the world makes you think you're dead?" "Because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts."

Remember, once you get over the hill, you'll begin to pick up speed.

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

If it weren't for stress I'd have no energy at all.

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some, like me, just don't have any film.

I always know God won't give me more than I can handle

but there are times I wish He didn't trust me quite so much.

Never be too open minded, your brains could fall out.

Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian

any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.

Some days are a total waste of makeup.