The Messenger, 1959-1960

The papers of the Fairborn United Methodist Church contain a variety of materials. These include minutes, reports, financial records, marriage, funeral, baptismal, and membership records, weekly programs, publications, newspaper clippings, and women’s and youth organization records.

The earliest records are the IDEAL Church Records in Series I which are a listing of members, marriages, baptisms, and funerals for the Brandt, Palmer, Mt. Pisgah, and Wayne Methodist-Episcopal churches. These records date from 1903-1921.

The membership records in Series II consist of scattered membership lists and directories for the Fairborn church as well as records of marriages, baptisms, and funerals from the 1940s and early 1950s. The bulk of the remaining materials span the 1940s to 1970s. They consist mainly of minutes and reports of the Official Board, scattered financial records, and weekly church programs and newsletters. These records hold a wealth of information about the day to day concerns of the congregation.

Series V, Church Organizations, contains the records of various women’s organizations including the Ladies Aid Society (1903-1924), and the Women’s Society of Christian Service (1959-1980). These records show a shift in women’s concerns from providing auxiliary services to the congregation to the social concerns of the 1960s and 1970s.

The historical materials in Series VII consist of a file of clippings about church activities, photographs, a file of materials pertaining to the church’s 100th anniversary celebration in 1972, and a general historical file with papers and correspondence documenting the development of the church from 1934-1973. This series also contains a history of the Fairborn United Methodist Church published in 1972.

Materials within the file folders are arranged chronologically.