AMERICAN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES

      With the sanction of the A. B. A. History and Archives Committee, the Arkansas State Committee is leading in the development of the American Baptist Association Archives, which is housed in the archives room provided by the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock. The Archives is attempting to micro-film church and associational records, valuable periodicals, rare books that would otherwise be unavailable, and collect and preserve other archival materials.
      The A. B. A. History and Archives Committee has led out in sponsoring the Landmark Microfilm Project. At the 2001 meeting the committee voted to proceed with securing the micro-film of The Western Recorder, an important periodical in Kentucky from about 1850 until 1920.
      Located in the Archives is a micro-film cabinet and micro-film camera. One small roll of micro-film can preserve as many as 1,000 pages of written or printed material. The micro-film camera was purchased during the mid-seventies at an approximate cost of $8,000.
      The Archives has an extensive collection of minutes from local associations in Arkansas, as well as the General Association, State Association, and the A. B. A. The collection also includes copies of the Baptist and Commoner, Orthodox Baptist Searchlight, Missionary Baptist Searchlight, The Missionary Baptist World, and the American Baptist.
      Also located in the Archives Room are valuable books, including those from the collections of Ben M. Bogard, J. Louis Guthrie, C. N. Glover, and others.
      The Archives is open by special arrangement during the regular hours of the Missionary Baptist Seminary, 5224 Stagecoach Road, Little Rock, AR. The phone number is 501-455-4588.
      Such collection and preservation is particularly important for our people, because of our belief in the Baptist Landmarks and the perpe-tuity of local New Testament churches, beginning from the seashore of Galilee when Jesus first challenged, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," through the dark-ages, then emerging in Europe, to ultimately migrate to the "new" nation, where they led in securing liberty of conscious and public worship, which has made America indeed "the land of the free, and the home of the brave."
      Therefore, the churches of the American Baptist Association are justly thankful for their biblical and historical heritage. We accept the responsibility of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them, with the Lord's promise, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age;" realizing the ultimate purpose of the churches, and especially as they associate together is to bring glory to God in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever."