Guide to the Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada Records
Open for research.
On July 18, 1902 the Young People's Missionary Movement was formed at Silver Bay, New York. As the scope of this organization's work grew to include children and older adults, a change of name was felt to be necessary. In 1911 it became the Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada.
In February 1919 the Movement, without undergoing any fundamental revision of its charter, became the Missionary Education Department of the Interchurch World Movement. However, when the Interchurch World Movement collapsed in 1920, the Movement again became independent and in January 1921 was reorganized so that financial support came from cooperating denominational boards.
The purpose of the Movement was "to serve as a cooperative organization in which denominational home and foreign mission boards, departments of missionary education, boards of Christian education, and other agencies responsible for missionary education in the United States and Canada unite to publish missionary education materials, hold training schools and conferences, and carry on any other activities, which may be decided upon to further the cause of missionary education and carry out the desires of the constituent boards and agencies."
The Movement, under the imprint of Friendship Press (adopted in 1926), planned, published, and promoted general books, reading books, study books, handbooks on principles and methods for leaders, program and discussion guides, and visual aids for adults, youth, and children. It also planned and directed interdenominational conferences for the training of leaders in missionary education in local churches.
In 1902 C.V. Vickrey was elected general secretary of the Young People's Missionary Movement. Harry W. Hicks was general secretary of the Movement from 1909 to 1918. He was succeeded by Ernest F. Hall, who served from 1918 to 1919 and was in turn succeeded by Miles Fisher who was general secretary from 1919 to 1921. Franklin D. Cogswell was general secretary of the Movement from 1921 to 1950. Gilbert Q. LeSourd served as associate secretary from 1920 to 1950.
In 1950 the Movement became a part of the National Council of Churches with its activities being assumed by the Joint Commission on Missionary Education of the Division of Christian Education.
The Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada, 1901-1952, files date primarily from 1905 to 1950. The files are those of Franklin D. Cogswell, general secretary, and Gilbert Q. LeSourd, associate secretary.
The files are arranged alphabetically by name of organization or subject. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Partially dated material is placed at the end of the month or year; undated material is placed after all dated material. Enclosures are placed after their letter of transmittal.
The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, minutes, agenda, annual reports, bylaws, financial statements, budgets, sales reports, bills, legal documents, pamphlets, leaflets, songbooks, and catalogs.
The bulk of the files consist of minutes, agenda, and reports of the various governing and subject committees of the Movement. There is also a number of files of publication records and reports. Items from the various conferences conducted by the Movement are also found in the files.
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 20 | |
| 1 | 2 | Adult Religious Education Conference, March-May 1912; n.d. | |
| 1 | 3 | Annual Reports, 1909-1914 | |
| 1 | 4 | Annual Reports, 1914-1915 | |
| 1 | 5 | Annual Reports, 1915-1916 | |
| 1 | 6 | Annual Reports, 1916-1925 | |
| 1 | 7 | Annual Reports, 1926-1930 | |
| 1 | 8 | Annual Reports, 1931-1934 | |
| 1 | 9 | Annual Reports, 1935-1938 | |
| 1 | 10 | Annual Reports, 1939-1940 | |
| 1 | 11 | Annual Reports, 1941-1944 | |
| 1 | 12 | Annual Reports, 1945-1947 | |
| 1 | 13 | Annual Reports, 1948-1950 | |
| 1 | 14 | Auditors' Reports, 1924-1933 | |
| 1 | 15 | Auditors' Reports, 1934-1941 | |
| 1 | 16 | Auditors' Reports, 1942-1948 | |
| BOARD OF MANAGERS | |||
| 1 | 17 | Correspondence, May 1919-Feb 1949 | |
| 1 | 18 | Membership, 1913-1950; n.d. | |
| 1 | 19 | Minutes, July 1906-Oct 1907 | |
| 1 | 20 | Minutes, Jan 1908-Jan 1912 | |
| 1 | 21 | Minutes, April 1912-April 1924 | |
| 2 | 1 | Minutes, June 1924- Sept 1933 | |
| 2 | 2 | Minutes, Jan 1934-Sept 1943 | |
| 2 | 3 | Minutes, March 1944-Dec 1947 | |
| 2 | 4 | Minutes, March 1948-Nov 1950 | |
| 2 | 5 | Miscellaneous, Oct 1915-June 1946 | |
| 2 | 6 | Budget and Finance, Sept 1914-May 1945 | |
| 2 | 7 | Business Committee, Jan [1920?]-Sept 1941 | |
| 2 | 8 | Business Committee, Jan 1942-Dec 1948 | |
| 2 | 9 | Business Division, Annual Reports, 1929-1935 | |
| 2 | 10 | Business Division, Annual Reports, 1936-1943 | |
| 2 | 11 | Business Division, Annual Reports, 1944-1948 | |
| 2 | 12 | Bylaws, Revision of, Aug 1921-May 1941; n.d. | |
| 2 | 13 | Character and Personality Tests, 1928-1929; n.d. | |
| 2 | 14 | Charter and Bylaws, 1906-1950; n.d. | |
| 2 | 15 | Christian Education Commission, Nov 1918-Oct 1920 | |
| 2 | 16 | Christian World Education Committee, May 1926-March 1929; n.d. | |
| 2 | 17 | Committee of Eleven, Dec 1920-Jan 1921; n.d. | |
| 2 | 18 | Committee of Twenty-eight, July 1913-Feb 1920; n.d. | |
| 2 | 19 | Committee on Further Procedure, Nov 1942-April 1943 | |
| 2 | 20 | Committee on General Reference, Jan 1903-Feb 1906 | |
| 2 | 21 | Conference Committee, July 1935-March 1943 | |
| 2 | 22 | Conference on Educational Agencies, Dec 1920-May 1921 | |
| 2 | 23 | Conference on Missionary Education, Yonkers, New York, Jan 1925 | |
| 2 | 24 | Contributions from Denominational Boards, April 1921-Dec 1948; n.d. | |
| 2 | 25 | Council on Correlation of Programs of Religious Education, March 1923-May 1924; n.d. | |
| 2 | 26 | Drama Committee, March 1920-Sept 1950 | |
| 2 | 27 | Editorial and Conference Departments, Annual Reports, 1923-1928 | |
| 2 | 28 | Editorial Committee, March 1904-March 1913 | |
| 2 | 29 | Educational and Leadership Training Division, Annual Reports, 1929-1933 | |
| 3 | 1 | Educational Committee, Dec 1916-April 1927 | |
| 3 | 2 | Educational Committee, June 1927-April 1932 | |
| 3 | 3 | Educational Council, May 1938-Dec 1944 | |
| 3 | 4 | Educational Council, Jan 1945-March 1947 | |
| 3 | 5 | Educational Division, Annual Reports, 1934-1945 | |
| 3 | 6 | Episcopal Maps, undated | |
| 3 | 7 | Executive Committee, Sept 1901-July 1904 | |
| 3 | 8 | Executive Committee, Jan 1905-April 1906 | |
| 3 | 9 | Executive Committee, May 1906-Dec 1912 | |
| 3 | 10 | Executive Committee, Jan 1913-May 1924 | |
| 3 | 11 | Executive Committee, Sept 1924-Nov 1950; n.d. | |
| 3 | 12 | Federal Council of Churches, Nov 1920-March 1927 | |
| 3 | 13 | Field Committee, Oct 1907-Jan 1918 | |
| 3 | 14 | Finance Committee, Minutes, June 1907-Nov 1918 | |
| 3 | 15 | Finance Committee, Miscellaneous, Dec 1911-Nov 1918 | |
| 3 | 16 | General Education Papers, April-June 1927 | |
| 3 | 17 | History, Feb 1923-Dec 1941; n.d. | |
| 3 | 18 | Inter-Council Field Committee, Jan-Dec 1937 | |
| 3 | 19 | Interchurch World Movement, Jan 1919-May 1948; n.d. | |
| 3 | 20 | Interdenominational Executives, Dec 1933-Dec 1937 | |
| 3 | 21 | Interdenominational Young People's Commission, Dec 1920 | |
| 3 | 22 | International Council for Missionary Education, Oct 1925-March 1926; n.d. | |
| 3 | 23 | Investigation of the Place of Missionary Education in the Sunday School, 1906 | |
| 3 | 24 | Investigation of the Place of Missionary Education in the Sunday School, 1906 | |
| 3 | 25 | Joint Committee on Home Mission Literature, Nov 1918-May 1937; n.d. | |
| 3 | 26 | Joint Committee on Summer Conferences, Oct 1943-Sept 1950 | |
| 3 | 27 | Leadership Education, Sept 1946-April 1950 | |
| 3 | 28 | Leadership Training and Promotion Committee, Sept 1928-May 1933 | |
| 3 | 29 | Lesson Courses Committee, April 1918-May 1919; n.d. | |
| 3 | 30 | Library Committee, Jan 1903-May 1905 | |
| 3 | 31 | Listener's Club, Oct 1920-Nov 1945 | |
| 3 | 32 | Majorana Mortgage, 1932-Dec 1950; n.d. | |
| 4 | 1 | Manufacturing Department, Annual Reports, 1921-1928 | |
| 4 | 2 | Miscellaneous, [1912?]-April 1948; n.d. | |
| 4 | 3 | Missionary Education of Adults Committee, Dec 1919-Dec 1935 | |
| 4 | 4 | Missionary Education of Adults Committee, Jan 1936-Nov 1941 | |
| 4 | 5 | Missionary Education of Adults Committee, March 1942-Sept 1948 | |
| 4 | 6 | Missionary Education of Adults Committee, March 1949-Sept 1950 | |
| 4 | 7 | Missionary Education of Children Committee, Jan 1920-Dec 1930 | |
| 4 | 8 | Missionary Education of Children Committee, March 1931-Sept 1938 | |
| 4 | 9 | Missionary Education of Children Committee, Jan 1939-Sept 1944 | |
| 4 | 10 | Missionary Education of Children Committee, March 1945-Sept 1949 | |
| 4 | 11 | Missionary Education of Children Committee, March-Sept 1950 | |
| 4 | 12 | Missionary Education of Youth Committee, March 1920-1934 | |
| 4 | 13 | Missionary Education of Youth Committee, Jan 1935-Sept 1941 | |
| 4 | 14 | Missionary Education of Youth Committee, March 1942-Oct 1944 | |
| 4 | 15 | Missionary Education of Youth Committee, April 1945-Sept 1948 | |
| 4 | 16 | Missionary Education of Youth Committee, March 1949-Sept 1950 | |
| 4 | 17 | Missionary Education Program, Jan 1909-June 1919; n.d. | |
| 4 | 18 | Missionary Exposition Company Scrapbook, 1910-1912 | |
| 5 | 1 | Printed Matter, 1901-July 1909 | |
| 5 | 2 | Printed Matter, Feb 1912-1919 | |
| 5 | 3 | Printed Matter, 1920-Oct 1929 | |
| 5 | 4 | Printed Matter, June 1930-1935 | |
| 5 | 5 | Printed Matter, 1936-1944 | |
| 5 | 6 | Printed Matter, 1945-1950 | |
| 5 | 7 | Printed Matter, Undated | |
| 5 | 8 | Promotion and Field Committee, March 1934-March 1944 | |
| 5 | 9 | Promotion Reports and Analyses, Aug 1940-Dec 1944; n.d. | |
| 5 | 10 | Publication and Office Committee, July 1907-Sept 1911 | |
| 5 | 11 | Publication Materials, Oct 1922-1938; n.d. | |
| 5 | 12 | Publication Records, Nov 1919-Nov 1923 | |
| 5 | 13 | Publication Records, Dec 1923-Nov 1926 | |
| 5 | 14 | Publication Records, 1927 | |
| 5 | 15 | Publication Records, 1928 | |
| 5 | 16 | Publication Records, 1928-1929 | |
| 5 | 17 | Publication Records, 1930 | |
| 5 | 18 | Publication Records, 1931-1932 | |
| 5 | 19 | Publication Records, 1933-1935 | |
| 5 | 20 | Publication Records, 1935-1937 | |
| 5 | 21 | Publication Records, 1937-1939 | |
| 5 | 22 | Publication Records, 1939-1941 | |
| 6 | 1 | Publication Records, 1941-1943 | |
| 6 | 2 | Publication Records, 1943-1945 | |
| 6 | 3 | Publication Records, 1945-1946 | |
| 6 | 4 | Publication Records, 1946-1947 | |
| 6 | 5 | Publication Records, 1947-1948 | |
| 6 | 6 | Publication Records, 1948-1950 | |
| 6 | 7 | Reorganization Committee, Jan-July 1918 | |
| 6 | 8 | Reports, Miscellaneous, Jan 1904-Dec 1906 (includes YPMM Third Annual Report, 1904-1905; and annual reports of various YPMM/MEM departments) | |
| 6 | 9 | Reports, Miscellaneous, Jan 1907-Sept 1908 (includes annual reports of various YPMM/MEM departments) | |
| 6 | 10 | Reports, Miscellaneous, Oct 1908-1909 (includes annual reports of various YPMM/MEM departments) | |
| 6 | 11 | Reports, Miscellaneous, Jan 1910-April 1913 (includes annual reports of various YPMM/MEM departments) | |
| 6 | 12 | Royalty Statements, June 1926-March 1938 | |
| 6 | 13 | Royalty Statements, March 1939-May 1950 | |
| 6 | 14 | Sales Reports, Annual, 1910-1917 | |
| 6 | 15 | Sales Reports, Annual, 1918-1948; n.d. | |
| 6 | 16 | Sales Reports, Monthly, Dec 1914-Dec 1952 | |
| 6 | 17 | Secretarial Council, Sept 1905-Nov 1907; n.d. | |
| 6 | 18 | Silver Bay Committee, Jan 1921-Dec 1945 | |
| 6 | 19 | Silver Bay Committee, Jan 1946-1950 | |
| 6 | 20 | Silver Bay Conference, Programs, July 1903-July 1917 | |
| 6 | 21 | Stereopticon Lectures, Undated | |
| 7 | 1 | Stereopticon Lectures, Undated | |
| 7 | 2 | Summer Conference Scrapbook, 1921 | |
| 7 | 3 | Sunday School Department Committee, July 1907-Jan 1912 | |
| 7 | 4 | Staff Conferences, May 1927-Nov 1933 | |
| 7 | 5 | Territorial Committees, Nov 1926-July 1927; n.d. | |
| 7 | 6 | United Missionary Campaign, March-May 1913; n.d. | |
| 7 | 7 | United Study of Foreign Missions, Central Committee, Sept 1921-Nov 1942; n.d. | |
| 7 | 8 | Visualization Committee, Oct 1932-Dec 1949 | |
| 7 | 9 | Visualization Committee, Jan-Dec 1950 | |
| 7 | 10 | The Wayfarer, 1919 | |
| OVERSIZE MATERIAL | |||
| 8 | "Darkness to Light" Pageant, Musical Score (five volumes). | ||
| See also Box 4, Folder 18. |