Central Avenue Baptist Church of Chicago, Illinois collection, 1913-1981
Scope and Contents
The Central Avenue Baptist Church collection spans four boxes over five cubic feet, and dates between 1913 and 1981.
The History folder holds a history booklet about the church in 1916, the 1912 yearbook, and some written histories about the church.
The Anniversaries folder contains programs and information from the 70th Anniversary, the 85th Anniversary, the 90th Anniversary, dating between 1961 and 1981.
The News clippings folder holds newspaper clippings and magazines, such as The Standard, "Central Baptist Monthly", and Söndagsskolan och Hemmet.
The Bulletins folder contains church bulletins and programs dating between 1933 and 1978. Some are from Bethel Baptist Church in Chicago.
Församlingens Baner was the publication of the Austin Swedish Baptist Church. These folders date between 1913 and 1933.
The Constitution folder contains drafts of the church constitution, as well as by-laws and revisions.
The Statistics folder holds mostly statistical reports on the church sent to the Baptist General Conference.
The Youth and Christian Education folder holds the Bible School's Teacher's Manual from 1960-1961, as well as programs for youth events.
The Correspondence folder dates between 1946 and 1980.
The Photographic slides date between 1960 and 1961 and show the missionary conference, Camp Hickory, a retreat, youth week, Ed Erickson's ordination, and the church school picnic.
Eighteen 8mm audio tapes are included in the collection. These are primarily recordings of sermons and talks given at the church.
The Sunday School plaque reads "Awarded to Central Ave. Baptist Church Sunday School Largest Increase in Attendance Community Sunday School Contest" and dates to Fall 1944.
The Meeting Minutes folder holds various meeting minutes from mostly trustees and officers.
The Planning folder includes meeting minutes from the Long Range Planning Committee. A second folder holds the document "The Austin Evangelical Covenant Church: A Case Study of a Church in the Midst of Change" by James Anderson.
The Church Council folder holds the planning session booklet from 1961. It also includes meeting minutes dating to 1970 and 1979.
The Business Meetings folder holds minutes from the quarterly and special church business meetings.
The Annual Reports date to 1971, 1974, 1975, and 1979.
The Midwest Baptist Conference folder dates to the 1970s to 1981, and primarily deals with the dissolution of the church and the sponsored missionaries that would need continued support.
The Merger Committee folders deals with the merger between Central Avenue Baptist Church and Bethel Baptist Church dating to the late 1970s. The folder Merger with Bethel Baptist Church contents come from a folder with the same title, containing statistics of the churches, correspondence, and other documentation.
The Dissolution folders hold information about the closure of the church, dating to the late 1970s up to 1981.
The Church Clerk Records folders date primarily to the 1970s and contain mostly Council Meeting minutes and correspondences.
The Finance folder holds mostly budgetary information and a proposal by the Finance and Promotion Committee. The Checkbook dates between 1970 to 1981 and lists the checks written by the church. The Financial ledger dates between 1972 to 1981 and records bank balances and the mission fund balances. The financial fund cards list church members' contributions. Other check stubs from the General Fund date between 1976 and 1978. The Financial notebook has tabs labeled "Budget", "Salaries", "Guest Talent", and "Old Records". The Budget ledger sheets date to 1976 to 1979. The Building Fund folder holds ledger sheets dating between 1956 to 1980. The Receipts binder dates between 1977 and 1981 and is titled the Daily Receipts Journal.
The Membership binders holds data on the church members, such as family members, baptisms, and dates of joining or dismissal. The other membership folders include membership certificates and directories.
The Equipment folder holds information about the disposal of equipment and furniture after the dissolution of the church.
The Property Documents folders hold mostly information about mortgages and real estate information for the church building, with one folder specific for the parsonage. These include a folder on property surveys and blueprints. The folder on the Sale of the Church dates to 1975 and 1976.
The Legal Documents folder holds information on taxes, the church's filing as a non-profit in Illinois, and probates. One folder is dedicated to the State Corporation Charter.
Dates
- 1913 - 1981
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for researcher use.
Historical Note
The Swedish Baptist Church of Austin in Chicago, Illinois, was organized in 1891 by fifteen charter members. They met originally in a store on the corner of Chicago and Mayfield Avenues. A church building was constructed in 1895 on Sofia Street, currently W Rice, near Austin Boulevard. In 1913, a new church was built on the corner of Central Avenue and Iowa Street. English services began to be offered in the early 1920s, with Swedish services continuing in to the 1940s. In 1936, the name of the church was changed to Central Avenue Baptist Church. An education building was added in 1955. In 1976, the building was sold to Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. After considering a merger with Bethel Baptist Church, they decided against consolidation, and met in a Methodist church. In 1981, the church was dissolved.
Extent
5 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection was arranged during processing in July 2024. Any original or donated order has been lost.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The 8mm audio reels have not been digitized and no playback equipment is available at the archives.
Custodial History
This collection was donated to the History Center in 1993, likely by the Baptist General Conference.
- Aldeen , Carl Alfred (1870-1948)
- Carlson, John Amandus (1861-1941)
- Counihan, James Joseph (1934)
- Engwall, Swan Arvid (1892-1969)
- Lagerquist, Arvid Gustaf (1871-1941)
- Nelson, Olaf John, Jr. (1916)
- Nelson, Swaney August, Rev., 1869-1940
- Rehnberg, James Burton (1923-2014)
- Salquist, Carl Axel (1868-1911)
- Samuelson, John (1863-1944)
- Sundmark, Carl Wilhelm (1866-1922)
- Title
- Central Avenue Baptist Church of Chicago, Illinois collection, 1913-1981
- Author
- Rebekah Bain
- Date
- July 2024
- 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