PRIMARY SOURCE Non Profit Organization American Baptist Historical Society U.S. Postage 3001 Mercer University Drive PAID Atlanta GA 30341 Athens, GA Permit No. 11 Volume 18, No. 4 Fall, 2020 Historical Society Transitions: New Members on Farewell to Two Staff Members ABHS Board of Managers At the end of December we will bid farewell to Felipe Candelaria is pastor two valued members of the ABHS team. of Iglesia Bautista de Quebrada in For almost nine years, Jan Winfield has been Puerto Rico. He has been on the ABHS’s voice on the phone, responder to emails, Board of General Ministries, the and poster on social media. Jan has prepared and ABC Biennial Planning sent countless church anniversary certificates and Committee, the Hispanic Caucus, member letters, coordinated arrangements for and the Puerto Rico Region Board of Managers meetings and ABHS Biennial Board. Meeting activities, and produced dozens of news- Beverly Fink has been active with ABHS for letters and fundraising mailings. If you’ve re- many years. “Because of my long involvement ceived it from ABHS, Jan has probably touched it! and interest in American During her tenure Jan developed an apprecia- Baptists, I appreciate and value tion of Baptist history and a particular love of the work of the Historical Association records. Among staff, Jan most Join the Transcription Project! Society, “ she said recently. “I frequently responds to research-by-mail requests, searching the archives to answer questions from In the archives there are numerous congregational record count it a privilege to be on the people who are not in a position to do on-site books dating from the late-17th- to early-20th-centuries. Board of Managers as it gives me research. Because they are handwritten, they are not searchable a first-hand view of what is Jan had earned a Masters of Religious Studies electronically, so finding information can be a laborious task. Our Vision happening behind the scenes. The more I see, the from Pacific School of Religion before her 18-year This is where you come in: We invite you to help us more respect I have for those who have preceded The American Baptist career with the General Board of Global Ministries transcribe these records using the crowd-sourcing platform me in all areas of our faith.“ Bev is currently the of the United Methodist church. Her knowledge Zooniverse. You’ll see images of the pages and type in your Historical Society, coordinator of the Advanced Placement program and experience of the wider Christian church has transcription. This work will result in a version of the at Manhattan High School, Manhattan, KS. as a premier religious often benefitted ABHS. In addition to her records that can be searched for names or keywords, helping Janice Fletcher resides in Rhode Island, and is a administrative skills, Jan’s unfailingly positive genealogists and other researchers in their work. historical society, member of First Baptist Church of East attitude is a real blessing. We wish Jan a very The only requirements for participating in this project are Greenwich. Her experience on the Board of advances Baptist identity, satisfying retirement! a computer (it will not work on phones) and the ability to General Ministries and ABC World Relief In her time at ABHS, Jill Sweetapple has read cursive handwriting. Come transcribe online: bit.ly/ promotes historical literacy, Committee as well as Rhode Island ABHS_transcription_project. and thereby inspires spiritual regional committees gives her a perspective on Baptist history. “I Support the American Baptist Historical Society as and social transformation. have never been directly involved you shop this holiday season: with an Historical Committee, but have a strong background and If you shop on Amazon, please use Smile.Amazon.com to interest in history. After retiring designate the American Baptist Historical Society to receive a small donation each time you shop. (Continued on page 6) Jill Sweetapple, left, (Continued on page 2) and Jan Winfield, right Church Anniversaries Join the Historical Society and October—December Become a Time Traveler We celebrate the faithful ministry of American 125 years First Baptist Church of Attleboro, MA; Baptist Congregations and their pastors! The American Baptist Historical Society membership Rev. Cheryl Harris, pastor following churches mark anniversaries this circles are named for some of our significant quarter: 100 years Baptist forebears. 275 years Lynhurst Baptist Church of Indianapolis, IN; First Baptist Church of Hightstown, NJ; Rev. Benjamin Wakefield, pastor Membership Circles Annual Yes! I/We want to join the Rev. Bruce J. Wood, pastor Queen Missionary Baptist Church, Marks, MS; Rev. Bernard Handy, pastor (Memberships are for the Gift of American Baptist Historical Society. 200 years calendar year) Please Print First Baptist Church of New Albany, IN; 75 years New Era Church of Indianapolis, IN; $1-50 Dr. James G. Ivey, pastor Ann Hasseltine Judson Circle Name Second Baptist Church of Bowdoinham, ME; Rev. Clarence C. Moore, pastor subscription (digital or print) to Primary Source Rev. John P. Ross, pastor 50 years Email $51-125 175 years Mid-American Baptist Churches of Iowa and Henry Lyman Morehouse Circle Address Underwood Memorial Baptist Church of Minnesota; Rev. Jacquline L. Saxton, Executive subscription (digital or print) to Primary Source Minister Wauwatosa, WI; Rev. Jason Mack, pastor participation in “Time Travelers,” reciprocal museum/ Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, archives program http://timetravelers.mohistory.org/ 150 years Denver, CO; Rev. Dr. John LaMar Tellis, Jr., First Baptist Church of Council Grove, KS; pastor Louise “Lulu” Cecilia Fleming Circle $126-250 Telephone Rev. Christopher L. C. Carlson, pastor If your church is celebrating a significant benefits listed above, plus Baptist Church, South Haven, MI; Jerry Koller, Birthdate anniversary, request a certificate from ABHS. 1 hour of “Research-by-mail” discounted by 50% pastor Under what name(s) would you like your listing as donor in annual report donation to be acknowledged? (Continued from page 1) $251-500 Jitsuo Morikawa Circle “moved us forward by eons” (as former ABHS benefits listed above, plus president and volunteer Garth Brokaw put it) in her expert processing of both backlogged and Baptist history publication -- potluck! Membership $ new collections. Shortly after her arrival, Jill pair of tickets to Biennial breakfast American Baptist Quarterly subscription: staffed the ABHS booth at the ABC Biennial Samuel DeWitt Proctor Circle $501-1000 $50/annually $ Mission Summit in Portland, OR, beginning her Add $75/year for postage to Canada, Primary Source familiarity with the American Baptist community. benefits listed above, plus $100/year to other non-US countries is published quarterly by the Over the course of 3-½ years, she has processed subscription to American Baptist Quarterly discounted by 50% Gift to Endowment $ American Baptist Historical Society dozens of collections, organizing, indexing, and Priscilla E. Eppinger, Executive Director Helen Barrett Montgomery Circle $1001-5000 Total enclosed $ Jill Sweetapple, Head of Archives & Special Collections cataloging thousands of folders of materials. Jill Jenny L. Manasco, Digital Collections Specialist delved in to the ArchivesSpace cataloging soft- benefits listed above, plus Make checks payable to ABHS and send to: Jan Winfield, Office Manager ware and, in tandem with digital archivist Jenny Kay Eland, Financial and Subscription Secretary private archives tour (subject to staff availability) ABHS, 1015 9th Ave., King of Prussia, PA, 19406. Manasco, added hundreds of catalog records to Denise Hanusek, Rare Book Cataloguer To use a credit card go to our Website: www.ABHSarchives.org our online catalog. Materials archived at ABHS Samuel Colgate Donors $5001 & above website: www.ABHSarchives.org. For Research appointments, donations to collections, are far more accessible because of Jill’s work. and select “Give Now.” reference desk, general questions: (678) 547-6680 or The M.S. in Library and Information Studies benefits listed above, plus [email protected] 2 hours free consultation with staff archivist For ABHS memberships or American Baptist Quarterly and 8 years experience as a professional archivist subscriptions: (610) 768-2269 or [email protected] that Jill came with, as well as her “can-do” Living Heritage Society inclusion in ABHS is a 501(c)(3) organization; your Postal Address: 3001 Mercer University Drive attitude, have served her well. We deeply estate plan membership is tax-deductible to the full extent of Atlanta, GA 30341 appreciate Jill’s work with ABHS and wish her Location and shipping address for non-USPS carriers: inclusion on a special plaque in ABHS Reading Room the law. well in her future endeavors. 2930 Flowers Road South, Suite 150 ABQ subscriptions are not tax-deductible. Atlanta, GA 30341 2 7 (Continued from page 1) After practicing psychology in from a teaching career I took over the Office Chicago, James Napolitan (M.A., ABHS copies of Philadelphia Confession of Manager/Secretary position at my local Ph.D. University of Illinois, Chicago) church. ABHS information and the American became a commodities trader at the Faith and Rauschenbusch’s Christianity and Baptist Quarterly passed over my desk on a Chicago Mercantile Exchange. “My regular basis and made for very interesting mother had attended the Baptist reading. This led me to realize how important it is Missionary Training School in the Social Crisis exhibited in Geneva Chicago,” James says. “I was interested in what to preserve historical information. By working From Gabriel de Montmollin, Head of the International Museum of the information they had on the college and lo and with ABHS I am hoping to be able to contribute to Reformation: We are very proud to be able to present two behold, they had whole boxes of archives! I that purpose.” emblematic works of your Society in our exhibition “Calvin in found materials written by my mother as the class Josué Gómez-Menéndez is the America” in the International Museum of the Reformation.