Hillsboro Bible Class still meeting after 100 years

A citywide Bible class started by a First Baptist pastor a century ago has survived wars, the Great Depression, changes in church participation, a pandemic, and more.

M.B. Hays, former First Baptist Church of Hillsboro pastor, died in 1967 at the age of 83. While pastoring, he founded a Goodwill Center and the Downtown Bible Class, a group that still meets 100 years later.

When the group found out about the current condition of Hays’ grave marker and grave site, the 2026 class paid for repairs to honor the founder of their legacy class, the Hillsboro newspaper reported.

Men of various Christian faith traditions meet every Sunday in the meeting room of Siddons Real Estate/Hill County Insurance in downtown Hillsboro.

F.B. Bob McGregor Jr., senior district judge for the 66th District Court of Texas and member of First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, had the honor of teaching the class.

Serious study of the Bible

McGregor said the class’s longevity is rooted in its willingness to welcome men from different Christian backgrounds, including those who did not attend church.

“They really take seriously the study of God’s word,” McGregor said.

The class has used the same Lifeway Bible study literature as First Baptist Hillsboro for decades. McGregor said the class continues to follow the material selected by the church’s education leadership.

Over the years, the class has included men from the Church of Christ, Methodist, Lutheran, and other Christian traditions. Some participants have not belonged to a church at all.

The class once drew hundreds of men and met in Hillsboro’s Texas Theatre.

McGregor said his father attended the class between 1950 and 1960, giving him an early connection to the group.

When the Texas Theatre, a previous meeting place for the class, closed its doors, members decided they were not ready to dissolve the class.

They continued meeting in different locations, eventually settling in the community room behind Siddons Real Estate and Hill County Insurance in downtown Hillsboro.

Community involvement

McGregor said the class has continued its involvement in the community, supporting Christian ministries and other efforts, including Operation Christmas Child and orphanage work over the years.

Its influence also has extended beyond the class itself.

The Downtown Bible Class helped encourage men throughout Hillsboro and Hill County to take Sunday school and Bible study seriously, McGregor said.

“I think it kind of got the men in the community and in Hill County used to getting up and going to Sunday school and not just sending their wives and children,” McGregor said.

The class’s influence has continued even as its membership has become smaller. Some men who do not attend a worship service still attend the class because they enjoy learning about Christ in a Sunday school setting, McGregor said.

The Hillsboro community has recognized the class’s legacy. During the city’s sesquicentennial celebration, the community held a joint Sunday school at the old City Hall and invited residents to attend. McGregor was invited to teach the class that day.

“That was a highlight for me, that the community recognized and honored the Downtown Bible Class,” he said.

McGregor said he considers his time teaching the class a blessing.

“If I had a big trial or something, and I couldn’t teach that Sunday, I had some really good guys that would step up and help,” he said.

Despite the class’s smaller size today, McGregor said its continued existence reflects the commitment of men who have valued studying the Bible together for generations.

For a class that has survived wars, economic depressions, changes in the local church, the closing of its longtime meeting place, and the COVID-19 pandemic, that commitment has allowed the Downtown Bible Class to continue its century-old tradition of gathering men to study God’s word and serve their community.