The material in this series comes from the General Welfare Division of the General Board of Church and Society. The series contains administrative records, newsletters and scrapbooks from the Geneal Board of Temperance, the predecessor to the General Welfare Division. There are also records pertaining to the Department of of Alcohol Problems and Drug Abuse, the Depart of Population Problems, and the Department of Law, Justice and Community Relations. Each of these departments had wide-ranging portfolios and were active in a variety of issues. Some of the issues relate to United Methodism's historic stance on drug and alcohol abuse, as well as issues surrounding population and hunger in the 1970s and the division's involvement in Kent State slayings legal defense, Wounded Knee and other societal issues of the 1960s and 1970s.

This series contains general administrative records of the division. Also included are committee records and records from various departments and special programs. This would include the programs on economic and racial issues, religion and race (which later became its own agency), church and government issues, and urban concerns. Also included are the records of the Law of the Sea Project (shared with Global Ministries), the Committee for Congressional Reform and records related to specific programs conducted by the Division in Washington, D. C.

This collection contains the records of the various departments in the reorganized structure of the Board of Church and Society. Departments in this new division focus on human issues and the church's response to those issues. This includes many of the previous departments spread between the former divisions. This includes such programs as the drug initiative, social and economic justice; human rights; and peace and world order.

This series contains the records of the Commission on World Peace, predecessor agency to this division. The material contains general administrative and correspondence files; records of conferences and workshops conducted by the staff; special projects of the Division and conscientious objector files. Also included are the relating to the various seminars conducted by the Division and the Board of Church and Society at the United Nations.

The Papers of Anne E. Herbert is a varied collection which contains correspondence, programs, and articles. The correspondence consists of "Dear Friends" letters from 1950-1958 from a variety of missionaries and mission stations. There is a folder of information on mission work in Bolivia that contains articles and correspondence from 1955-1958. An ecumenical chart from 1967 is included. Program materials from the " Twentieth Conference on New and Furloughed Missionaries" held at DePauw University in Indiana from June 14-20, 1956, are part of this collection. There is a copy of an April 1946 report prepared by Frank T. Cartwright entitled Report on the Special Mission to China. A news clipping from the Alta Advocate (Dinuba, California) dated March 28, 1968, contains a biographical sketch of Ann Harder who was associated with Herbert while both were in Hong Kong. Additional miscellaneous unrelated items are also included in this material.

The collection contains papers which document the personal and professional activities of Arthur R. Clippinger. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, General Conference materials, information about the first assembly of the World Council of Churches, programs, and brief biographical material.

There are ten diaries in this collection. They are dated 1904-1935. The years 1906-1908 are missing. Entries in these diaries are only a few lines and discuss daily events, church activities, and weather conditions. Expense records are often found in the back of these books.

The correspondence in this collection is dated 1928-1946 and relates to Clippinger's professional work as a bishop, specifically the 1929 General Conference. All but a few of the letters are addressed to him.

Materials related to General Conference include two undated delegate election ballots. Clippinger's name and the number of votes he received appear on both. There is also a complete list of delegates to the General Conference, but this is undated. Other items on General Conference include a conference program from 1925, a Quadrennial Report prepared by Clippinger in 1925, the 1925 Quadrennial Report of the Board of Administration, a list of committees for the 1933 conference, and the 1933 Quadrennial Address by the Bishops.

One folder contains material on the first assembly of the World Council of Churches. This meeting was held in Amsterdam, Holland, from August 22 to September 4, 1948. Clippinger was a delegate to this assembly. Items from this meeting include a report of the delegates, and notes and personal impressions on the conference. On February 8, 1949, Clippinger presented a speech at the International Council of Religious Education in Columbus, Ohio, about the World Council of Churches meeting in Amsterdam, and this speech is included in his papers.

There are two programs in this collection. One is from the Joint Meeting of the Councils of Administration of the Central Area of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. This was held in February 1924 in Westerville, Ohio. Clippinger was the chairman of this meeting. The other program is from the Third Annual Session of the Central District Conference, a meeting held in December 1940 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Clippinger was the presiding officer of this meeting.

The remaining material consists of an undated list of delegates and alternates from the Southeast Ohio Conference of the United Brethren Church and a few biographical items. The biographical material is an obituary of Harriet R. Clippinger, Arthur's mother who died in 1917; a 1919 announcement of the birth of John Arthur Clippinger, a son of Arthur; and fraternal greetings signed by Clippinger on behalf of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.

The Bishop William Burt Collection is an excellent documentary on the life and work of a pioneer minister within the Methodist Episcopal Church. In this collection we see the pathos and commitment Burt and his family brought to the work of the church, especially in Europe. These records illuminate his varying roles as clergyperson, presiding elder, bishop, and family member. Well liked by most, Burt was an influential person within the denomination throughout his career.

Records from his wife, Helen, and daughter Edith are located here, as well. The collection shows the historical and sociological involvement Burt had with the life, events, and politics of Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world. This involvement covered society from its lowest common denominator all the way through and including the very top of the social ladder. Burt was a world traveler and the collection sheds light on Methodist Episcopal work around the globe. This is especially true in the correspondence, diaries, and photograph series. Besides reflecting Burt's ministry in Europe, there are significant records concerning his work in the United States. Other notable personalities are also included

Early missionaries to Europe, especially to Russia, have primary documents located here as well. Many of Italy's leading Methodists such as the Taglialatela family have both published and handwritten materials within the collection. Records by other bishops such as Vincent and Bast are interspersed throughout the first section. Another area which is documented is Burt's commitment to the ongoing work of the Jerusalem Home which was started by Bishop J. P. Newman. There is a sizeable amount of records pertaining to the Crandon Institute in Rome, as well.

The papers of Catherine Ezell contain a variety of articles and materials on deaconesses. There are several annual reports from the Commission on Deaconess Work (1951-1970). A copy of the 1976 annual report from the National Division of the Board of Global Ministries is contained in these papers. Magazine articles and photographs concerning US-2s are included. This material dates from 1951 to 1989. Several articles about deaconesses and about rural work (1941- 1983) are part of this collection. Most of the articles in this collection pertain to what is now known as Church and Community Work which is part of the National Division of the General Board of Global Ministries. In addition, there are copies of the Deaconess Home Missionary News and View Newsletter from 1956-1980. Material from deaconesses' conferences and convocations from 1951-1976 have also been included in her papers.

This collection contains manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, notes, questionnaires, cemetery records, reports, college programs, and other sundry documents relating to the history of Westfield College in Westfield, Illinois. The college was started by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The manuscript is a mimeographed copy of the "History of Westfield College" written by Woodard in 1973. The photographs are black and white, and represent places and events related with the college history. A numbered list of these photographs is found at the end of the manuscript. The correspondence consists of letters written to and received from alumni of Westfield College or members of the Westfield community. All of the correspondence was generated while Woodard was researching the Westfield College history. Also included in this collection are questionnaires that Woodard sent out to gather information about the college, cemetery records, programs of Westfield college commencements and concerts, annual reports submitted by the college, deeds, and research notes.

The collection contains materials relating Lind's personal activities as a missionary. There are seventeenth diaries in this collection. They range in date from 1924 to1979. The years 1926 to 1928 and 1939 are missing. Entries in these diaries are only a few lines and discuss daily events, school activities, Bible meetings, and weather conditions. Many of the diaries reflect China's social unrest because of Western intervention. One diary makes note of mid to late twentieth century China and is a good resource for a student of Chinese culture as impacted by Protestant mission work. Another diary describes the military occupation in Kimkiang and communist regime in Nanchung. There is one more diary which describes historical sites of Egypt, the Middleast and Europe.

Correspondence is dated from 1935 to1962 and relates to family and friends, including "Memories of China" in 1951.

There are two memory scrapbook, dated 1960 and 1964 respectively, which were created by Lind's Bible Class Students. A third scrapbook is a 1959 graduation commemorative yearbook from Aoyama Woman's Junior College in Tokyo, Japan. The final part of this collection contains various clippings, programs, pamphlets, and photographs related to Lind's work and family.