MSBC Bulletins: Clarion Call, January 15, 1950 upon the resignation of Dr. Thomas Hansen who returned to the First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale Florida (Note: Both Joan Thomas Learn and Barbara Thomas Doerffer were married by Dr. Hansen. See the Hansen Page in the MSBC 50 Years Pageant booklet here) Dr. Thomas Hansen was born March 4, 1897 in Denmark, attended Des Moines University, 1917-1921, the University of Florida, 1921-26, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. An Honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by John B. Stetson University in 1935. Ordained to preach in July 1920 Dr. Hansen, his first pastorate was the First Baptist Church, Newberry, Florida, which he served until 1925. He was pastor of the First Baptist Church, Starke, Florida 1925-28 and the First Baptist Church Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1926-27. He was called to the Main Street Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida as Assistant to Dr. Wm. Lacy Challoner Mahon in 1927. At the death of Rev. Mahon in October 1931, Dr. Hansen became pastor of Main Street and served until January 1950 when he resigned to return to the First Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale where he served until his retirement on April 29, 1962. The following regarding Dr. Hanson is from the Fort Lauderdale First Baptist Church website history. "In the late fall of 1927, Rev. Thomas Hansen of Jacksonville, Florida, came as our pastor. In his family were Mrs. Hansen and little Keith, three years of age. Rev. Hansen was an able speaker and a splendid worker, well-liked by his members, and the community at large. It was in February 1928 that the Fort Lauderdale State Bank, the only remaining bank in the city closed its doors, and with it went about $370.00 of the church’s funds, besides the loss that the individual members sustained. This again made it hard for the congregation to pay its bills, but people soon rallied from this latest calamity, and went on with the work as before as best they could. On Easter Sunday 1928, Rev. Hansen held a sunrise baptismal service at the beach. It was a beautiful scene, as the sun peeped over the blue waters of the Atlantic. In January 1929, Rev. Hansen closed his pastorate much to the regret of the entire membership, and the Hansens went back to his former role as assistant pastor of the Main Street Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. ......................... In 1950, Dr. Thomas Hansen returned as pastor, arriving from Main Street Baptist Church in Jacksonville. During the next twelve years, he led the church in a tremendous church-planting emphasis, starting the following daughter churches: Chula Vista Mission (now Riverland Baptist), Naval Air Station Mission (now Southwest Baptist Church), Wilton Manors Baptist Church, and Parkway Baptist Church. Dr. and Mrs. Hansen gave wise leadership not only to our church, but to our Gulf Stream Association. He also served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention. These years also saw the arrival of two important families for South Florida’s evangelistic efforts: Genus and Carolyn Crenshaw, who served for more than 50 years as missionaries to the Seminole Indians, and Al and Tanna Dawson, who helped form the Gulf Stream Association. (Al served as the association’s director for 26 years.) As Fort Lauderdale boomed during the happy days of the post-war 1950s, the church’s building at Broward and Third Avenue was inadequate for our growing Sunday School. In 1953, the educational building of fifteen departments was erected to complete the quadrangle. Building committee chair M.O. Worthington, builder W. M. Tyson and architect Courtney Stewart designed the expansion to provide classrooms, office space, choir meeting space and more. In 1956, the two-story apartment building was purchased for young people. The enrollment of the Sunday School at that time was 1,910. Dr. Hansen announced his retirement on April 29, 1962. Known as the “dean of the preachers,” Dr. Hansen saw 4,000 people baptized during his 41 years of ministry." With permission, here are two much earlier pictures of Dr. and Mrs. Hansen from the above website. C O N T E N T S: The Clarion Call, January 15, 1950 Front Cover Inside left Inside middle Inside right Outside left Outside middle MSBC Bulletins, Yearbooks, Directories MSBC Index Top        Main Index        Thomas Family        Yesterday        Today        MattieV        Main St. Baptist        6th Street        Springfield        Jack & Judy       Links blearn@learnyeats.com Copyright 2005. All information and photographs on this website are protected by copyright by Beth Learn, learn/yeats & co. Personal use only. NO COMMERCIAL USE OF ANY KIND WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.