Describing Archives: A Content Standard

NTE2cg314.xml Guide to the Pullman Community Congregational Church Records 1886-1974 Pullman Community Congregational Church Records Finding aid prepared by Lawrence Stark Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2022 Finding aid encoded by Suzanne James-Bacon. 2022 Finding aid written in English. English. Finding aid based on DACS 2nd Edition ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections Cage 314 Community Congregational Church (Pullman, Wash.) Pullman Community Congregational Church Records 1886-1974 6 Linear feet of shelf space 36 Volumes + 7 Boxes The Pullman Community Congregational Church records consist of correspondence, membership lists, organizational documents, minutes, financial records, printed materials, reports, records of the acts of the church, records of auxiliary women and young peoples societies, and photographs of church buildings. Collection materials are in English

The Pullman Community Congregational Church was originally incorporated in 1886 as the First Congregational Church of Pullman. It was the first church formally organized in Pullman, although a loosely-organized Methodist congregation preceded it by four years. The Congregationalists located their church building at the corner of High and Paradise Streets on Pullman's Pioneer Hill, rebuilding at the same location when their structure burned in the fire which destroyed much of the town in 1890. The church entered into a federation with a Pullman Baptist congregation in 1913, after which a new building was constructed on the outskirts of the Washington State University campus. The federation, however, tended to be heavily dominated by the Congregationalist element; consequently the Baptist congregation lost the recognition of the Baptist conventions. This resulted in the creation of a new and separate Baptist congregation and virtual nullification of the federation. Recognizing that the Federated Church was in reality but another manifestation of the First Congregational Church, the pastor and officers reincorporated the organization as the Community Congregational Church in 1937. The Community Congregational Church continued to use the Federated Church buildings and facilities after 1937. In 1954, the old Federated Church building was converted to meeting rooms and a new church building was constructed in an adjacent location. In 1961, the church entered into the United Church of Christ, a national denomination encompassing Congregational and Reformed churches. In 1990, the church drafted a constitution and in 1999 the church underwent renovation. As early as 1954, the church's Women's Fellowship opened The Thrift Shop, which is still in business as of 2017. It is Pullman's oldest second hand clothing store.

The Community Congregational Church records consist of thirty-six volumes in which have been entered membership rolls, minutes of meetings, financial records, and the acts of the church; and approximately 1280 items of correspondence, membership lists, financial records, minutes, resolutions, printed materials and photographs. Although the earliest records date from 1886, these appear to have been transcribed in 1891, possibly because of the loss of the earlier records in a fire which destroyed the church edifice in 1890. The earlier records--those in bound form--are principally concerned with recording formal acts of the church, such as minutes of meetings and lists of officers and members. Later records include some correspondence, memoranda and fuller documentation of activities of the church and of the persons who served as pastors and officers. Significant correspondents, other than pastors, include Edward F. Gaines, Carl Milton Brewster and Otho West.

The arrangement of the records is based on the different practices of record keeping used by the church. These practices result in the records being ordered in two series, one series of record books and a second series of other. Generally, the church's early records are found in the bound volumes, while foldered items record later events. A considerable chronological overlap exists, nevertheless. Within each series are found several subseries, the most important of which consists of membership records, minutes, correspondence, financial records and church publications. Material within the various subseries is generally arranged in a chronological sequence.

This collection is open and available for research use.

[Item description]

Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1886-1974 (Cage 314)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

The records of the Community Congregational Church of Pullman were donated to the Washington State University Library in April and May 1975 through the office of the church historian, Mr. Leonard Young. Additional records were received in Sept. 1975.

Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1891-1978 (Cage 448)

Blackburn Collection of Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1961-1977 (Cage 480)

Preliminary Guide to the Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1914-2013 (MSSM.038)

West, Otho. I Remember and the Congregationalists. Pullman, Wash.: Community Congregational Church, 1970

Community Congregational United Church of Christ. Centennial History, 1886-1986 : Community Congregational United Church of Christ, Pullman, Washington. [Community Congregational United Church]; 1986.

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Community Congregational Church (Pullman, Wash.) -- Records and correspondence Community Congregational United Church of Christ (Pullman, Wash.) -- Records and correspondence Community Congregational United Church of Christ (Pullman, Wash.) Congregational churches -- Washington (State) -- Pullman -- Records and correspondence Church records and registers -- Washington (State) -- Pullman Religion Washington (State) Series 1: Record Books SubSeries 1.1: General Records 1 Pastors 1886-1918 1 Deacons 1886-1908 1 Finance Board 1901-1904 1 Trustees 1886-1907 1 Clerks 1886-1903 1 Treasurers 1886-1903 1 Sunday School Superintendents 1886-1903 1 Organists 1891-1898 1 Choir Leaders 1891 1 Ushers 1892-1904 1 Infant Baptisms 1892-1903 1 Members received 1886-1903 1 Members removed 1887-1902 1 Marriages 1891-1906 1 Charities and expenses 1891-1894 1 Annual Church Statistics 1891-1897 1 Annual Sunday School Statistics 1891-1903 1 Minutes 1886 1891-1903 1 Principals of Organization. 2 Pastors 1886-1971 2 Deacons 1910-1919 2 Deaconesses 1910-1919 2 Trustees 1910-1919 2 Finance Board 1902-1905 2 Clerks 1903-1917 2 Treasurers 1903-1913 2 Sunday School Superintendents 1895-1913 2 Organists 1897-1913 2 Church Board 1903-1913 2 Ushers 1903-1914 2 Delegates 1905-1911 2 Baptisms 1903-1915 2 Members received 1886-1928 2 Marriages 1905 SubSeries 1.2: Minutes 3 General meeting 1903-1926 4 General meeting and committees 1917-1921, circa 1950 5 General meeting 1922-1926 6 Minutes, documents and "history", relative to Federation 1913-1914 7 Executive Board, Federated Church 1913-1917 8 Executive Board, Federated Church 1923-1933 9 Board of Trustees 1936-1941 10 Executive Board 1941-1952 11 Executive Board 1945-1952 12 Executive Board 1953-1955 13 Board of Trustees Oct 1955-Sept 1956 14 Board of Trustees Oct 1956-Sept 1957 14b Board of Trustees Oct 1957 – Sept 1958 14c Board of Trustees Oct 1958 – Sept 1959 14d Board of Trustees Oct 1959 – Oct 1960 SubSeries 1.3: Financial Records 15 Pledges and payments 1899-1904 16 Pledges and receipts 1907-1908 17 Pledges and receipts 1909 18 Treasurer's accounts 1903-1912 19 Pledges and receipts 1944-1948 20 Receipts and expenses 1947-1954 21 Reciepts and expenses 1954-1961 22 Receipts and expenses 1959-1964 SubSeries 1.4: Sunday School 23 Attendence and financial records 1939-1940 SubSeries 1.5: Women's Society 24 Minutes 1902-1913 25 Minutes 1917-1923 26 Minutes 1923-1931 27 Minutes 1936-1942 28 Treasurer's records 1919-1924 SubSeries 1.6: Young People's Society 29 Membership, minutes 1900-1907, 1915 30 Minutes 1913-1914 31 Pilgrim Club, membership 1958 31b Pilgrim Club, minutes 1959-1970 SubSeries 1.7: Scrapbook 32 Summer camp at Lake Coeur d'Alene circa 1955 Series 2: Records SubSeries 2.1: Articles of incorporation 1 1 Articles of incorporation, by-laws, articles of federation and other constitutional documents 1886-1970 15 items SubSeries 2.2: Reports 1 2 Reports to the Congregational Year Book 1918-1963 15 items 1 3 Annual report to congregation 1949-1974 25 items SubSeries 2.3: Correspondence 2 4 1894-1919 2 5 1920-1936 2 6 1937-1948 2 7 1949-1961 2 8 1962-1963 2 9 1964-1973 SubSeries 2.4: Resolutions, minutes, ballots, committee reports 3 10 1921-1952 20 items 3 11 1952-1954 30 items 3 12 1960-1962 30 items 3 13 1962-1973 30 items 3 14 undated 20 items SubSeries 2.5: Membership Lists 3 15 Lists and rosters 1920-circa 1970 50 items 3 16 Applications for memberships, transfers 1949-1965 65 items SubSeries 2.6: Financial Records 4 17 1907-1939 50 items 4 18 1940-1949 50 items 4 19 1950 10 items 4 20-28 1951-1959 80 items 5 29-42 1960-1973 140 items 5 43 undated 10 items SubSeries 2.7: Printed Materials and Photographs 6 44 Weekly service bulletins 1891-1964 50 items Newsletters 6 45 Congregational Way 1944-1945 6 45 Communicator 1956-1969 6 46 Offering envelopes 1891-1894 20 items 6 47 Publicity materials circa 1940-1960 10 items 7 48 Brochures relative to union with United Church of Christ 1961 50 items 7 49 Photographs, descriptive materials circa 1950-1970. 15 items SubSeries 2.8: Additional Records 7 50 Correspondence, minutes and resolutions, financial records 1961-1965 125 items