Reverend A.B. Cooper Memorial Fund

PRESS RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Matthew Porter, Ministry assistant, Baptist Student Center

573-335-6489 or bscsemo@gmail.com

                                               Reverend A.B. Cooper, who helped found the Baptist Student Center in the 1930s.

            Jane Cooper Stacy, formerly director of alumni services at the University and director of development, recently gave a donation to the ministry of the Baptist Student Center on campus in memory of her father, the late Reverend Allen B. Cooper, of Charleston, MO.    The Reverend Cooper was the first executive secretary of the campus ministry and Jane Stacy was the first summer missionary sent out by the Baptist Student Center.   She conducted Vacation Bible Schools in Washington and Oregon during the summer of 1957. Another daughter of Reverend Cooper, Betty Cooper Hearnes, served on the ministry’s board for many years.

The fund for the donation, named after Reverend Cooper, will be used to defray the cost of a Sunday-night meal at the Center which is open to all students on campus, with particular emphasis on international students.  The meal is free of charge.  The idea of the gift in her father’s honor stemmed from his thought that when people sit down together over a meal, “we feed the body, the spirit of a person and the soul of the participant.” The start-up gift will enable the meal ministry to continue for the first semester of the year and expand to include more international students.

This ministry to international students was started last year by Matthew Porter, Ministry Assistant, and the meal draws approximately 25 students each week to the Center.   The ministry has been a part of a widely-expanding program aimed at meeting practical needs of the campus constituency. 

The Sunday-night meals often include traditional meals prepared by international students themselves.  Last year, students enjoyed Egyptian, Chinese, Sri Lankan, and Bangladesh dishes, among others.   Baptist Student Center Director Dr. Bruce Gentry is pleased with the impact the dinners have had.  “Our Sunday evening meals are like an oasis,” Gentry said, “a place where students can relax, enjoy a unique cuisine and make new friends.” He added, “And we learn to bridge cultures of understanding.”

To learn more about this international ministry, or to make a contribution for expanded funding of the ministry, contact the Baptist Student Center at 573-335-6489 or bscsemo@gmail.com. The Center also hosts weekly student luncheons, Bible studies, and academic courses.