Showing 1429 results

Lyman T. Miller (1867-1947) was the eldest of nine children. He was a graduate of Westfield College, the United Brethren institution of higher education in Westfield, Illinois. He worked in that community as a teacher, farmer, and carpenter. He also appears to have been a prolific writer, though it is unclear rather his manuscripts were ever published. His younger sister, Bertie (1889-1962), also attended Westfield College but later transferred to the Charleston Normal School. She had a long and active career as a teacher, first in her hometown and later in the Chicago School system. In later life she traveled extensively in the United States and South America. Throughout her life, Bertie was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

George Amos Miller (1868-1961) and Margaret Ross Miller (1870-1955) spent nearly three decades as missionaries and administrators for the Methodist Episcopal Church in Central and South America. Both attended Stanford University in California, and they were married in 1894.

After George Miller's ordination in 1896, they served churches in California until 1904, during which time they had their two daughters, Marian and Evelyn. In 1905 the Millers took their first overseas assignment when George Miller became pastor of Central Church in Manila. IN 1907, the Millers returned to the United States, where George Miller worked for the American Bible Society. He returned to local church work in 1908, and served churches in California until the Millers took their first assignment as missionaries in 1917. George Miller served as mission superintendent (1917-1919), and began pioneering Methodist work in Costa Rica.

George Miller was appointed executive secretary of mission work in South America for the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1920, and served this post from Santiago, Chile. While in Chile, Margaret Miller began her effort to organize women's groups on the mission fields. These groups were later organized into the Federation of Women's Societies, for which she wrote several study books. She also wrote and published Women Under the Southern Cross for the sixteen denominations in the U.S. that combined their missionary study courses. Conference. Miller was elected bishop in 1924 served one quadrennium each from headquarters in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Santiago. He retired in 1934, served a local church in Lafayette, California, and continued his interest in Latin American missions. Margaret Miller served as president of the Pacific branch of the former Women's Foreign Missionary Society, serving also in that capacity in the Women's Society of Christian Service.

Methodists United for Peace and Justice (MUPWJ) roots began with the Foundry United Methodist Church's Foundry Peace Mission (http://foundryumc.org/peace-justice-mission). In 1987, The group focused on creating a national organization to support The United Methodist Church's Council of Bishops pastoral letter In Defense of Creation: The Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace. This document called for the end of the philosophy and policies supporting nuclear deterrence amongst nuclear armed countries. To replace idea of nuclear deterrence the bishops called for greater witness for peace and justice as a more permanent solution to the safety and security of global populations. MUPWJ became a staunch lobbying advocate on not only this issue but others such as ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and Chemical Weapons Convention, halting all research and development of nuclear weapons, enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as other related topics. Other peace and justice issues include cutting federal budget spending for the military, United States military action in the Middle East and Afghanistan, redirecting government funding to meet human needs in the US and the developing world as part of its ongoing mission.

MUPWJ education and advocacy work manifests itself in their Peace Leaf and Justice Alert publications as well as various seminars. They also would advocate government leaders and groups around the world but their primary focus is on United States government offices. The group originally focused on United Methodist members. Later it expanded to include other Methodist denominations and like minded ecumenical groups. Their headquarters is currently located in Washington, D.C.

Howard W. Hallman, Executive Director and Chair of MUPWJ, helped to establish and worked within the organization since its inception. Hallman has spent most of his adult working for peace with other organizations as well. He held various MUPWJ leadership roles while becoming the primary driving force for its global partnership with like organizations. It was his worldwide vision of peace and justice that drove MUPWJ to become a credible voice for the movement. Hallman is also a prolific author. His work has appeared in more than 250 articles and al least nine books. The collection is primarily Hallman's office and personal files which include several manuscripts, correspondence, plays, screen plays and novels whose primary plots involve aging, sports and interpersonal relationships.