How do I do it?
What is it ? A short summary of the current calendar year in the life of your church.
Who cares ? The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., has a library that keeps archival records of all of its Presbyterian churches in the United States. There is a notebook in the library for each church. The Department of History requests that each church compile a short summary of its activities, statistics, etc., each year.
What period should it cover ? The present calendar year, January 1 through December 31.
Who should write it ? The Historian of the church or of the local Presbyterian Womens group, or just any member of the church who is interested in preserving the church's history for future generations.
What should it include ? It should cover the life of the congregation. This includes the various groups such as Presbyterian Women, Men of the Church, Youth, Church School, Session, Deacons, outreach programs, and other congregational activities. It should include names of the pastor and other church employees, names of session members and officers of church organizations. It should include statistics about church membership and church programs. It could be like a time chart with colorful events added. Include photographs if you wish. But, remember to get permission before you send it. Some folks don't like their photographs sent out.
Should it be printed on special paper ? Yes, the paper should be acid-free. This special paper is available at reasonable cost from a your local office supply store, such as Office Max and Office Depot, or at Target or Wal-Mart.
Do not use : Plastic tape, rubber bands, staples, metal paper clips, rubber cement, albums with adhesive-coated pages, plasticized (PVC-polyvinyl chloride) sheets.
You may use: UHC Stic (non-toxic glue stick), Plastiklips (non-toxic, pH neutral paper clips), transparent sheet protectors (they are labeled acid free). These items may be found in office supply stores, Wal-Mart, HEB, and Target.
Where should it be sent ? The original of your History should be mailed to: Special Collections Librarian John Bulow Campbell Library Columbia Theological Seminary PO Box 520 Decatur, GA 30031
A copy should be mailed to :
Lis Wise, Historian
Presbyterian Women of Mission Presbytery
7630 Wood Hollow Dr. Apt 280
Austin, TX 78731
or emailed to: liswise@yahoo.com
When is it due? The Department of History prefers that you send in your history by January 31 of the following year. However, this deadline is not absolute. It is okay to take as much time as you need and do a better job. I have to compile the histories from the Mission Presbytery and write the history that is sent to Synod by March 31. Histories received by March 1 will be included in the report to Synod.
