Guide to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America Washington Office Records
Open for research.
The Washington Office of the NCC had the following responsibilities:
- Report and interpret the activities of the U.S. Government, including its legislative, executive, and judicial branches, to the churches, keeping them informed on issues and decisions of interest to them.
- Report and interpret to officials and agencies of the U.S. Government the policies and programs of the National Council of Churches.
- Participate with Council units in their planning for presentations to officials and agencies of the U.S. Government, and assist and coordinate contacts and activities of Council representatives in Washington.
- Work closely with representatives of member communions and other Protestant and Orthodox bodies seeking to achieve a united Protestant and Orthodox witness with respect to the U.S. Government.
- Maintain on behalf of the Council relationships with other non-governmental organizations in the Washington area.
- Conduct special research for the Council and the churches, assist them in planning and conducting seminars, and perform such additional services as are compatible with the responsibilities of the Office.
The Washington Office, 1951-1966, files consist of a very small amount of material which is primarily that of Fred S. Buschmeyer who was assistant general secretary of the Washington Office from 1957 to 1961.
The files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Partially dated documents are placed at the end of the month or year; undated items are placed after all dated material. Enclosures are placed after their letter of transmittal.
The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, a diary, press releases, newsletters, bulletins, itineraries, leaflets, and newspaper clippings. The files principally concern Buschmeyer's tours of overseas armed forces installations and Congressional activities relating to religious concerns.
The archives of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America were processed in 1980-1984 through two grants awarded to the Presbyterian Historical Society by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Work under the first grant was performed by Dr. Alan Thomson and under the second grant by Donald L. Haggerty.
The archives of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America have been dated from 1950 to 1972; however, there is material dating from before and after this time period. Documents from the predecessor organizations date from as early as 1839. There is also a small amount of material found in the files from as late as 1975. The year 1972 was selected as a cutoff date for the archives because of the major reorganization which the NCC underwent at this time. The archives are arranged in the following record groups:
NCC RG 1: Planning Committee for the NCC, 1941-1951
NCC RG 2: General Assemblies, 1952-1972
NCC RG 3: General Board, 1950-1972
NCC RG 4: General Secretary, 1950-1973
NCC RG 5: Deputy General Secretary, 1947-1975
NCC RG 6: Division of Christian Life and Mission, 1945-1973
NCC RG 7: Division of Home Missions, 1950-1964
NCC RG 8: Division of Overseas Ministries, 1914-1972
NCC RG 9: Division of Christian Education, 1897-1974
NCC RG 10: Division of Christian Unity, 1935-1973
NCC RG 11: Office of Administration, 1938-1973
NCC RG 12: Assistant General Secretary for Executive Operations, 1950-1966
NCC RG 13: Washington Office, 1951-1966
NCC RG 14: Office of Planning and Program, 1943-1973
NCC RG 15: Department of Information, 1951-1974
NCC RG 16: Broadcasting and Film Commission, 1923-1974
NCC RG 17: Special Topics, 1951-1970
NCC RG 18: Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, 1894-1952
NCC RG 19: International Council of Religious Education, 1839-1953
NCC RG 20: Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada, 1901-1952
NCC RG 21: National Protestant Council of Higher Education, 1911-1951
NCC RG 22: United Stewardship Council, 1917-1950
NCC RG 23: Inter-Council Field Department, 1935-1950
NCC RG 24: Association of Council Secretaries, 1915-1971
NCC RG 25: Church Executive Development Board, 1960-1974
NCC RG 26: Home Missions Council of North America, 1903-1951
NCC RG 27: Foreign Missions Conference of North America, 1887-1951
NCC RG 28: Scrapbooks, 1915-1963
Catalog Note
In the society's electronic catalog, all 28 NCC record groups are cataloged together as the records of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Guide to NCC RG 13 | |
| 1 | 2 | Air Force Academy Chapel; Dec 1959-June 1960 | |
| 1 | 3 | Caribbean Christmas Tour, Nov 1960-March 1961 | |
| 1 | 4 | Congressional Record Summary, Jan 1962-Aug 1966 | |
| 1 | 5 | Correspondence, Sept 1957-Sept 1962 | |
| 1 | 6 | Far East Christmas Tour, July 1959-Jan 1960 | |
| 1 | 7 | File Classification, Jan 1957 | |
| 1 | 8 | Memo, Feb 1953-July 1964 | |
| 1 | 9 | Miscellaneous, Nov 1951-Dec 1964, n.d. | |
| 1 | 10 | Religious Affiliation of Congress, Feb 1951-March 1959 |