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.

The Mellony Turner papers primarily documents her life as a missionary in Bulgaria. There is a number of records on the American School for Girls in Lovetch, consisting of photographs, textbooks, yearbooks, and financial records. Turner's notebooks and lecture notes are included in the collection. It should be noted that there is a single folder containing information on closing the school. Turner kept diaries during her tenure in Bulgaria as well extensive correspondence. There are general images in both photograph and slide format ranging from the royal family of Bulgaria to her own family in the United States. Turner has a copy of a sermon by Bishop Burt; the bishop who had established the Bulgarian mission at the beginning of the twentieth century. Clippings and other types of publications reflect Bulgarian life and politics. There are eight lectures and a sermon written by Turner. Artifacts are personal in nature, reflecting the clothing and accessories of mid-twentieth century Bulgarian dress. There is a pot in the artifact series as well.

The other series within the collection reflects Turner's immediate family. The few records relating to her parents deal with their will and a folder of letters. Mellony's brother, Ewart Turner's three folders are related to his spying for the United States War Department during the World War II. Though he was ministering to a church in the United States during the war, Ewart was familiar with German communities in Europe and South America. The War Department had Turner collect information on Germans, in the U.S., who were thought to be a threat to national security during the war. This information is elucidated in a correspondence folder.

The papers contains file folders on various places, organizations, and people Ralph T. Templin associated with during his missions. There are five files while he was at Central State University. Eight files directly related with missionary work in India but there are a number of others also pertaining to the India Missions. Eight files on the Puerto Rican independence nationalist movement which Ralph Templin strongly supported. There are various amounts on information pertaining to the Peacemaker movement and a number of files on personal correspondence. The other folders are manuscripts and published works. Some files contain photographs and newspaper clippings. The last box of the collection contains three large copies of Templin's, "Farewell Address" at Clancey High School. Two of the copies are in English and the final copy is in Sanskrit.