Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1995 - Rparchives.org

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHThe report of the Church History Committee was taken up. Item1 was referred to the Nominating Committee. Items 2 and 3 wereadopted. Item 4 was referred to the Committee on Finance. Thereport as a whole was approved and is as follows:REPORT OF THE CHURCH HISTORY COMMITTEEDear Fathers and Brethren:The Church History Committee would respectfully report:The major purpose for the creation of our committee by the 1994Synod was to encourage the collection, preservation, and use of historicalmaterial relating to the denomination.The committee has conferred by correspondence and telephone calls,had one partial meeting in the spring, and all of us met just before thismeeting of Synod. Members of the committee have met with Gerald Moran,Librarian of McCartney Library, Geneva College, with Rachel George, theSeminary Librarian, and with Louis Hutmire, the Stated Clerk, andfamiliarized ourselves with the Reformed Presbyterian historical materials forwhich they have responsibility.We have discussed a number of ways by which our assignment could becarried out.Official records are presently in the possession of the Stated Clerk andare available for public use. Both the Seminary and Geneva College havewide-ranging collections of books dealing with Reformed Presbyterian historyand bound files of its periodicals, and are glad to have this material used.Attention needs to be given to archival material, such as: correspondenceand papers dealing with activities of the denomination; letters and diariesrelevant to its history; unpublished histories of congregations and materialsthat reflect their life and history; photographs; and memorabilia.Some possibilities for the collection, preservation, and cataloguing ofsuch materials seem to be developing but arestill in the exploratory stage. Asthese possibilities materialize, which we hope will be soon, the committee willpublicize them through the Covenanter Witness.The committee was also asked to plan a suitable commemoration in1998 of the bicentennial of the establishment of the Reformed Presbytery inAmerica. We have begun to talk about possibilities and will be glad tocooperate with the proposal made in the report of the Business of SynodCommittee.Recommendations:1. That David A. Weir, whose term expires in 1996, be chosen to succeedhimself for a full term of six years.2. That Synod renew its encouragement to congregations and individuals tocooperate with the work of the committee.3. That congregations be encouraged to deposit their official records not nowin regular use with the Stated Clerk.6_L