Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Church originally established by German immigrant families to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Quarterly and annual reports of the church, records of church boards and commissions, Sunday School minutes and reports, subject files, publications, visual materials, and sound recordings.

The West Side United Methodist Church (Ann Arbor, Mich.) record group contains all extant records of the West Side United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor from its founding as the Erste Deutsche Methodisten Kirche in 1847 up to the 1990s. All records dating prior to World War I are in German, those from later time periods are in English.

Records from the German period are not complete, but do include quarterly conference meeting minutes (1847-1867 and 1883-1916), official board minutes (1897-1908), Sunday School board meeting minutes (1876-1915), Sunday School attendance and contribution records (1901-1918), a record of baptisms (1857-1901), minutes of meetings of the leaders (1901-1908), Epworth League minutes (1900-1917), and records on receipts and expenditures (1879-1893).

Records from the years since World War I vary in completeness depending on the time period. Records from the years prior to the move to the church on Seventh Street in 1952 are less complete than those for the most recent decades. For the period from World War I to 1952, the collection contains quarterly conference reports for most years; official board minutes (1922-1931 and 1944-1952); Board of Christian Education minutes and correspondence (1943-1952); Ladies Aid/Women's Society for Christian Service records (1935-1952); Sunday School board minutes and records on attendance, contributions, and expenditures (1923-1952 - incomplete); letters from former pastors and their wives upon celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Jefferson Street church (1934); photographs of the church building and activities of the congregation, yearbooks (1946-1952), and correspondence concerning the sale of the Jefferson Street church and the construction of the Seventh Street church (1949-1952).

The records for the years since 1952 are relatively complete and quite extensive. Included are quarterly (more recently annual) conference reports, minutes and correspondence of major boards and commissions (Administrative Council, Board of Trustees, Education, Evangelism, Finance, Memorials, Council on Ministries, Missions, Nominations, Outreach, Staff-Parish Relations, United Methodist Women, and Worship) plus various short-lived temporary committees and task forces, correspondence chronological files, subject files on special projects and events, church newsletters, Sunday bulletins, directories, and photographs of the church building and activities of the congregation.

The record group is arranged in six series: Quarterly and Annual Reports, Boards and Commissions File, Sunday School File, Topical File, Publications File, Photographs File, and Audiotapes, Films and Video.

Researchers interested in baptismal and marriage records should contact West Side United Methodist Church.

Lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Aprill served for several years in the 1990s as a member of the Church's Executive Board. Papers include files relating to the history of Zion Lutheran Church, including a conflict within the church in the mid-1990s.

The Theophil Aprill collection contains two series relating to his activities with Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. These series are Zion History and the Conflict at Zion.

Papers,1918-1961,of Theodore R. Schmale, pastor of Bethlehem Evangelical Church [now Bethlehem United Church of Christ]; includes manuscripts of sermons (partially in German); and autobiography,1895,of father-in-law, Johann H. Dinkmeier, describing life in Germany, his immigration to the United States, and his experiences as a teacher and Evangelical pastor. [original and typescript of translation]

The Papers of Theodore R. Schmale consist primarily of his manuscript sermons, most of them dating from 1929 to 1961. These sermons are arranged in three separate sections: chronologically, by topic, and by scripture reference. In addition, the collection contains a small quantity of biographical material on Theodore Schmale, an 1895 autobiography of Schmale's father-in-law, Johann Heinrich Dinkmeier, and an English translation from the autobiography's original German. Dinkmeier's autobiography describes life in Germany, his immigration to the United States, and his experiences as a teacher and Evangelical pastor.

St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded in 1842 in Freedom Township, near Ann Arbor, Michigan; record group includes church registers, financial records, administrative materials, and other subject files.

The St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church record group includes church registers containing family and membership information; financial ledgers; constitutions and by-laws; anniversary and celebratory materials; files relating to church organizations; and photographs of church building.

Catholic chapel (later parish) ministering largely to University of Michigan students. Council minutes, correspondence, topical files, chapel bulletins, and financial records; also files relating to the Gabriel Richard Foundation, the Newman Club and the Newman Student Association; and photographs.

The records of St. Mary Student Parish are divided into seven series: (1) St. Mary Chapel administrative files; (2) Gabriel Richard Center records; (3) Newman Club records; (4) Topical files; (5) Newsletters; (6) Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Albums; and (7) 2011-2014 Accessions.

Ann Arbor, Michigan Episcopal Church; vestry and parish records, liturgical materials, Christian service and educational materials, administrative records, printed material, and photographs.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church has created a rich body of material which documents both its own history and its place within the history of Ann Arbor. The records of the parish have been arranged into nine series: Vestry; Registers; Church Programs; Administrative Records; Scrapbooks; Diocese of Michigan and other non-parish material; Liturgical Materials; Publications; and Photographs.

Northside Presbyterian Church is in partnership with St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, but holds separate services. This record group includes materials of Northside Presbyterian Church only. Included are session minutes, newsletters, church bulletins, and topical files.

The Northside Presbyterian Church Records document the church's activities since 1959. The record group is an ongoing one with the addition of materials (especially newsletters) on a regular basis. The records included consist of session minutes, newsletters, church bulletins, mailings to members, and subject files.

The record group has been divided into three series: Administrative Records, Publication,s and Topical Files.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, African American church. Files relating to church administration and activities; financial record books and reports; minutes of church officers; church anniversary booklets and other publications; and other subject files.

The records of the New Hope Baptist Church are arranged alphabetically by topic. Although limited in quantity, they are a source of much information on the life of the church.

The Church Anniversary Booklets and Pastoral Anniversaries publications contain histories and information on church activities, especially those of the many church auxiliaries. The incomplete run of the church newsletter Whispering Pines, is a source of information on church events and social gatherings, denominational news, and sometimes includes messages from the pastor and biographical sketches of individual members. The Building Dedication folder contains two programs from the 1974 dedication. The Correspondence file primarily consists of routine outgoing letters of greeting, letters of recommendation and invitations from Lightfoot. The Minutes files are from meetings of church officers and the male choir, and include minutes from the organizational meeting of the church on December 12, 1965. The minutes are useful for tracing the early efforts of members to raise funds for a permanent home for the church and to increase membership. Although incomplete, information from the Financial Reports files can be used to study changes over time in income and expenses of the church. The Membership Information file consists of orientation materials given to new members of the church. The materials are useful for understanding the theological and organizational underpinnings of New Hope. The Officers Profiles folder provides interesting demographic information on the educational and employment background of church leaders.

Ann Arbor, Mich. resident who was employed at The Detroit Edison Company. He was married to Gertrude Hinds and attended the Bethlehem United Church of Christ in Ann Arbor. The collection consists of a Detroit Edison Company employee photograph book and two publications of the Bethlehem United Church of Christ.

The collection consists of a Detroit Edison Company employee photograph book, a copy of the book "Bethlehem 150", and a United Church directory detailing the church management and membership.

African Methodist Episcopal pastor with churches in Albion and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Collection includes sermons, biographical materials, materials related to history of the church, scattered minutes of meetings, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

The John A. Woods papers measure 1.75 linear feet. The majority of the collection consists of sermons (1.5 linear feet). Because most of the sermons are undated, their original order has been retained. Other significant files concern Bethel AME Church. An audio cassette captures the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new church in 1971, and a program documents the Burn the Mortgage Celebration service in 1989. Also found in the collection are miscellaneous church meetings minutes, dated 1982 and 1987.

The Biographical Materials folder includes biographical information about Reverend Woods, as well as letters of recommendation and/or appreciation, and tributes. Of importance are old school records, pastoral certificates and the program from Reverend Wood's funeral service on November 14, 1989. The Newspaper Clippings folder also contains a wealth of biographical information about Reverend Woods. Photographs date from circa 1930 and include images of Reverend Woods from a young man onwards, and pictures of groundbreaking and the completed Bethel AME Church. The Services folder contains programs of various services that took place in different AME churches. Miscellaneous material includes printed religious texts and a heavily annotated 1979-80 DBC Student Directory.