Miss Kay L. Patton:
Called to Do the Lord’s Will
By Joseph Aven
November 1, 2004
As a child, Miss Kay Patton’s mother would
always talk about the need for missionaries.
Sitting in church, Miss Patton recalls the
preacher’s sermons on mission work. She still
remembers the words of an individual, "If you
have a Biblical question, go to a member of the
church of Christ." Of course, growing up in the
church, she was beginning to gain a feeling of
the responsibility of Christians to share their
faith. Even nowadays, she points out the Great
Commission, which is go out to the world and
preach the Gospel.
Stressing how much God has done for her, Miss
Patton was quick to point out that as
Christians, we should be concerned for the souls
of all that we meet. She stresses that we should
not be forceful with our ideas, but that we need
to be precise and to the point. As Christians,
she states, we may be persecuted, but the Lord
is in control.
Miss Kay (Kathryn) Lucile Patton was born in
Dallas, Texas, on December 7, 1922. She is quick
to remember a fond childhood memory, when she
and her sister pulled their baby brother in a
little red wagon. Although she was only five
years old at the time, she explains why they
were out. Her sister and she were following
their mother, who was going door to door to
share her faith. She mentions how her mother
"often spoke of the need of saving the souls of
those next door, in other states, and other
lands." Thus being encouraged by her mother and
other fellow Christians at a young age, and
knowing the Lord’s will, Miss Patton set out on
door-to-door campaigns in Oregon, New York, and
New Jersey, under the influence of professors at
Abilene Christian College. This was only a start
to her call to fulfill the Lord’s will.
It was one night as a senior in high school in
which Miss Patton’s mother came into her room
and asked her why she was crying. She explained
that she wanted to go to college, but that they
could not afford it. According to her, her
family was still "depressed from the
Depression". Although she worked, she still
could not afford to go. It was not until W.R.
Smith, then vice-president of Abilene Christian
College, told Miss Patton that she could work on
campus to pay her way through school. Since she
had nine months before school started, she
started keeping track of her expenses in a small
black book. By September, she had saved enough
money, along with a scholarship she had earned
in high school for her high marks, to pay for
the first semester. Miss Patton worked hard to
earn a degree from the Bible department, and she
graduated from the school with a one cent credit
balance in her account!
It was 1947 when Miss Patton was given the
opportunity that she had dreamed of as a child.
Brother Otis Gatewood, a missionary headed to
Germany, needed a secretary in Germany. Although
she wanted to do direct mission work, she saw
this as an opportunity to get a foot in the
door. At first, General William Clay, who was
the head of the American forces in Germany,
would only allow Brother Gatewood and Brother
Roy Palmer into the country, along with a Mormon
and a Catholic Priest. They entered Frankfurt,
because there was still much tension in Berlin
after the end of second World War. Brother
Sherrod, an Elder of the Broadway Church in
Lubbock, wrote a letter to General Clay
requesting permission to send more people over
to assist Brother Gatewood and Brother Palmer.
General Clay responded negatively to Brother
Sherrod’s request. Around the same time in
Germany, brother Gatewood sent a similar request
to General Clay, but since General Clay was in
England at the time, his subordinate responded
positively, and Miss Patton and others were
allowed to enter Germany. Miss Patton went
directly to Frankfurt, where she was mainly
doing work as a secretary. It was Miss Patton’s
desire, though, that burned inside her and made
her want to do work as a missionary. She was
later allowed to work as a Bible teacher and
have a ladies’ Bible classes along with her
secretarial work.
The missionaries there gave out a lot of food
and clothing, because Germany was severely
damaged by the war. She recalls the words of one
German lady with tears in her eyes: "How can you
do this; you are our enemy?" This happened not
long after she had entered Germany and her
German was not so good. She struggled with the
answer in German, but gave the glory to God with
this short answer: "Because the Lord tells us
to." The German people were a very big
encouragement to Miss Patton, and she continued
strong in her service with the Lord.
After nine years in Germany, Miss Patton
returned to the United States. In 1957, she
moved to San Antonio, where she chose to pursue
something a little different from the mission
field. She decided to work as an accountant with
a CPA firm. Even though she was not working
directly in the mission field, she continued to
serve the Lord. In her time in San Antonio, she
taught Bible classes for the fifth and sixth
grade children, as well as Bible classes for the
high school at Grove Avenue congregation. On top
of teaching classes, she kept books for the
church, visited delinquent members of the
church, and also visited the black church in San
Antonio, where she was asked to teach the ladies
class one morning. She also reached out to join
the several other ministries of that black
congregation.
There is one particular Sunday morning in which
Miss Patton recalls making the difference in a
young girl’s life. She and some of her friends
were going to attend the black congregation in
town. It happened to be a cold, rainy Sunday
morning, and many of her friends called to say
that they were not going to be able to make it
after all. She decided that there was one girl
in particular that she really wanted to go to
church with her, a black girl. She drove over to
her house, only to find the girl in bed. Miss
Patton said that she understood how hard it
could be to leave her bed on such a rainy,
miserable morning, but proceeded to say she
would be glad she did. She refused to leave
until the girl got out of bed and got dressed.
She was not about to take ‘no’ for an answer.
Finally, the young girl got up and proceeded to
go to church with her. On the way home from
church, the young girl told Miss Patton that
indeed she was glad that she had chosen to get
up and go to church. Soon after this experience,
along with Bible study, this young girl chose to
become a Christian. This is one of just many
examples of how Miss Patton was and continues to
be a servant of God.
In 1966, Miss Patton served as a supervisor of a
women’s dormitory at Lubbock Christian College.
While in Lubbock, Miss Patton taught a Bible
class at the Smithlawn Maternity Home. It was
her experience teaching Bible at this home that
was the basis for her Master’s thesis,
"Personality Studies of Three Unwed Mothers from
a Church-Related Maternity Home."
It was 1968 when Miss Patton chose to pursue a
degree in the graduate field of psychology.
Unfortunately for her, she ran into some
financial problems and was forced to go to work
before she could finish her thesis. In 1970, she
found a job in Nashville working as an
accountant for Aladdin Industries, Inc.
Even through her work, Miss Patton showed what
being a Christian was to other people. She can
recall on two times at work in which her boss
asked her to lie about where he was in order to
avoid people, but Miss Patton refused to on the
principles of her faith. One day she confronted
her boss, telling him that she could not lie for
him. His response to her was, "Everyone does
it." She responded with a resounding, "No, not
everyone." Despite this, Miss Patton was still
given a promotion, and was never asked to lie
again. One day she even told her boss that she
prayed every morning to God asking that she
would do a good job for him. Upon hearing this,
her boss was quite shocked, but touched by her
act of kindness. She also recalls many social
business events in which alcohol was heavily
present. Miss Patton refused to drink, many a
times passing up on alcoholic beverages,
choosing a Sprite instead. Many people were
impressed by her actions, and once again she was
a light by following God’s word.
While in Nashville, Miss Patton was also
actively involved in and around church. She
lived near a state home for neglected and
dependent children. Knowing that these children
were in need of God’s love, she decided to get
involved. Every Sunday morning, she would go
there to teach Bible classes. On Sunday
evenings, she had received permission to take
some of the children to church so they could
attend Bible class there in the evenings.
Afterwards, she had them over for dinner at her
apartment. Some summers, she would take some of
the children to a Bible camp. Even after her
fourteen years in Nashville, Miss Patton still
kept up with some of the children.
While in Nashville, Miss Patton also wrote to
some men that were in jail. One man, Mr. Van
Allen Beaver, had his life changed through his
eighteen years of correspondence with her.
Through Bible study and his eventual commitment
to Christianity, Miss Patton helped change his
life. Because of his behavior, Mr. Beaver was
transferred from death row to a prison for first
time offenders, and eventually was appointed to
be a counselor for young men that were put in
that prison. It was through God that she was
allowed to help change this man’s life.
After fourteen years in Nashville, Miss Patton
decided to return to Abilene to take care of
Mrs. Witt, with whom she lived while a student
at ACC. She stayed with Mrs. Witt, who was an
invalid, in the morning, and then in the
afternoons working as a learning specialist for
Abilene Christian University’s Learning
Assistance Center. While in Abilene, she also
taught Bible class for retired ladies at the
University Inn, and occasionally taught Bible
class for fifth grade at University Church of
Christ.
Miss Patton has always loved to write about her
experiences, as an encouragement to others and
to show God’s love. In the past, she has had
many of her articles, poetry, and other works
published, including: Firm Foundation, Vol. 98,
No. 28, 7- 14-81, "Alone" and various other
articles, Christian Chronicle, 6-16-52, " [I]
Was in Zurich on the Lord’s Day," and various
other articles, Christian Family, Sept., 1980,
pp. 18, 19, Power for Today, various selections
since July 1988, Contact; helped publish in
early years of publication, Christian Woman,
Aug., 1962, Vol. 30, No. 8, pp. 13-16, "A
Challenge from 8 to 5," "Currents" page, 1987
issues, July-August, 1996, p. 9, Poem, Because
of Me, [i.e., The Crucifixion], Christian
Journal, Nov. 1987, "I Made Myself Do It," Dec.
1987, "Choices", Turney Press (Prison newspaper,
Only, TN), August 1974, "I Made Myself Do It,"
"Choices.", Das Feste Fundament (German Firm
Foundation), "Handle With Prayer,"," Death A
Glorious Thing," ‘When God Said "No" to Jesus,"
"Growing Up Spiritually." 1969, World Radio
News, quoted from her annual missions
newsletter, Bulletin Digest, "It Really
Happened. . ." Dec. 1982, p. 19, her annual
newsletter of worldwide church news: A complete
set is filed in the ACU Library Archives; Years
1992-2004 on Internet address:
http://www.bible101.org/wmr, Into All the World:
When and How, 1960, ‘Women’s Work In Teaching,"
pp. 57, 58, Heartland Anthology of Poetry, 1989,
‘The Crucifixion," p. 101, and World Treasury of
Great Poems, Vol. II, 1989, "I’m So Sorry, Dear
Jesus," p. 542. As you can see, her work has
been seen and read by many who have not even
come into contact with her. Along with these
publications, there are over twenty different
books, magazine articles, television interviews,
and other publications in which she has been
featured in, too numerous to list.
Miss Patton now resides at the Christian Village
home, which is located on the opposite side of
Campus Court from the Abilene Christian
University campus. Although she is no longer
able to travel as much, she still continues to
make an impact on the lives of many. As of 1992,
Miss Patton has had the mission work come to
her. She has had Bible lessons with students
from Africa, China, and today teaches students
from Nigeria. These students have been blessed
by Miss Patton and visit her often, even if
there is no scheduled Bible study involved. They
even bring their personal problems to Miss
Patton, because they know she is a Godly woman
who they can trust and whom they know will
respect each problem they have.
Following the example of her mother, the words
of preachers, and most importantly, through
God’s will, Miss Patton has been allowed to
touch the lives of many people, leading them to
a life in Christ. Never once in her life has she
doubted God’s plan for her, and never once has
He failed to provide for her. She has taken the
gift of teaching and caring that God has given
to her, gone out into the world and made a
difference. Never does Miss Patton take credit
for her work, but instead always giving credit
to God, the One who deserves it all. It is her
hope that through her actions, the Kingdom of
God can expand on this earth so that He may be
glorified by all that come into contact with
Him.