Bibanga, Belgian Congo, Africa
Vernon Anderson was born in Chicago on Aug. 23, 1896. When he was 12 years old, his parents and siblings moved to Miflin, Alabama, where they attended Swift Presbyterian Church. When Vernon was 18, he left home to attend the Alabama Presbyterian College and the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His graduate work was at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, where he earned his doctorate degree. He did not return home for eight years as he was working on his degrees. While in Kentucky in 1920, he met and married Laura Mulford Stafford. The earliest letters available are dated from the 1920s. He and Laura left for the Belgian Congo in December 1920.
Dr. Anderson has been supported by Swift Church throughout his 40 years in Africa as today Presbyterian missionaries to the Congo are supported by the congregation.
The Jensen family has gathered and is contributing to Swift Church: memorabilia, artifacts from Africa, letters, photos, newspaper articles, Vernon’s thesis, and the family album for members to view in the church library, room 2 in the annex.
