Guide to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America Division of Christian Education Records

The papers of the Division of Christian Education, 1897-1974, detail the history, organization, and activities of the Division and its various departments, commissions, and committees. Although the papers extend from the years 1897 to 1974, they date primarily from the period 1950 to 1972.

The papers are arranged in six series according to the departments and commissions which existed in the organizational structure of the Division of Christian Education. In each series the papers are arranged alphabetically by subject category. Material within the subject files is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Partially dated material is 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. Newspaper clippings, unless enclosed with correspondence, are placed at the end of subject files.

The papers of the Division of Christian Education, 1897-1974, are organized in the following series:

Series I: Associate General Secretary, 1944-1972

Series II: Commission on General Christian Education, 1947-1968

Series III: Department of Educational Development, 1950-1973

Series IV: Department of Higher Education, 1897-1972 Series V: Department of Education for Mission, 1950-1974

Series VI: Department of Ministry, 1955-1973

The Associate General Secretary, 1944-1972, files date primarily from 1951 to 1972. The files are those of Gerald E. Knoff.

Series I files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of individual, or name of organization. Material within the files is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated items are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda, constitutions, bylaws, financial statements, budgets, legal papers, plays, bibliographies, programs, pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper clippings.

A number of the files concern the governing and administrative bodies of the Division of Christian Education, including the Division Assembly, Executive Board, Business Committee, General Board, General Planning and Program Committee, and the Program Board. The files relate to various subjects such as the Black Manifesto, the Chatham Street Chapel, prayer in public schools, the Revised Standard Version Bible, United Ministries in Public Education, and black higher education.

There is extensive material concerning the World Council of Christian Education, its assemblies, and its merger with the World Council of Churches. There are files detailing the International Sunday School Convention, especially its 1955 meeting in Cleveland.

The Commission on General Christian Education, 1947-1968, Series II files date primarily from 1951 to 1964. The material represents the combined papers of Alcwyn L. Roberts, general director, 1953-1963; Mildred A. Magnuson, executive director of Curriculum Development, 1950-1960; Alice Goddard, executive director of Children's Work, 1950-1958; Mary E. Venable, executive director of Children's Work, 1959-1966; Pearl Rosser, executive director of Audio-Visual and Broadcast Education, 1950-1956; Erwin L. Shaver, executive director of Weekday Religious Education, 1950-1957; A. Wilson Cheek, director of Youth Work, 1950-1957, and director of Adult Work, 1957-1959; Donald O. Newby, director of Youth Work, 1959-1961; and John S. Wood, director of Youth Work, 1962-1969.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of individual, and name of organization. The majority of the files occur under departmental or advisory section headings, such as ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP DEPARTMENT and CHILDREN'S WORK SECTION. These groups may be further divided as with the Graded Series Committee of the CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated documents are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, minutes, agenda, reports, financial statements, budgets, speeches, press releases, legal documents, bills and receipts, schedules, bibliographies, newsletters, reprints, pamphlets, leaflets, broadsides, and newspaper clippings.

Material within the files represents the activities of the various departments and advisory sections of the Commission. These include departments such as Administration and Leadership, Children's Work, Family Life, and Curriculum Development. The advisory section files include City Executives, Children's Work, Directors, Professors and Research, Lay, Publishers, and State and Regional Executives.

The files of the Children's Work Department include extensive material concerning an outdoor experiment conducted by the department in 1964 at Syracuse, New York. The behavior of forty-six children from various social and economic backgrounds was observed and reported. The Newspaper Lesson Syndication files contain copies of newspaper columns produced by the Commission. These include "The Bible Speaks," "Prayer for Today," "Sidewalk Sermons," and the "International bible Lesson."

The files of the Youth Work Department detail the history and activities of the United Christian Youth Movement, a related movement. Included in these files are items concerned with the Christian Youth Conference of North America, the North American Ecumenical Youth Assembly, and the Evanston Assembly of the World Council of Churches. The series also contains files relating to the annual meetings of the Division of Christian Education, as well as the Joint Committee from the Associated Sections.

The Department of Educational Development, 1950-1973, Series III files date primarily from 1965 to 1970. The series represents the combined files of Eli F. Wismer; Paul B. Maves, associate executive director; Ima Jean Kidd, program assistant; and Barbara P. Poppe and Mary Venable, staff associates in children's work.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject or name of organization. Material within the files is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated items are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda, newsletters, press releases, bibliographies, pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper clippings. The documents reflect various ministries of the Department including the ministry to children under six, marriage and family life, cooperative articles, educational resources for special settings, inner city ministries, and the ministry to migrant workers. These ministries concern various subjects such as day care, the Head Start project, abortion, black families, Appalachia, American Indians, Hispanics, the Peace Corps, the mentally retarded, sex education, and urban education.

The Department of Higher Education, 1897-1972, Series IV files date primarily from 1950 to 1969. The papers are the combined files of Raymond F. McClain and Hubert Noble, general directors; J. Edward Dirks, associate general director from 1957 to 1958; William N. Lovell, associate general director from 1962 to 1970; David B. Sageser, executive director of the Department of Campus Christian life from 1956 to 1960; Herluf M. Jensen, general secretary of the National Student Christian Federation from 1961 to 1962; and from the Commission on Ecumenical Voluntary Service Projects, the papers of Frederick Stoerker, associate secretary from 1958 to 1965.

This series also contains material from the related movements which had joined the Department of Higher Education. The files of the United Student Christian Council contain the papers of its executive secretaries: John Deschner, 1945-1952; Ruth Wickes, 1952-1954; and Herluf M. Jensen, 1954-1959. The files of the Interseminary Committee contain the papers of its executive secretaries: Robert S. Bilheimer, 1944-1950; Arch Tolbert, 1950-1953; Richard L. Heaton, 1953 -1959; and William E. Crews, 1959-1961. The files of the Student Volunteer Movement contain the papers of Winburn T. Thomas, general secretary from 1942 to 1947.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of individual, name of organization, or geographic location. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated documents are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda, constitutions, bylaws, financial statements, budgets, articles of incorporation, press releases, application forms, newsletters, theses, speeches, biographies, surveys, bibliographies, membership lists, programs, reprints, pamphlets, leaflets, broadsides, and newspaper clippings.

The files contain extensive materials detailing the activities of the various departments and related movements of the Commission and Department. These include the Campus Christian Life Department, the Council of Protestant Colleges and Universities, the Commission on Ecumenical Voluntary Service Projects, the Department of the Ministry, the Faculty Christian Fellowship, the National Student Christian Federation, the University Christian Movement, and the World Student Christian Federation.

Included with this series are documents of three related movements whose existence predated the National Council of Churches. These movements, while being administratively joined to the Department of Higher Education, maintained an independent character. They are the Interseminary Movement, the Student Volunteer Movement, and the United Student Christian Council.

The Interseminary Movement files, dating from 1935 to 1963, contain correspondence, minutes, agenda, reports, constitutions, press releases, speeches, newsletters, programs, pamphlets, and leaflets.

The Student Volunteer Movement files, dating from 1897 to 1962, contain correspondence, minutes, agenda, reports, budgets, financial statements, biographies, bylaws, theses, bibliographies, reprints, pamphlets, leaflets, and broadsides.

The United Student Christian Council files, dating from 1944 to 1959, contain correspondence, minutes, agenda, budgets, financial statements, pamphlets, and leaflets. In conjunction with the files of the United Student Christian Council, the researcher is also referred to the files of the World Student Christian Federation found within this series.

A number of files contain correspondence, budgets, reports, minutes, and printed matter relating to The Christian Scholar, a major publication of the Department from 1953 to 1967.

There are also extensive files concerning the Regional Counseling Committees and the Regional Staff Committees, which provided consultation and planning for campus ministry development. These files are arranged by geographic location. Numerous files also concern colloquia, consultations, and quadrennial convocations of the Department.

The Department of Education for Mission, 1950-1973, Series V files are organized in three parts: Subject Files, 1950-1974; Manuscripts, 1956-1973; and Filmstrips, 1957-1963. Descriptions and folder lists for each part follow:

The Subject Files, 1950-1974, date primarily from the 1960s. They are the combined files of William C. Walzer, executive director; Gilbert Q. LeSourd, associate director, 1951-1952; Robert R. Wright, director of adult publications, 1966-1969; Mae H. Ashworth, associate director of the Department of Adult Work, 1959-1963, and later director of Special Mission Education Resources, 1964-1969; and Ward L. Kaiser, director of the Department of Youth Work, 1959-1974.

The files are arranged alphabetically by name of individual, name of organization, and subject. A general file for each letter of the alphabet precedes subject files for the same letter of the alphabet (i.e., "A" precedes "Abels, Rev."). Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated documents are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda, bylaws, financial statements, budgets, press releases, leaflets, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspaper clippings.

The files contain extensive correspondence with the authors of the various publications of Friendship Press. There is also material concerning the study themes of the Department such as "The Americas; How Many Worlds?;" "How the Word Gets Around;" "New Forms of Mission;" and "Reconciliation in a Broken World."

The Manuscripts, 1956-1973, files date primarily from 1965 to 1972. The files are arranged alphabetically by title of the work. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated documents are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of manuscripts, galley proofs, and cartoons of books, pamphlets, and plays published by the Friendship Press. The manuscripts concern a variety of subjects including India, civil disobedience, the Americas, Asia, family planning, faith and justice, China, worship, and ecology.

The Filmstrips, 1957-1963, files consist of the artwork used in producing eight filmstrips. The material, primarily undated, is arranged by title of the filmstrip. The artwork includes both photographs and drawings.

The Department of Ministry, 1955-1973, series VI files date primarily from 1969 to 1972. The files are chiefly those of Burnice Fjellman, assistant director for Vocation and Enlistment. There is also material of John Biersdorf.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of individual, or name of organization. Material within the files is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day; undated items are placed after all dated material.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda; financial statements, newsletters, bibliographies, pamphlets, leaflets, directories, and broadsides. The material concerns principally four subject areas -- conventions of the American Personnel and Guidance Association, mailings of the Commission on Vocation and Enlistment, Department personnel records, and meetings of the Program Board.

For pre-1965 material concerning the Department of Ministry the researcher is also referred to the files of the Department of Higher Education.