"What is Your Authority?" Dr. CLS - "Forerunners and Fulfillers" Dr. CLS, 1964 Dec 6,13

The First Regular Baptist Church, located in Dayton, Ohio, was organized in May 1824 and is still an active member of the Dayton community. The collection documents a long history in Dayton and includes church council minutes, board minutes, annual reports, church publications, constitution, resolutions, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photos, and business record. The records document the creation of the church to present day. The records are organized into seven series and two subseries.

Series I, Church History, is divided into two subseries. The subseries contain information pertaining to the history of the church and related organizations, from missions and publications, to depositions concerning the Campbellite Affair.

The relationships of the First Regular Baptist Church to various social currents are generally well documented in the collection. This includes such events as urbanization, foreign immigration, suburbanization, World War I, the Great Dayton Flood, the Great Depression, World War II, and the social activism of the 1960's. The collection conspicuously lacks materials relating to the slavery controversy or the Civil War.

This series also contains material from other churches in the area, such as the Dorothy Lane Baptist Church. Also highlighted in this series is the relationship between First Regular Baptist Church and area associations like the YMCA, YWCA, Dayton Area Baptist Association, and the Dayton Christian Center.

The church published three narrative histories. The study by Harriet Colvin and Myriam Page (1974) and the study by Henry A. Stout (1924) are revisions of Rev. Henry Colby's history, published in 1914. The researcher might find these studies to be useful tools for several reasons. They can provide an overview of the church's history. Leads are sometimes given in these histories for research in other materials such as newspapers and local government records. These studies contain a record of oral traditions and interviews. They also display the church's views of itself at the time of writing.

Series II, Church Records, document the inner workings of the church. Records include board of trustees, business records, various board minutes, correspondence, and stewardship documents.

The church operated on a fiscal year which began in May and ended in April until 1970 when they changed to a calendar year. When a file folder is labeled "1916-1917" it contains materials for the year beginning in May of 1916 and ending in April of 1917. The surrounding folders would be labeled "1915-1916" and "1917-1918."

The church held an annual meeting during the first part of May. At this time reports were received from the various boards and committees for their activities in the previous year. These reports have been placed in Series II, Church Records, according to the year of the annual meeting rather than the year on which they reported. When an annual report has been found with a body of materials relating to its particular board or committee, the original order has been retained.

Series III, Courier, was a weekly publication from the First Regular Baptist Church. The run of papers is from 1923 to 1995. The paper announced upcoming church events and church news.

Series IV, Programs and Handouts, contain weekly publications that were passed out at the church. The handouts include a copy of the week's sermon, weekly programs, the Bulletin, Here and Now Journal, and Worship With Us Hand Out.

Series V, Church Schools and Youth Organizations, document the church schools 1866 to the late 1970s. Through the years various classes have been formed such as, the Christian Homemakers Class, Mr. and Mrs. Class, and the Downtown Child Development Center (DCDC). Most of records are annual reports, however there is some material pertaining to the opening of the DCDC and general administrative records.

Series VI, Women's Organizations and Related Organizations, details the various women's groups through the decades. Some of the groups include Women's Foreign Missionary Society, Circle Nine, and the Matron's Circle. Most of the documents are meeting minutes but there are some calendars, directories, histories, and scrapbooks.

Series VII, Photos and Scrapbooks, contains numerous photos from church classes, scrapbooks from women's organizations, cassettes of sermons, and albums. The photographs are mostly from the turn-of-the-century. Many of the photos are from church classes, church gatherings, directories, and activities. There are a few slides and negatives, also a newspaper scrapbook. Also included in this series are seven stamps with images of the church and people imprinted on them.

Series VIII, Audio Recordings, contains numerous recordings of sermons, lectures, and services, as well as a few recordings of church chimes, choir singing, and musicals.