Report of the Historical Committee
The Historical Committee met twice during the past year to fulfill its mandate from Annual Conference.
The Committee measures its progress not only in terms of projects completed but also in terms of projects proposed. It is often easier to propose projects than it is to do them. Most of the work that needs to be done demands a great deal of time. The projects move along slowly and often take several years. There are several projects under consideration at this time. The Committee plans to work in conjunction with the Boards of Publication and Printing and Christian Education to publish a series of Sunday School lessons that will acquaint people with our history and the issues with which we have wrestled. A copy of General Conference Minutes is being prepared and is nearing completion. The Committee is collecting copies of adjourned sessions of Annual Conference. It is easy to lose track of these meetings. Various audio-visual projects are being proposed that can be used in churches to tell our story to our members.
Most exciting for us this year is the near completion of the manuscript of a book on our history. Dr. Harold P. Shelly, professor at Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary, has been working on this manuscript for several years. The work is almost done. The committee is seeking a publisher at this time. It is the hope of the committee that this book will be available for purchase soon.
On occasion, people have asked for copies of past Year Books. The Historical Committee has enough to make some available for purchase. Prices and other details can be gotten from the archivist, Richard E. Taylor. The proceeds from the sale of Year Books will be used to fund the work of the Historical Committee.
The Historical Committee requests that you continue to seek for photographs, letters, writings, books and other material relating to our history. We desire to continue to add to our collection significant items which will help us to maintain our story. Thank you to all who have made contributions to the archives in the past year.
Historical Committee: Bright N. Heist, Chairman; Richard E. Taylor, Secretary and Archivist; Ralph N. Cole, Treasurer; Willard E. Cassel, Harold P. Shelly, Daniel G. Ziegler