Who would have ever imagined that a disgraced public official would have a dramatic impact on the small town of Cleburne, Texas, 50 years later? John Fletcher invited his friend Darrell Miles to attend a 1976 prayer breakfast in Dallas, where the speaker was Chuck Colson, a former member of the Richard Nixon presidential administration. Colson had been sentenced to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal.
At the prayer breakfast, Colson shared how serving his seven-month prison sentence had profoundly impacted his life, leading him to found Prison Fellowship. After reading C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” Colson had converted to Christianity and dedicated his life to serving those in prison. He later expanded his ministry to go beyond prison walls.
Returning from Dallas that morning, Miles, a Cleburne banker, and Fletcher, who managed KCLE radio in Cleburne, considered how their community might create and grow its own community prayer event. “It seemed only logical, considering that Cleburne had a population of 16,015 at the time and was home to 56 churches,” recalls Fletcher. “Cleburne was known as a ‘church town,’ so we felt we would have a receptive audience. People often joked that there seemed to be a church on every street corner.”
They discussed the idea with Miles’ boss, Jim Sherwood, President of what was then Cleburne National Bank. Sherwood brought together his Comptroller, Jimmy Campbell, and local physician Dr. Mason Shiflett to pursue the idea. Together, they embraced the concept. Sherwood and Dr. Shiflett were the first two presidents of the organization. “The wonderful thing about Jim Sherwood was that he had the clout, connections, and energy to champion an idea, and people would follow his lead,” says Miles.
Within a short time, 75 men founded the Cleburne Christian Businessmen’s Club, which later became the Cleburne Christian Business Club. The club held Holy Week services on Monday through Thursday mornings, and this year‘s Good Friday service will celebrate 50 years of community worship. “We made a point of not focusing on the specific beliefs of individual denominations so that members of every church, from Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, and beyond, felt welcome,” adds Campbell.
From the start, some members formed a small group that met monthly for a fellowship breakfast, but it was not part of the original organization. That group met at a local restaurant, Chaf-In #2. Fletcher, who co-owned KCLE with his father, offered to broadcast the services live on the radio. “Dad asked why we were giving up our most valuable real estate – our morning programming, and I reminded him that radio stations are charged with serving the public interest. He immediately agreed.” What began with humble beginnings inspired by a Dallas prayer breakfast has led to the Holy Week Services that are taking place through Friday at the Cleburne Conference Center, starting at 6:45 each morning.
Fletcher has continued his own faith path, as he sends his Run with Endurance morning devotional to 176 recipients at 5:00 every morning. “My friend Dave South, the retired ‘Voice of the Texas Aggies,’ began this 15-20 years ago, and I was so inspired that I’ve used some of his content and added my own observations. It’s my own little personal ministry.”
Miles, Fletcher, and Campbell are past presidents of the Cleburne Christian Business Club and look forward to celebrating the 50th Annual Holy Week Services that culminate this Friday morning at the Cleburne Conference Center. The organization’s website has the details.
