New York State Council of Churches Records

An inventory of its records at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	New York State Council of Churches.
Title:	New York State Council of Churches Records
Inclusive Dates:	1934-1968
Quantity:	10.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Correspondence, agendas, minutes, memoranda, reports, printed material, and other papers relating to the Council's positions on such legislative issues as abortion, church and state relations, civil rights, family relations, labor, pornography, and Christian education.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 http://scrc.syr.edu

Biographical History

The New York State Council of Churches is an outgrowth of the mid-nineteenth century State Sunday School Association which was incorporated in 1889 as the New York State Sunday School Association. In 1930, its field no longer being limited to Sunday schools, the organization's name was changed to the New York State Council of Religious Education. In the late 1930's, this group joined with a State Council of churches, then in its infancy, and after the merger in 1938 became known as the New York State Council of Churches.

Today, the New York State Council of Churches is an organization of twenty-one Protestant denominations in the state, active in the fields of Christian education, youth programs, legislation and migrant worker welfare. It serves pastors through training programs, is the recognized state agency for Protestant chaplain appointments for New York State institutions and gives aid to town and country churches in building Christian communities.

The program, budget and leadership of The Council is determined by action taken at the Annual Assembly which consists of 121 delegates from constituent denominational groups and 70 additional delegates appointed by councils of churches at the city or county level. Constituent bodies are further represented through membership on the Board of Directors and in program divisions. A staff of seven at the State Council office in Syracuse includes (1) a General Secretary, (2) an Associate General Secretary, and (3) a Director of Endowment Development and Press Secretary as well as program directors for (4) Christian Education, (5) Life and Work, (6) Church Planning and Mission and (7) Church Planning and Development, the last named office combined with that of Director of Leisure Time Commission.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The New York State Council of Churches Records, consisting of correspondence, mimeographed material and a small number of manuscripts, is divided into three groups according to office of origin, titled Associate General Secretary's Office, Division of Christian Education and Division of Church Planning & Mission .

The material from the Associate General Secretary's Office includes the correspondence of Theodore L. Conklin, associate general secretary of the Council, typescript minutes of meetings, manuscripts by Theodore L. Conklin, Dean M. Kelley, Harry Confoy, Paul W. Rishell, Lewis N. Powell and Arthur Mielke, and miscellaneous mimeographed material such as memoranda, minutes, agenda, and reports. All the material is arranged alphabetically by subject and pertains to New York State legislative issues and bills, the New York State 1967 Constitutional Convention issues, annual meetings, committee meetings, staff meetings, Business Administration Commission meetings, legislative seminars, Human Rights Commission activities, Legislative Commission activities, legislative seminars, migrant ministry activities, public relations and development and related subjects. Also included are a chronological file of mimeographed material, 1966-1969, issued by The Council and a file of the State Council Reporter, 194}1968, published by the Council. Folders containing correspondence are appropriately labeled. Significant correspondents include Leon M. Adkins, Jr., 1963-1966; James E. Allen, Jr., 1963-1966; Edwin T. Dahlberg, 1959-1963; J. Ralph Davie, 1954-1958; Robert R. Douglass, 1966; James A. Farley, 1966; Lawrence J. Holt, 1964-1967; Lee A. Howe, Jr., 1960-1961; Robert F. Kennedy, 1966; John V.P. Lassoe, Jr., 1965-1967; Stuart MacMacklin, 1959-1964; Arthur Mielke, 1965-1967; Bishop Malcolm Peabody, 1956-1959; Dutton S. Peterson, 1958-1964; Fred N. Poulton, 1965; Paul W. Rishell, 1957-1966; Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1960-1967; William E. Smith, 1959-1960; Ralph W. Sockman, 1958; John H. Terry, 1966-1967; Anthony J. Travia, 1959-1966 and A. Pennington Whitehead, 1953-1954.

The Division of Christian Education material, 1954-1968, consists of mimeographed material and one letter, arranged alphabetically by subject. The subjects covered are related to the division's Adult Commission, Children's Commission, Higher Education Commission, Leadership Education Division, Youth Commission and Youth Security Commission. Memoranda, minutes of meetings and reports are included.

The Division of Church Planning Mission material, 1966-1968, consists of a small group of mimeographed reports.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Material is arranged alphabetically within each series.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

1970: Collection may not be used without the written permission of the general secretary of the New York State Community of Churches (formerly the New York State Council of Churches). Any such written permission documents will be retained by SCRC.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has numerous collections relating to New York church and clergy. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

New York State Council of Churches Records
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library

Acquisition Information

Gift of New York State Council of Churches, October, 1968

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MFA
Date: Mar 1969
Revision history: 27 Jul 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC)

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Inventory

	Associate General Secretary's Office
		RESTRICTED: 1970: The collection may not be used without the written permission of the general secretary of the New York State Community of Churches (formerly the New York State Council of Churches). Any such written permission documents will be retained by SCRC.
Box 1		History and Constitution of The Council
Box 1		Abortion law 1966-1967
Box 1		Aging, Problems of the 1959-1960
Box 1		Aid to education (federal) 1961
Box 1		Aid to education (state) 1961
Box 1		Air Force Manual charge 1961
Box 1		Alcoholic beverage control laws 1963-1964
Box 1		Alcoholism 1953-1955
Box 1		Association of Council Secretaries 1962
Box 2		Baptist Commission on Social Relations 1954-1958
Box 2		Bingo undated
Box 2		Birth control 1959
Box 2		Boy Scouts of America
Box 2		Budget planning
		Business Administration Commission
Box 2			1951-1965 (3 folders)
Box 3			1966-1969 (2 folders)
Box 3		Capital punishment 1934-1962 - includes statement on capital punishment by Theodore L. Conklin, typescript
Box 3		Centennial campaign
		Champlain Valley, 350th anniversary celebration
Box 3			Correspondence 1958-1960
Box 3			Miscellaneous - includes "Out of the North Country" by Lewis N. Powell, typescript copy
Box 3		Church-state parochial schools 1959-1961
Box 4		Churchmen's International Consultation 1965-1968
Box 4		Civil rights 1963
Box 4		Civilian defense chaplains 1953-1960
		New York State Constitutional Convention Committee 1967
Box 4			Correspondence Oct 1966-Oct 1967 (3 folders)
Box 4			Minutes and meetings
Box 4			Statements by Theodore L. Conklin, Arthur Mielke and others - typescript drafts
Box 4			Position papers
Box 5			Miscellaneous (2 folders)
Box 5			News clippings
Box 5		Cooperstown proposal
		Denominational-interdenominational staff conferences
Box 5			Correspondence 1964-1966
Box 5			Miscellaneous
Box 6		Endowment campaign 1961-1962
Box 6		Equal Moral Standard Amendment 1963-1964
Box 6		Family justice 1965
Box 6		Finance promotion data 1954-1958
		Gambling
Box 6			Correspondence 1954-1962
			News clippings
Box 6				1951-1965 (3 folders)
Box 7				Undated
Box 7		Health and welfare
Box 7		Hospital employees 1963
		Human Rights Commission
Box 7			Correspondence 1967-1968
			Report to the governor - typescript reproductions
Box 7				Draft A Jan 1968
Box 7				Draft B Feb 1968
Box 7				Draft C Mar 1968
Box 7		Keuka College National Development Program 1964-1965
		Legislative Commission 1965
			Correspondence
Box 7				1964
Box 8				1965
Box 8			Miscellaneous (2 folders)
		Legislative Commission 1966
			Correspondence
Box 8				Nov 1965-Mar 1966
Box 9				Apr-Nov 1966
Box 9			Minutes and meetings
Box 9			Miscellaneous
		Legislative Commission releases - typescript copies and reproductions
Box 9			1955-1961 (3 folders)
Box 10			1962-1964
		Legislative seminars
Box 10			1951-1963 (6 folders)
Box 11			1964-1965 (2 folders)
Box 11		Lisle Fellowship 1965-1966
		Lottery
			Correspondence
Box 11				Jun 1965-Sep 1966 (3 folders)
Box 12				Oct-Dec 1966
Box 12			Miscellaneous, - includes "Why Take A Chance" by Paul W. Rishell, typescript and printed material, revisions
Box 12			News clippings
		Lottery, Committee of 100,000 Against the Lottery Amendment
Box 12			Correspondence 1966-1967
Box 12			Miscellaneous - includes memorandum opposing Lottery Amendment by Theodore L. Conklin, typescript
Box 12		Lottery, National 1957-1958
Box 12		Lottery, New York City 1966
		Lottery, State Committee Against
Box 12			Correspondence 1966
Box 13			Miscellaneous
Box 13		Mass communications
Box 13		Matrimonial and family laws 1959-1963
		Meetings
			Annual Assembly
Box 13				1946-1962 (3 folders)
Box 14				1963-1966 (4 folders)
Box 14			Board of Directors, Executive Committee 1966
Box 14			Staff 1963-1968 (3 folders)
Box 15			Trustees 1954
Box 15		Migrant Ministry - includes photographs
		Mimeographed material
Box 15			Dec 1966-Aug 1967 (5 folders)
Box 16			Sep 1967-1969 (6 folders)
Box 17		Narcotics 1960
Box 17		National Council of Churches 1950
Box 17		New York Board of Rabbis 1958
Box 17		New York State Assembly and Senate bills re labor
		New York State Assembly bills 1966
Box 17			Intro. 2-1432
Box 17			Intro. 1438-2889
Box 17			Intro. 2909-4053
Box 18			Intro. 4056-4673
		New York State Senate bills 1966
Box 18			Intro. 23-1346
Box 18			Intro. 1349-2620
Box 18			Intro. 2661-3953
Box 18			Intro. 3954-4877
		New York State Assembly and Senate joint bills 1966
Box 19			Intro. 395-4798
Box 19		New York State Legislature bill summaries 1958-1967 (10 folders)
Box 20		New York State Women's Relief Corps Home 1959-1960
Box 20		Nominating commission 1961-1963
Box 20		Nuclear warfare
Box 20		Obscene literature 1961
Box 20		The One Hundred Club 1958
Box 20		Parental responsibility
Box 20		Penal law and criminal code
Box 20		Policy Committee 1953-1961 (2 folders)
		Prayer in the schools
Box 20			Correspondence 1963-1965
Box 20			Miscellaneous - includes "Supreme Court on Prayer - the Churches React" by Dean M. Kelley and anonymous statements, typescript
Box 20			News clippings
Box 21		Public education
		Public relations and development
Box 21			Correspondence 1955-1960
Box 21			Meetings and minutes
Box 21			Miscellaneous
Box 21		Racial discrimination and segregation 1958 - includes "One Country, One Classroom" by Harry Confoy; "Brothers," anonymous; typescripts
Box 21		Radio program, "Voice of the Rural Church," phonograph records
Box 21		Religious issue, presidential campaign 1960
		Reports
Box 22			Annual 1948, 1951-1967 (4 folders)
Box 22			Financial 1966-1967
Box 22		Right wing extremism 1960
Box 22		Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1957
Box 22		Sex education
Box 22		Staff salaries and responsibilities
		State Council Reporter
Box 22			1943-1959 (3 folders)
Box 23			1960-1969 (3 folders)
Box 23		Stillwater First Baptist Church 1955-1961
		Study Committee
Box 23			Correspondence 1960
Box 23			Miscellaneous 1959-1961
Box 23		Sunday laws
Box 23		Syracuse University American Assembly 1967
Box 23		United Church Women of New York State
Box 24		Youth in the Courts, , 1956-1958 - includes "Dealing with Juvenile Delinquency" by Theodore L. Conklin, typescript
Box 24		Miscellaneous news clippings

	Division of Christian Education 1934-1968
Box 24		General division material
Box 24		Adult Commission
Box 24		Camp and conference
Box 24		Children's Commission
Box 24		Higher Education Commission
Box 24		Leadership education
Box 24		Mentally retarded, religious training for
Box 24		Social crisis
Box 25		Vacation Church School
Box 25		Weekday religious education
Box 25		Young Citizens Camp
		Youth Commission
Box 25			Miscellaneous material 1964-1965
Box 25			Minutes of meetings
Box 25		Youth Security Commission

	Division of Church Planning and Mission 1934-1968
Box 25		Census, Religious
Box 25		Federation
Box 25		Leisure time
Box 25		The rural church
Box 25		The Church Center

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