Report of the
Historical Committee
Teenagers go through a time when appreciation for their parents fades. They wish to be left alone and fantasize about when they don’t have to listen. Then, they grow up. Soon after this growth into full- fledged adulthood, appreciation for their parents is renewed. They now see the family faults but maturity allows them to see the strengths.
As we look back to our spiritual parents, similar thoughts run through our teenage minds. Our spiritual parents had little formal education. They seemed to say no to everything. Their theology focused on human initiative. They were very authoritarian. Those things don’t set well with us today. But we have grown. We have moved on. Hopefully, we have matured. While we see lots of faults and issues for disagreement, we look at our parents now and appreciate what we were taught and shown.
What are some of the things we should learn and appreciate about our spiritual parents, Evangelical Mennonites / Mennonite Brethren in Christ / Bible Fellowship Church? They prayed enthusiastically and continued in prayer. They listened to God’s Word intently and tried to live it. They preached the Gospel fervently and understood it would cost them. They loved each other dearly and lived as a family of God. These are good things and strong – to be remembered and followed. We can only hope to be what they were and as we stand on their shoulders, having learned from them, to become more of what they hoped to be.
The work of the Historical Committee is to remind us all that we are standing on some pretty good shoulders. In some sense, we will always be standing on the shoulders of those who went before us. When we seek to go beyond what they were, our ministry to the Lord will increase and grow in effectiveness. Our fathers would be very excited to see what is happening in the church they helped to form. We will be excited if our children, standing on our shoulders having learned from us, go even farther.
Remembering and dreaming belong together. Fathers help us remember. We stand on their shoulders. Children help us dream. They stand on our shoulders. And the cycle will start over. Our children will see our faults. Then they will see our strengths. They must remember. The work of the Historical Committee is to remember the work of the fathers and to give the children a memory, shoulders to stand on.
The Historical Committee met twice in the past year. Several significant projects were accomplished. The list of pastoral assignments begun in 1874 has been computerized allowing us to access which pastors served in what churches and when. Now, this record is up to date and can be maintained yearly. We are rapidly moving toward having a computerized text of all of the minutes of Annual Conference beginning from the first publication in 1896 to the current Annual Conference. Our first essay contest was held to stimulate interest in research and to add to the collection of information we have available to us. A second contest has been announced. We have discarded the collection of old yearbooks which had been stored with the archives for many years. We retain seven full sets for future use.
While we continue to collect materials each year, much of our efforts are now given to the computerized preservation of our texts and pictures. Our goal is to be sure that the information of our past is preserved and available to those who wish to study it. Our work can be seen at the website, www.BFCHistory.org.
A reminder is important for all. The records of churches, boards and committees ought to be placed in the archives or they will be lost. They will be stuck in an old file cabinet to be tossed in a dumpster some cleaning day. Some do not want to part with their records but remember they will still be available to you. If they wind up in a dumpster, they will no longer be available.
Historical Committee: Jill Davidson, Chairperson; Richard E. Taylor, Archivist, Secretary; Harold P. Shelly, Robert W. Smock, David E. Thomann, Daniel G. Ziegler.