Vietnam vets to attend reunion of Saigon Baptist church

Updated: 5/25/07

Vietnam vets to attend
reunion of Saigon Baptist church

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

TYLER (ABP)—Jim and Mary Humphries are planning a reunion for members of their former church, Trinity Baptist in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. They haven’t seen many of their mostly military church members in over 35 years. But they expect to reconnect as if they had never left.

“The bond formed between military men and women and missionaries who worked beside them has grown through the years and is now stronger than ever before,” Mary Humphries said. “That was a very special time in the lives of all who served together.”

That time in Vietnam was an opportunity to serve with the finest men and women they’ve ever known—and they’ll never forget it, the couple said. Appointed to the mission field in 1966 by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Jim Humphries led the English-speaking church during the Vietnam War.

A youth choir sings at Trinity Baptist Church in Saigon, where Jim Humphries was pastor.

Along with their children, the couple left Vietnam in 1973—two years before the communist government claimed the nation. After that, the American military left the region, substantially reducing the size of the church, since the membership consisted mostly of military personnel.

For Jim Humphries, working as a pastor for military personnel was a “great experience,” and the church provided a home away from home for soldiers separated from their families in the United States. It “filled a void,” Mary Humphries said.

“We had a wonderful relationship with these folks. They were our family, some actually closer than our physical family. We grew very close to them during their time there,” she said. “They did not have their families with them, and our children were very special to them. Our children loved them, and they loved our families.”

Those common bonds quickly developed as the soldiers, missionaries and ex-pats shared American-style Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in the foreign country. “Friday fellowship” meetings were especially meaningful for the soldiers. Every Friday, they would go to the Humphries’ house for dinner, eat outside, and sing. Mary Humphries cooked for as many as 100 men and women there, often making American staples not readily available to military.

“We had things like barbecue chicken, spaghetti, hamburgers and hot dogs,” she said. “Sometimes the military could provide steak. Their favorite thing was pinto beans and cornbread—that was just a Southern meal that a lot of us grew up on. (The soldiers) could get a lot of other food in the dining hall, but they couldn’t get that.”

Sunday worship services and mid-week meetings were also special. Humphries preached, but music leaders, choir members and deacons all participated in the services—including accepting responsibility to act in case of a grenade attack.

“There were no coverings over the open windows, so in the event a grenade had been thrown into a window, the deacon nearest the spot where it was thrown had the responsibility to pick it up and toss it out, if there was time,” Mary Humphries said. “If not, he would cover the grenade with his body, so that others, especially women and children, would not be killed. If the grenade landed in the pulpit area, my husband would be responsible.”

No one ever questioned the plan, and it certainly wasn’t voted upon.

“Our members faced great danger and even death,” she added. “Each took it as his responsibility willingly.”

It was a dangerous time, the Humphries said, but the fear became insignificant as they worked with people in Vietnam. They distributed goods sent from churches in the States, taught English and organized ball games with street kids. Dentists and medical specialists went into the villages to work as well.

Sandy Parrott was one of those dentists. An Army dentist invited to go to Vietnam in 1968, Parrott said he first met the Humphries through friends while was searching for a hotel chapel in which to worship on Sundays.

Many of the missionaries from rural areas had moved to the city to escape the fighting, and Parrott soon took up with them. He, too, attested of Mary Humphries’ culinary skill.

“We use to go to Trinity to church or to a Bible study at the Humphries’ home,” he said. “Mary was a great cook. She made all the Southern favorites, so we went over there as often as we could.”

Parrott often pulled teeth and performed routine dentistry on the Vietnamese villagers and missionaries who had come to Saigon during the war. He didn’t speak Vietnamese, but he had the advantage of suitable medical equipment, running water and even air conditioning.

“Through some (Army) grants, we had a developed portable dental unit that ran on generators,” he said. “The clinic was not modern and up-to-date, but it was a lot better than a lot of my buddies in the field.”

Parrott hasn’t been back to Vietnam since he left in 1969, but he’d like to return someday. The Humphries have returned twice, in 1996 and 1998.

After they left Vietnam, Jim Humphries took a job working with World Evangelism in Arlington. He also was the pastor of First Baptist Church of San Marcos 13 years. Now, in order to be close to their son, they live near Tyler, where the reunion will be held July 27-29.

All former members of the church, which stayed open even during the war, are invited to the event. The agenda includes a “Friday fellowship” dinner, Saturday luncheon and worship service on Sunday morning. Mary Humphries said she has tried to contact all of the old members and hopes they’ll bring photos and remembrances of their time in Vietnam. Her persistence is one reason why Parrott decided to make the trip.

“It tweaked my interest because of the fact that after 40 years, Jim and Mary were able to find me and some of those people who were the beneficiaries of their hospitality and their home,” the dentist said. “We helped them some, and they helped make it easier for us while we were away for a year. They were very kind to us.”

Jim Humphries kept especially good records, Parrott said, which enabled them to locate him in his home in Minnesota. That attention to detail is nothing new, he said—the couple hasn’t changed a bit since Saigon.

“I’ve always been impressed with Jim and Mary,” he said. “For someone after all these years to keep this stuff [church records] intact was incredible. That’s why the church did so well in Saigon. He was the glue that held everybody together.”

The Humphries are quick to deflect credit, calling military chaplains “the giants of the military” who helped make their lives easier. But even the United States government has recognized their contribution. In 1971, Jim Humphries gave the opening prayer for the House of Representatives. He was presented to the house by congressmen Jim Wright (D-Texas) and Bryan Dorn (D-S.C.).

For those in the congregation at Trinity Baptists, such honors were not surprising.

“They put their life on the line on several occasions,” Parrott said. “They were at risk at times…. You don’t forget people like that.”
For details of the event, contact the Humphries by e-mail at Jimmaryhu@aol.com .