How stories become history at the Community of Christ Archives

By Rachel Killebrew, World Church Library Director at International Headquarters. 

When John Hamer told me about the “Onward Together” book and plans to share the stories of members, congregations, and camps engaged in mission across Canada, past and present, I was thrilled!   What an incredible way to preserve and celebrate our treasured church heritage. My mind instantly raced to the many resources contained in our archives that might aid in this effort: videos, pamphlets, periodicals, congregational histories, official reports, correspondence, and more. Knowing John’s time here at the archives is limited, we considered how we could support this Canadian initiative from afar.

For example, we have a variety of indexes that can be shared remotely that can help us track down documents specific to Canada. Many documents and photos in the archives have already been digitized, so sharing files is easy.  And if something needed hasn’t been scanned, we are blessed to have an excellent team of volunteers that is always ready to do the job.  This is a big project with many possibilities to consider — but it all leads back to the excitement of a book that will be shared with you, and with our archives, to bless future generations.

This is the heart of what we do.  At the library-archives, we collect and preserve materials that tell our church history.  When a congregation like Corinth is celebrating their 150th anniversary (like they did last month), we can pull the files we have here to support them.  We can help members trace their genealogy and discover their own family history.  Whether you are researching the development of church beliefs and practices or preparing for a Sunday service, we’re here to help.  Our archive is composed of the stories, materials, and resources that you collect and share.

Please save your photos — and label them. Save precious memories from key moments of your congregation’s story. When you donate items to the archives, we attempt to digitize, organize, and properly store the hard copies for future generations to access. When our members need assistance or resources, they reach out and we complete a survey and devise a plan that will provide them with the needed resources in a way that fits their capabilities. We are happy to help people remotely via mail, email or in person when they are in Independence. 

What are some of the ways you are sharing mission?  Tell your story and share it with us so that generations to come can know who you are and what matters most to you.  Your own story is church history.  We invite you to preserve your personal church story in the format of an oral history.  If your congregation does not have a congregational historian, consider who you might recruit. 

Along with your Canadian historians, John Hamer and Steve Thompson, I’ll help set them up with the materials they need to get started.  And if you already have a historian, send us your annual reports — we can’t wait to receive them! Lastly, please share the story of the archives and how we can help others.  By working together as a community, we can share and preserve the blessings of our memories for future generations.

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