Published March 9, 2017
From the earliest days of Clarks Summit University, women have played an instrumental role in leadership and education. At Practical Bible Training School at Bible School Park, God placed it on the hearts of Hazel Vibbard, Elizabeth Fletcher and Mabel Thomson to join three men and begin a Bible institute at the First Baptist Church in Johnson City, New York.
These women would become the first three full-time faculty members of Baptist Bible Seminary. Because Vibbard, Fletcher and Thomson followed God’s leading, more than 13,000 people have received Biblical education at the school, preparing them to serve God around the world.
Miss Thomson
Mabel Thomson was born on March 3, 1889 in New Kingston, New York. She put her faith in Jesus Christ at a young age and attended United Presbyterian Church with her family. In 1909, after graduating high school, Thomson began teaching in the district school, but after her second year, Thomson felt unequipped to be a teacher and enrolled at the New York State College for Teachers in Albany. Here, she befriended a young Hazel Vibbard, who led Thomson to embrace the Baptist distinctives.
Thomson became a teacher at Susan Fenimoore Cooper Foundation School in Cooperstown, New York with Vibbard after graduating in 1915. The following year, Vibbard and Thomson enrolled at the Practical Bible Training School at Bible School Park for a three-year course. Here, the women became co-editors of a school publication called “Echoes,” which focused on Bible outlines, missionary news, alumni notes and Sunday school lessons. Thomson taught in the history department of the school during her final year, and she became part of the full-time faculty after graduation.
During her time as a faculty member, God called her to found Baptist Bible Seminary with Vibbard, Elizabeth Fletcher, Emery Bancroft, Richard Murphy and Arthur Wright. At the seminary, Thomson taught Bible history, church history, biblical criticism and Public Speaking II and III. Her students described her as “one of the most brilliant and astute teachers” and “stately, straight, tall and loveable though stern.” She was known for digressing during lectures to give short sermons to the class.
She was also a Bible teacher in the Virginia Asher Business Women’s Bible Council, which gave newly saved women opportunities to be taught by older women more mature in their Christian faith. At Baptist Bible Seminary, Thomson served as dean of women and business manager and was often sought out for her wise counsel.
By Heather Sagnor, senior in the Communications-Writing program
