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Good Shepherd School in Ethiopia collection, 1959-1993

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-Miss-23

Scope and Contents

The Good Shepherd School in Ethiopia collection dates from 1959 to 1993, spanning 1.5 cubic feet in 3 boxes.

There are four School Council folders that contain meeting minutes and memos. They date between 1959 and 1977.

There are three Executive Committee folders that contain meeting minutes dating between 1961 and 1977.

The Constitution and Policies folder contains the school constitution, by-laws, and various policies. These include guidelines of musical and dramatic performances, academic probation, and the minutes and recommendations from the policy committee. There is also a documents titled Agreement Between the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and the Good Shepherd School (GSS) in the Event of the Evacuation of Foreigners. A separate folder contains the policy handbook from 1973.

The Property folder holds minutes of the building committee and property committee, as well as reports on the building. There are also maps of the buildings.

The Finance folder holds budgets, salary scales, and boarding costs. Finance Reports are held in a second folder.

The Superintendent Reports folder contains reports put out by G. W. Anderson, dating from 1967 to 1976.

The Principal Reports date between 1964 and 1971.

The Employees folder contains staff meetings and faculty council meetings. There are also lists of staff at the school, a salary study, and employment applications.

The Salaries folder holds salary study reports and adjustments.

The Staff Council folder contains meeting minutes from 1971 to 1975.

The Boarding folder holds boarding reports, a discipline of resident students guide, standards of conduct, and boarding guides dating to 1973-1974.

The Students folder contains enrollment statistics, tuition, scholarships, and a student handbook from 1973-1974.

The Committees folder holds reports and minutes from committees on Religious Activities and Cooperative School Planning. These date from 1959 to 1976.

There are two Correspondence and Payments folders, holding letters, memos, and payments to and from the Baptist General Conference, usually the Board of World Missions.

The Newsletters folder contains letters from Gilbert Anderson and the Vennerstroms dating from 1960 to 1976.

The School Calendars date between 1967 and 1978.

The Organization folder contains the structure of the school's administration.

A thesis by Janice Sensenig is titled Ethiopian Studies for Inclusion in the Elementary School Curriculum. It was submitted in 1970 at Millersville State College. The research included Good Shepherd School, as Sensenig was a former teacher there.

The Documents to Ethiopia folder dates to January 1993. It contains copies of old documents from Good Shepherd School sent to Ethiopia in the hopes of reopening the school.

The Vennerstrom binder contains correspondence and articles regarding Clifford and Shirlee Vennerstrom, who helped run the school from 1963 on. This binder primarily dates to the early 1960s.

Dates

  • 1959 - 1993

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for researcher use.

Historical Note

In 1960, the cooperative Good Shepherd School opened for missionary children under the Baptist General Conference, American Lutheran Church, Eastern Mennonite Board, and United Presbyterian Church. It was located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Baptist General Conference appointed Gilbert and Grace Anderson and Clifford and Shirlee Vennerstrom as administrators at the school. Other Conference missionaries were Irene Haglund, Iva Ruth Knierim, and Nancy Wertz. The High School division was opened in 1963. In 1977, the school was forced to close due to the upheaval of the government.

Extent

1.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject, with some folders arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

The Bethel archives received the documents from Good Shepherd School after its closure in 1977.

Shirlee Vennerstrom donated the Vennerstrom Binder in 2025.

Title
Good Shepherd School in Ethiopia collection, 1959-1993
Author
Rebekah Lopez
Date
October 2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The History Center: Archives of Bethel University and Converge Repository

Contact:
3900 Bethel Drive
Arden Hills MINNESOTA 55112 United States