Guide to the J. Oscar McCloud Papers

Correspondence, subject files, sermons, and interviews document Oscar McCloud's work as a pastor, educator, and activist within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and ecumenical organizations. 

The Personal matters and education series, 1958-2006, consists of biographical material such as profiles, resumes, and McCloud's Personal Information Form. The series also contains personal correspondence with McCloud's friends and family, employment materials/job applications, and photographs. Also included are transcripts, academic papers, and sermons from McCloud's time at Union Theological Seminary in New York. There is a diary from the summer of 1958 when he completed Dr. James Robinson’s Work Camp Study Project in Liberia before entering seminary.

The Pastorates series, 1961-2008, contains sermons, correspondence, bulletins, and meeting notes from the congregations that McCloud served throughout his career. This includes sermons from McCloud’s time as a summer assistant at the United Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina; sermons and reports from his time as a pastor at Davie Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina; and material from his work as associate pastor at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York, New York.

Material related to Fifth Avenue includes annual reports, committee minutes, sermons, and correspondence between McCloud and Thomas Tewell, who was serving as the senior pastor during that time. Audiocassettes from Fifth Avenue’s Black History Month services can be found in Series VII: Audiocassettes, 1973-2003.

The Denominational work series, 1960-1998, includes files from McCloud's formal positions within the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) and the PC(USA). This includes his position with the UPCUSA Board of Christian Education and the Commission on Religion and Race (CORAR); his time as elected associate general secretary of the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations (COEMAR); his work as director of the Program Agency from 1972 to 1986; and his time on the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA).

The Program Agency materials include two files related to Angela Davis. There are also three folders on McCloud’s yearlong sabbatical from the Program Agency in 1981. During this time, he worked with the Presbyterian Historical Society to conduct oral history interviews with African American ministers and lay people as well as those involved in racial justice issues in the UPCUSA during the 1960s. There are full transcripts of McCloud’s interviews with Dr. Thomas J.B. Harris, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, Dr. William Lloyd Imes, and Dr. Frank T. Wilson. Audiocassettes related to the Program Agency can be found in Series VII: Audiocassettes, 1973-2003.

The Ecumenical work series, 1954-2006, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, and subject files from McCloud's official jobs or board member positions within interdenominational organizations. This includes files from his time as Director of the Fund for Theological Education (FTE); his work on committees of the World Council of Churches (WCC); and his time as a board member of the National Council of the Churches of Christ (NCCC).

The materials related to FTE include correspondence on scholarships and programs with the WCC and the NCCC. Other folders of FTE correspondence primarily consist of incoming and outgoing letters related to donations.

Also in this series are conference materials, publications, and meeting minutes related to McCloud's ecumenical work with South African churches in ending Apartheid.

The Committees and conferences series, 1968-2009, includes material from McCloud's work on various committees and community organizations both affiliated with the PC(USA) and outside of the denomination. Included are subject files from organizations such as the Black Presbyterian Caucus, the New Jersey Teaneck Clergy Council, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the National Committee of Black Churchmen.

Also included is correspondence from the Advisory Committee Robert T. Newbold formed when compiling his book “Black Preaching: Select Sermons in the Presbyterian Tradition,” which was published in 1977.

The Speeches, writings, and sermons series, 1957-2010, includes notes from speaking events, sermons, and writings either created or collected by McCloud throughout his life. The bulk of the material consists of speeches and sermons by McCloud and are arranged topically.

The bulk of the sermons are arranged chronologically. Eight folders are arranged by the church where McCloud delivered his sermons. Sermons that McCloud gave as an intern/pastor of the United Church of Raleigh, Davie Street Presbyterian Church, or Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church are in Series II: Pastorates, 1961-2008.

The Audiocassettes series, 1973-2003, contains 87 audiocassette tapes collected by McCloud throughout his career. The cassettes include both published and self-recorded tapes. Several tapes are from McCloud’s time as Director of the Program Agency. This includes recordings of General Assembly speeches, reports on trips to Cuba and Shanghai to the Program Agency board, and McCloud’s farewell to the board at Ghost Ranch in 1986.

Also included are cassettes from the WCC/NCCC which contain recordings of WCC assemblies, interviews with McCloud, and recordings of meetings related to ecumenical work in South Africa during Apartheid. The series also contains recordings of various speeches and sermons by McCloud and interviews either given or conducted by him.