Report of the

Historical Committee

     On the excitement scale, reading the report of the Historical Committee fits somewhere between trying on gloves and watching paint dry. Some of those reading the reports of this year book won’t even get beyond the title to read this sentence. They will see “Report of the Historical Committee,” stifle a yawn and move on to something of more interest. So why have a historical committee? Why expend time, energy, and, yes, even money on something that many find so useless?

     You can find a number of answers to that question. From our history, we learn about the faithfulness of God. The story of our part of God’s church shows His faithfulness. You don’t learn about God’s faithfulness yesterday or last week or even last year. Faithfulness goes on and on. You need time to see it. 142 years have passed since a group of preachers met at the home of David Musselman to decide what to do. God has been faithful.

     From our history, we learn that great things have been happening through pretty-ordinary people. We can see how those things happened in spite of imperfection and weakness. We are encouraged to press on when we see our own ordinariness and weakness. Not many are mighty or noble, but God has worked just the same.

     From our history, we learn that we have survived some pretty severe crises. Financial, moral, and theological issues have at times created deep rifts and severe friction. With God’s help, we have faced them and worked our way through. And – we are still working our way along, lying awake at night with hearts aching, wondering if God’s church will make it. Jesus has said He will build His church. Our history shows He has continued to do what He said.

     These lessons of history make the work worthwhile. The Historical Committee has worked this year to be sure that the story of God’s faithfulness, of our weakness, and God’s firm purposes in the Bible Fellowship Church will be told.

     Our publications continue to grow. We have five available. In the past year, over 100 of our new videos, “According to the Holy Spirit,” have been sold. Work is beginning on a web site that will make many of our papers and documents available to you and others.

     Our needs are two. First, we need funds to continue to expand and sustain the work of making our materials available. Second, we need to gather the materials that are being lost to neglect and indifference. We encourage churches to place your older records for safe keeping in the archives where they will be protected and preserved. We ask you to contact Archivist Richard E. Taylor for information on how to place your records in our archives.

     Our thanks to Donald E. Kuntzman who has served on this committee for two years but who resigned because of other commitments. Robert W. Smock was appointed to serve until this Annual Conference.

Historical Committee: Jill Davidson, Chairperson; Richard Taylor, Secretary, Treasurer, Archivist; Harold P. Shelly, Robert W. Smock, David E. Thomann, Daniel G. Ziegler.