Helps for Church Historians

As a local church historian, you play an invaluable role in the work of the Historical Center.
This section of our web page is set aside to help you. Comments and suggestions on making this web page more helpful would be greatly appreciated.

Important reminders for written histories:
1. Always use acid-free paper, which can now be easily obtained at your local office supply store. Prices range from $4 and up for a ream of paper (500 sheets). Just make sure the package states that the paper is acid-free.
2. Be sure to have the Elders of the church review and approve your history. The finished account should be signed by the historian and the Clerk or Moderator of Session.
3. Space is limited. When sending samples of your church's Sunday bulletins, we prefer that you not send more than perhaps a dozen for any given year. Bulletins for key events and occasions should also be included.
4. Deadlines: Many historians are helped by having a deadline, and the end of March is in fact often noted as a good target for submitting your annual church history. But the work of writing church history should be a labor of love for the Lord and His people. If doing this work well and to the best of your abilities means taking longer, then by all means do so. We are pleased to receive your work whenever you submit it, and it is common for us to receive church histories throughout the year.

Resources:
Celebrating Your Church's Anniversary - A working document presenting various ideas on how the celebration of a church anniversary.

Local Historian's Summary
- This form is one used by many of our WIC historians in reporting the completion of their work to the WIC Presbyterial.

What Difference Does Remembering Make? - A brief essay on the importance of church history.

Writing Church History: A Guideline for Local Church Historians - a web version of our basic instructional brochure, with a helpful checklist added at the end of the brochure.

Oral History Interviews: A Field Volunteer's Guide

Why An Oral History?, by Georgia Settle - An introduction to the conducting of oral history interviews. The older members of your church are a wonderful resource. This brochure will tell you how to go about preserving their memories.

Handbook for Historians - A fuller treatment on the work of writing church history. Currently this work is being updated. Photocopies of the original work may be requested as needed.



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