Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Church of the People records, 1925-1980
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Church of the People (Seattle, Wash.)
- Title
- Church of the People records
- Dates
- 1925-1980 (inclusive)19251980
1934-1955 (bulk)19341955 - Quantity
- 1.68 cubic feet (4 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 1206 (Accession No. 1206-007)
- Summary
- Non-sectarian social activist Church in Seattle, founded by Fred W. Shorter in 1934; disbanded, 1956
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In 1934 Reverend Fred Shorter was a pastor at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Seattle. His services were finally terminated that year over a series of controversial murals that Shorter had commissioned to be painted in the interior of the Pilgrim church sanctuary. Following this public controversy, Fred and his wife - Awilda “Billie” Shorter - founded the Church of the People. Based on the Shorters’ own ideals of fighting for social justice, upholding civil rights, Marxism, pacifism, and international and interracial brotherhood, the Church of the People was a non-sectarian institution that welcomed not only all Christians but anyone who ascribed to their principles. Besides worship services and church fellowship, the Church of the People was also involved in community programs, such as the People’s Forum, and supported various activist campaigns. In 1949 the Church founded the All People’s Student Center. This was an institution built both as lodging for international exchange students and also as a youth activity center where American and international students would have the opportunity to meet and socialize. Fred Shorter retired from the Church in 1956 after a series of illnesses. After the Shorters’ move to California, the Church suffered a crisis in leadership, being unable to hire a new permanent pastor. Lay services continued sporadically through the year, but after that year the Church fell into inactivity In 1957 Fred and Awilda Shorter founded the Shorter Trust Fund. This fund was created to provide for the Shorters’ retirement and also to manage the distribution of the estate after their death. The fund operated until 1980.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The total size of this accession is 1.68 cubic feet. The dates of the materials range from 1925 to 1980. The bulk of the material is from the years 1934 to 1956, the period of the Church’s activity. All materials from 1957 onward are documents of the Shorter Trust Fund.
A sizeable amount of the collection consists of newsletters. The records contain an almost complete collection of all 20 volumes of the Church of the People’s newsletter, The New Religious Frontier.
Because of the Church’s involvement in social issues, the accession contains much material on various activist campaigns in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. These include: anti-war, anti-bomb, anti-draft and pacifist campaigns; materials on Marxism, socialism, communism, and Russia (though this material tapers off after the 1930’s); pro-union and pro-labor struggles, the work of civil rights campaigns, including some of the work of the American Civil Liberties Union; and various charity causes.
The writings and sermons of Fred Shorter form a significant part of the accession, both in the form of published pamphlets as well as typewritten drafts and handwritten notes for many of his speeches. Also, because of Fred Shorter’s interest in internationalism and interfaith unity, his writings include a great deal of material on other religions – particularly Asian (i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism).
The collection also contains Shorter’s notes and writings on his 1937 trip to the U.S.S.R. These writings record his observations and impressions of many aspects of life and culture in Soviet Russia. The collection also contains two items related to the 1919 Armistice Day tragedy in Centralia, Washington. These are a report published jointly by a number of national religious councils and a 1939 clipping regarding the release of one of the men charged and imprisoned for involvement in the 1919 shootings.
Most of the records on the All-Peoples Student Center are financial in nature and date from the first years of operation, 1949 and 1950.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Historical Features | 1944 |
| 1/2-3 | Organizational Features | undated |
| 1/4-5 | Incoming Letters | 1934-1935 |
| 1/6 | Outgoing Letters | 1934, 1938 |
| 1/7 | General Correspondence | 1937-1954 |
| 1/8 | Intraorganizational Correspondence - Mailings to Church Members | 1936-1956 |
| 1/9-10 | Membership Lists | 1937, 1947 |
| 1/11 | Church of the People Newsletter | 1936 |
| 1/12-2/11 | The New Religious Frontier newsletter | 1937-1956 |
| 2/12 | Church News and Notes newsletter | 1953-1955 |
| 2/13 | Newsletters of Other Organizations | 1941-1949 |
| 3/1 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Asian Religions | undated |
| 3/2 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Church of the People | 1934, 1949-1950 |
| 3/3 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Gandhi, Mohandas (Mahatma) | 1948-1950 |
| 3/4 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Lincoln, Abraham | 1946-1950 |
| 3/5 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Marx, Communism and Christianity | 1947 |
| 3/6 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Schweitzer, Albert | undated |
| 3/7 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Tolstoi, Leo | 1947 |
| 3/8 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter re: Trip to Russia | 1937 |
| 3/9 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter: Journals of Trips to Russia | 1937 |
| 3/10 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter: Published Addresses | 1940-1942 |
| 3/11-12 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter: Sermons | 1943, 1950-1952 |
| 3/13 | Speeches and Writings of Rev. Fred Shorter: Memorial for Congressman Zioncheck | 1938 |
| 4/1 | Speeches and Writings | 1925-1955 |
| 4/2 | Christian Century Pulpit publication | 1935 |
| 4/3 | Humanist World publication | 1950 |
| 4/4 | Radical Religion publication | 1936 |
| 4/5 | Unity publication | 1935-1936 |
| 4/6 | Budgets | 1937, 1941, 1948 |
| 4/7 | Reports | 1949, 1954 |
| 4/8 | Legislation - State of Washington | undated |
| 4/9 | Programs | 1940-1955 |
| 4/10-11 | Poems and Hymns | undated |
| 4/12 | Pilgrim Congregational Church Interior - photographs | undated |
| 4/13 | Unidentified photographs | undated |
| 4/14 | Centralia Case | 1930, 1939 |
| 4/15 | Evergreen Cooperative | 1949-1951 |
| 4/16 | Fellowship of Reconciliation | 1949-1951 |
| 4/17 | People's Forum Foundation | undated |
| 4/18-20 | Clippings | 1935-1950 |
| 4/21 | Ephemera | 1944 |
| 4/22 | All-Peoples Student Center general correspondence | 1948-1956 |
| 4/23 | All-Peoples Student Center speeches and writings | undated |
| 4/24 | All-Peoples Student Center financial records | 1949-1950 |
| 4/25 | All-Peoples Student Center inventory | 1949 |
| 4/26 | All-Peoples Student Center records of room occupancy | 1949 |
| 4/27 | All-Peoples Student Center ephemera | undated |
| 4/28 | Shorter (Fred and Awilda) Trust Fund | 1957-1980 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- Church of the People (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Shorter, Fred W., d. 1964 (creator)
