1953
Scope and Contents
The Midwest Baptist Conference collection dates between 1864 and 1996, spanning 14 boxes.
The Correspondence series dates between the 1950s to the 1980s. The majority of the two boxes of correspondences are carbon copies sent from the Midwest Baptist Conference administrators.
The Newsletters included in this collection are the Midwest Newsletter, the Bulletin Insert, Midwest News, Growing Together, A Closer Look, Leader's Digest, Parson to Parson, and the Lowdown Sheet.
The Camping series primarily holds materials regarding Camp Hickory in Round Lake, Illinois. Five audio magnetic tapes are promotional tapes for MBC camping. One Super 8 film is unlabeled. Two 16mm safety film reels show videos from Teen Camps, Boys and Girls Camps, Family Picnics, and the future site of Jeffery Manor Baptist Church in Chicago. The Round Lake Camp ledger dates between 1951 and 1953, and contains children's handwritten decisions for Christ.
The Women's Missionary Union series covers one box and dates between 1932 and 1971. The General folder contains correspondence, member lists, newsletters, event programs, and "The Tie That Binds", a historical sketch presented at the anniversary meeting in 1967. The Annual Reports folder dates between 1955 and 1969. The Minutes folder holds loose minutes of the Board between 1966 to 1969. The Chicago Union of Swedish Baptist Women is a binder dating between 1932 to 1943 and containing financial information and membership lists. The Financial ledgers date between 1943 to 1958. The Anniversary Meetings binder holds meeting minutes of the 10th to 30th anniversaries from 1942 to 1962. Four binders of meeting minutes date between 1932 to 1971.
The Illinois Conference Board meetings binder dates between 1935 and 1949, prior to the Conference's name change to the Midwest Baptist Conference. The Executive Board series primarily is made up of meeting minutes dating between 1950 and 1991, with separate folders of member lists, correspondences, agendas, and material from the sub-group the Executive Committee of the Executive Board. Two Executive Board Books, one of which was removed from its original binder and placed into folders, date between 1984 and 1987.
The Norstrom series comes from Robert Norstrom, member of the Executive Board, and contains files from the Executive Board, Christian Education Board, and Mission Board between 1961 and 1963.
The Christian Education series dates between 1896 and 1984. The General folders in the Christian Education series contain information on Sunday School, recommendations from the Christian Education Director, lists of board members, and philosophy and policy documents. The Christian Education Institute folder and pamphlet holds information on workshops on various topics between 1959 to 1969.
The Missions series holds ten folders of General content kept together during processing. These contain reports to the Mission Boards, correspondence, a survey workers' report from 1961, triad meeting minutes, the Black Pastor's Advisory Committee, the Children's Haven Farm for Boys, and the Frontier Development Fund. A notebook from the Swedish Baptist City Mission in Chicago dates between 1888 and 1897, and contains meeting minutes in Swedish. The Statistics and Preparations folder contains data in preparation for missions in the Midwest. Much of the Finance folder holds materials on Extension Funds and grants. The Mission Board's Agendas and Meeting Minutes date between 1956 to 1985. The Director of Missions Reports and Recommendations folders were made to the Mission Board. The Urban Ministries folders mostly contains meeting minutes from the Urban Ministries Committee. The Mission Church Reports folders hold information and data from mission churches in the Midwest. The Triad Committee folder holds information regarding various Triad committees at different churches, made up of representation from the extension church, the sponsoring church, and the Midwest District Conference Mission Board. Other Triad committee information can be found spread accross the Missions series. Three mission churches with folders include North River Community Church, Faith Mission Tabernacle, and Rich Township/ Monee, all in the Chicago area. The Spanish Language missions folder includes meeting minutes from the Spanish Triad ministry and the Spanish Advisory Committee.
The Finance series holds minutes, reports to, recommendations to, and proposals and policies for the Finance Committee, dating primarily to the 1960s to the 1980s. The dated folders in this series contain budgets, contribution statistics, financial reports, and income and disbursements. Financial information specific to churches at Rockwell Avenue, Chicago, and in Peoria, Illinois are in a separate folder.
The Annual Meetings series dates between 1864 and 1991, and contains Annuals, and minutes and proceedings of the annual meetings.
Two ledgers from the Swedish Baptist Young People's Union in Chicago contain meeting minutes, 1917-1924, and financial information, 1926-1943. The minutes ledger begins in Swedish before switching to English in 1920. The rest of the Baptist Young People's Union series dates between 1924 and 1954, and contains meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial information. The newsletter Baptist Life dates from volume 1 in 1926 to volume 6 in 1931. The Conference Youth Fellowship folder is the continued organization of Young People under a new name, and contains mostly meeting minutes.
The Centennial folder dates to 1956 for the celebration in Moline, Illinois and contains meeting minutes from the Centennial Committee, programs, and a pageant "Prairie Lights" depicting the history of the conference.
The History folder holds writings on the history of the Midwest Baptist Conference, much in Swedish.
The Retreats and Conferences folder holds information and fliers for workshops, retreats, and other conferences hosted by the MBC.
The Ministers Fellowship series dates between 1889 and 1971. The Protokollbok for Illinois Predikantforening ledger dates between 1889 to 1919 and is in Swedish. The folders start at 1934, and mostly hold meeting minutes.
The New Pastor Packet contains resources for new ministers, such as information on the Decade Growth Fund, code of ministerial ethics, the audio-visul resource library, information on the retirement plan, and other resources.
The Committees and Meetings folder holds meeting minutes from various committees such as the Long-Range Planning Committee, Pastors' meetings, the Nominating Committee, the Call Committee, and mid-year and special meetings.
The Evangelistic Committee, Program Committee, Trustees, and Brotherhood folders holds correspondnces and meeting minutes for these organizations.
The Job Descriptions folder contains descriptions for various positions within the Midwest Baptist Conference, such as Director of Christian Education, Treasurer, Camp Caretaker, and others.
Three policies folders hold guiding documents for organizations and actions of the Midwest Baptist Conference, as well as meeting minutes for the Policy Committee. Following these folders is a separate booklet "Personnel Policy Handbook".
The Resolutions folder details resolutions and minutes of the Resolutions Committee. The Recommendations and Proposals folders hold suggestions made to various committees in the MBC. The Reports folder contains reports to committees from subcommittees or MBC personnel.
The Constitution folders contains the Midwest Baptist Conference's constitutions, as well as revisions and minutes of relevant committees.
The Eleventh Annual Institute in the Dynamics of Development spans four folders. It was presented by the Development Association for Christian Institutions in Oklahoma, dated to 1980. It details ways to improve the development of Christian institutions.
The Directories and Organizational Structures folder contains maps of the Baptist General Conference, the Midwest District, organizational heirarchies of the district, and lists of names. Following the folder are five more directories of the Midwest Baptist Conference.
The Illinois Protokollbok contains meeting minutes and newspaper clippings between 1885 and 1897 in Swedish. The Financial ledger dates between 1959 and 1965, and details interest payments. It also holds loose papers in the back of the ledger detailing bonds and indentures.
The Photographs series is mostly made up of slides. Most of the slides are unlabeled and disorganized, and were not organized much during processing. Many of the slides are of Camp Hickory, but also include churches and people involved in the MBC. One folder of printed photographs contains a photograph of the 1912 Illinois Annual Meeting in Galesburg, Illinois.
Dates
- 1864 - 1996
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for researcher use.
Extent
From the Collection: 20.5 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Swedish
Repository Details
Part of the The History Center: Archives of Bethel University and Converge Repository