Report of the
Historical Committee
The Historical Committee met twice in the past year to carry out its responsibilities. We continue to collect and catalogue the materials that are given to the archives for preservation. Sometimes we have no idea about the significance of what we collect. If the Lord tarries, we believe that the materials we are accumulating will be of value to those who follow us who will understand and appreciate the significance of these materials. The story of what God has done in our midst will be learned from our collections.
We have established a website as an online historical center. Already, a number of the significant papers presented at past meetings of the Historical Society have been made available. It is our sincere desire that members of the BFC will be able to access information about the events and people of the past through going to the website. Additional information about our books and the Historical Society are available there. Our goal is to include a genealogy center and a picture gallery along with the research capability that is now available. You will find the web site at www.BFCHISTORY.org.
The Committee will soon be announcing a project which will encourage members of our church to research and write articles about our history. It is our desire to locate those who have interest in the stories about those who were used and being used in the formation of our churches and about the events that have shaped our denomination. You will be able to find the details about this project on the web site.
The Committee is making previous Yearbooks available to churches who would like to have copies in their libraries. If you would like to receive past Yearbooks for your church library, you should contact the archivist, Richard Taylor.
We would like to repeat our invitation and encouragement for the churches and agencies to place their past records in the archives for safe keeping. The most valuable of our records are being kept in fire resistant cabinets. Please don’t let our history be put in a dumpster as a bunch of old papers.
Historical Committee: Jill Davidson, Chairperson; Richard E. Taylor, Archivist and Secretary; Harold P. Shelly, Robert W. Smock, David E. Thomann, and Daniel G. Ziegler