As Presbyterians in the U.S. prepare to celebrate Reformation Sunday on the last Sunday of October along with millions of other Reformed church members across the globe, the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is once again offering a fascinating glimpse into the key events and figures of the Protestant Reformation.
“It’s true,” David Staniunas, records archivist for the Presbyterian Historical Society, said at the outset of a webinar on records retention offered last week. “I do love talking to mid council folks.”
In January 2024, Presbyterian Historical Society received a planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which funded the design and fabrication of an exhibit prototype, “Faith & Justice in the 1960s: Religious News Service Covers Civil Rights.”
Dr. Thelma Cornelia Davidson Adair, the first African American woman to be elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, died Aug. 21 at the age of 103. A private service was scheduled.
The Presbyterian Historical Society has processed the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations (COEMAR) Records. The guide for the records is now available to researchers.
In the winter of 2023, a team of archivists at the Presbyterian Historical Society began the process of reparative description on the records of Tucson Indian Training School. Over the next six months, they worked not only to remove outdated and harmful language, but to enhance the descriptions of students so that their full names, tribal affiliations, and experiences are better represented in the collection.
Fifty years ago, at the 1974 General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), David Sindt rose from his seat and bravely and hopefully held up a sign with a single question: “Is Anyone Else Out There Gay?”
Beginning in 2016, the Presbytery of Philadelphia began shepherding the congregations of three struggling churches — First African Presbyterian, Good Shepherd Presbyterian, and Calvin Presbyterian — in a process that eventually led to the formation of a new, vibrant church: New River Presbyterian Church.
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) continues to make progress on its effort to document the Black Presbyterian experience through the African American Leaders and Congregations Collecting Initiative (AALC).
The history of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is deep, and the Presbyterian Historical Society has a devoted staff of archivists, communicators, administrators, and fundraisers to ensure its collections are cared for and accessible. In this video, Luci Duckson-Bramble, director of development, shares how her work opens opportunities for Presbyterians and the public to step back in time to learn about the past and the future.
