This collection contains sermons, lectures, a manuscript, correspondence, and biographical materials related to Charles B. Mitchell. The bulk of this collection is sermons. There are approximately four hundred sermons prepared by Mitchell between 1875 and 1941. All the sermons are handwritten. They were folded length- wise in envelopes which provide the date and location the sermon was given. Many of the sermons had news clippings accompanying them. His sermons were often published by The Inter Ocean newspaper, but a few clippings are from other papers. The clippings have been photocopied and are joined with the sermon and the envelope in an acid free mini folder. Additional clippings or short articles that supplemented the sermon or were used in its preparation have been kept with the sermon as well.

Mitchell's sermons are oriented to the Social Gospel, as he speaks of contemporary issues and challenges. He is particularly concerned with the spiritual and moral well being of young men and women. All the sermons have been arranged by text reference, except those that were given as part of a series. There are thirteen sets of sermons prepared as series. These series sermons contained several sermons on a particular topic such as temperance, gambling, the danger of cities, temptations, and the Christian life. One folder contains a sermon Mitchell gave on the death of Ulysses S. Grant. A news clipping of this sermon is from the Leavenworth Times. Another folder contains photocopies of four news clippings to sermons that had no handwritten copy. In addition, there is a folder of fragmented sermons.

Two folders contain prayer meeting materials prepared by Mitchell. There are forty-four prayer meeting talks in one folder. These are short notations on note cards or small pieces of paper. This material is dated 1897 to 1909, although not every piece is dated. These talks have been arranged by text reference. Talks with no text reference are separated from talks with text reference by an acid free sheet of paper. In addition, there are seven prayer meeting addresses which may have been part of a series. These addresses were given between 1901 and 1912. An envelope contains the date and location of each address.

Lectures and addresses given by Mitchell are the second major part of this collection. There are approximately ninety-five addresses given between 1882 and 1933. The lectures were also folded length-wise and placed in envelopes with the date and location of the presentation. Mitchell lectured to a variety of groups including the Y.M.C.A., college commencements, conferences, conventions, Mason meetings, women's clubs, community organizations and civic groups. Topics that Mitchell addressed in his lectures include peace, women's suffrage, missions, teachers, education, citizenship, Memorial Day, revivals, Abraham Lincoln, Sunday school, and youth. Mitchell also spoke at several universities including Hamline, Dakota Wesleyan, Allegheny College, and Nebraska Wesleyan. The lectures also include five travel accounts. The most extensive account is on the Bible lands. Other countries covered are Holland, Italy, Norway, and Russia.

A typed manuscript Mitchell prepared entitled "Questions to Modern Youth" is part of this collection. There are also three letters addressed to Mitchell. Biographical materials include a handwritten copy of a characterization of Mitchell by Reverend J. S. Daney; two short articles on Mitchell; an article on Mitchell's father, Revered Daniel Patrick Mitchell by S. J. Heaton; and an application for membership in the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. This application contains some ancestry information.

This collection contains slides, audiotapes, films, a filmstrip, slide scripts and listings, conference reports and promotional materials, correspondence, and some photographs.

This collection contains slides, audiotapes, films, a filmstrip, slide scripts and listings, conference reports and promotional materials, correspondence, and some photographs. The slides contain images taken by Hannah Flammer of diverse subjects, most of which are related to the home and foreign missions of the Methodist Church during the 1940's to the 1960's. These include pictures of schools, hospitals and medical clinics, homes, settlement houses, missions to cities and rural areas, Native American missions, and a variety of scenes from both urban and rural areas that were foci for the church's mission and ministry during this period. There are also many slides of conferences of the Women's Society of Christian Service and other church agencies in which Flammer was active. Many scenes from foreign missions and pictures of foreign missionaries are also included. Most of the slides were used in presentations that Flammer gave to highlight and promote the mission work of the Methodist Church. The audiotapes include recordings of some of Flammer's slide presentations, of Bible studies and lectures given at various conferences that she attended, of radio interviews, and of church music. There are three reels of film, two of which are 16 mm and one is 8 mm. the filmstrip is titled "Swinging toward the Light." Also included in the collection are some printed slide scripts connected to Flammer's slide shows, several letters related to her mission promotion work, a container listing of the audiotapes, reports and promotional materials from some W.S.C.S. conferences that she attended, and some photographs.

The papers of Bishop Ivan Lee Holt chiefly reflect his work while pastoring the St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Saint Louis, Missouri. However, other areas of Holt's service to the church are documented as well. There is a small number of records that pertain directly to his episcopacy. Holt was an intellectual who mastered many areas within the study of theology. More often than not he would make both broad and minute applications of his various learning experiences and apply them in praxis from the local church level all the way up to and including his work with the World Council of Churches.

The effects of twentieth century wars on the Christian faith and the subsequent role of ecumenicism as related to these wars were primary in Holt's thoughts. Methodism and its placement in conjunction with other denominations during his lifetime is well represented. This is especially true of his sermons. The first and largest series within the collection is entitled Discourses. Here the researcher will find sermons, addresses, prayers, meditations, and quotes. The first sub-series, sermons, make up the bulk of the series. It is here that the diversity of Holt's ministry is best illuminated. However, it should be noted that the standard identifying tags that distinguish between sermons, addresses, and manuscripts are at times blurred. The second series is comprised of manuscripts. Subjects such as Methodism in South America, the Old Testament account of the military campaign against Biblical Sihon, and Bishops Quayle and Selecman are covered. Correspondence is the next series. This series contains letters relating to pastoral appointments, speaking engagements, and various conference cabinets.

Other professional activities include correspondence dealing with Bishop Holt's teaching career, episcopacy, and the various honorary degrees he received during his lifetime. One will find Holt's personal correspondence here as well. Holt's administrative records are located in the following series. Records such as reports, dockets, statements, regulations, minutes, and interviews complete this series.

Like many of the previous series the administrative series reflects both the Bishop's personal and professional life. Subjects include: Southern Methodist University, Central College, Federal Council of Churches, American-Japanese relations, the Commission on Christian Unity, North Texas Annual Conference, Asian Methodism, and cornerstone dedications. Series five contains publications. The first section encompasses both local church and conference publications. This would include bulletins, programs, pamphlets, and postcards. Holt's involvement with award dinners, church services, Women's Society of Christian Service in Northwest Texas, youth rallies, liturgy, various heritage meetings, and special holidays/ celebrations such as Reformation Sunday are documented. The second section includes reprinted articles collected by Holt for research purposes. Subjects covered are sociology, morality, communications, fishing, economics, biographies, Catholicism, Protestantism, Italy, and the Bible.

Newspaper clippings make up the final section. Centering on the United States in general and more specifically Texas, topics include church traditions, political science, awards, Reformation Sunday, speaking announcements, spirituality, and church unity Series six contains biographical records. This series focuses on Holt's memoirs. Oral history transcripts, travel documents and a vita round out the record types. The seventh and final series is a general file. Postcards, poems, correspondence, and notes cover areas such as orders of worship, sermon topics, and Holt's publication: The Methodists of the World.

This collection contains the sermons and prayers of Matthew Simpson Hughes. The sermons, given between 1888 and 1917, document his ministerial career. Hughes placed each of his sermons in an envelope on which he noted the title and the date and location where he preached the sermon. The majority of the sermons were given in Kansas City, Missouri, and Pasadena, California. He also preached in Iowa, Maine, and Minnesota. Most of the sermons are handwritten. Only a few are typed. Many of the sermons contained draft, revision, and alternate copies. There are approximately five hundred sermons in this collection. Some of the topics addressed by Hughes include missions and morality.

Twenty-four sermons have no text reference, and are arranged alphabetically. This includes a lecture on the evolution of women. News clippings, articles, and small note cards were also part of the envelopes. The clippings include Hughes' published sermons which appeared in newspapers, as well as articles and news stories that supported or related to his sermons. The note cards contain brief bibliographic references to works Hughes used in preparing a sermon. The clippings, articles, and note cards have been photocopied onto acid free paper. All the items related to the sermon were kept together and placed in an acid free mini folder with the title and text reference noted on the outside of the folder. The last folder in this collection contains fourteen prayers prepared by Hughes. Eight of these prayers are dated from 1898 and 1902. The remainder are undated.

This collection primarily documents the work and ministry of the Evangelical Church's annual conferences and local churches from the middle nineteenth century to the middle twentieth century. To a lesser degree there are records that reflect the ministry of the general church as well. There are other records that pertain to filial denominations such as the Evangelical Association, United Evangelical Church, Church of the United Brethren in Christ (United Brethren Church), and the Evangelical United Brethren Churches are also found in this collection. Leedy was an avid collector of church related information so that the topical landscape of this collection is broad enough to cover information ranging from local church ministries and histories to denominational theological beliefs and social concerns. Most of the paper records center on church work in the Ohio region though not to the exclusion of other geographic areas within the continental United States and Germany. All in all this collection provides a nice overview of the diversified life within the Evangelical tradition and is an excellent resource for those who wish to understand more fully the Evangelical Church's historical influence within the ongoing traditions of United Methodism.