Unity Of The Brethren

For information about Hus Camp go to – HusCamp.org

Capital Building Campaign        Project Kickoff Article           Capital Improvement Project Chart

Reed’s Hus Camp ESSAY

“Whenever I want to talk to my friends about something crazy, wacky, or unforgettable that happened to me, it’s usually prefaced with the term “You know, at my church camp…”. After over a decade full of camps, retreats, and tournaments in a little nook outside of Caldwell, I’ve grown connected to the place. To put it simply, the Hus Encampment is where I’ve made my closest friendships, my greatest memories, and my biggest strides in faith.” Click on ESSAY to read more!

To make a memorial contribution to the Hus Encampment, please make your check payable to “Hus Encampment” and note on your check Operating or Capital Improvements. Mail your check to:

Susan Marek

1304 T H Johnson Dr.

Taylor, TX 76574

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Directions: 2 1/2 miles east of Farm Road 166 off of State Hwy 36 in Caldwell, then left one mile on County Road 225 then left at SPJST following Hus Encampment signage. Intersection of County Road 225 & 210

Physical Address: 3635 County Road 225, Caldwell, Texas 77836

HUS SCHOOL

Even before the Unity of the Brethren was organized, the need of training for lay workers such as Sunday School teachers, confirmation class teachers, organists, and choir leaders was recognized by the Czech pioneers in Texas.

The Reverend Adolf Chlumsky in 1889, made the first attempts to meet the need by taking capable and promising young ladies into his home near Brenham for several months each year. Reverend Chlumsky gave the girls Biblical instruction and practical hints on Sunday School teaching, while his wife and daughters instructed them in music and voice. After three to six months of such instruction, the young ladies returned to their homes and provided invaluable assistance in their congregations. This farmhouse school was the forerunner of the Hus Memorial School.

Before coming to Texas, Reverend Chlumsky had been the superintendent of a girls’ school near Krabcice, Bohemia. He constantly dreamed of a similar school in Texas and preached to his people about a school long before the Unity was organized. Then, as soon as the Unity became a reality, he started to build a “Brethren Fund,” from which some day a school was to be supported. When the Reverend Joseph Barton and the Reverend Joseph Hegar came to Texas, Brother Chlumsky repeatedly told them that the first thing they must do, after they became settled, was to establish a school. Reverend Barton married in January 1911 and assumed the function of teaching the young at his new home in Granger.

The work was difficult for a newly married young couple, and as the duties of the ministry increased and a small child demanded attention, this type of training had to be abandoned. However, the need for trained lay people grew more and more pressing. It was then that Brother Barton suggested that all those who desired such instruction come to Granger at one time and receive systematic, intensive instruction from the ministers in the manner of the school. The idea was received enthusiastically by everyone and on the first Monday of January 1914, in the Granger Church, a group of 17 young people began the first eight week session of the Hus Memorial School.  At the 1914 convention of the Unity of the Brethren, the responsibility for the Hus Memorial School was assumed by the Unity with its supervision entrusted to the Synodical Committee.

source:  Unity of the Brethren (1970) Unity of the Brethren in Texas (1855-1966). Taylor, Texas: Unity of the Brethren Publishing.