Title: Madison Area Community of Churches Records
Inclusive Dates: 1930-1976

Creator:

• Madison Area Community of Churches

Call Number: Mss 468; PH Mss 468

Quantity: 4.0 c.f. (10 archives boxes and 1 flat box) and 3 photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of a local ecumenical organization in Madison, Wisconsin, formed in 1931 and originally known as the Madison Council of Churches, then the Madison Area Council of Churches, and finally the Madison Area Community of Churches (MACC). MACC dissolved in 1976. Included are constitutions and background information, directories, minutes of meetings of assemblies and various administrative committees, and correspondence and papers of several officers including Robert Borgwardt, Michael B. Petrovich, and Paul Hoornstra. There are also financial reports; minutes and miscellaneous records of committees active during the late 1960's and early 1970's; files on projects sponsored by MACC such as the Ecumenical Information and Resource Center and special ministries to prisoners and to the elderly; and general information on topics of interest to the organization such as the use of audio-visual materials in religious education and religious retreat centers in Wisconsin or about organizations with which MACC was involved such as the Madison Area Lutheran Council and the Interfaith Dialogue.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00468

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The Madison Council of Churches, the first ecumenical organization in Madison, was formed in 1931 from the Dane County Sunday School Association by several “old line” Protestant congregations. It developed from an earlier organization known as the Dane County Sunday School Association.

The council was governed by semi-annual assemblies made up of representatives from each member church and by a cabinet and an executive committee. Financial contributions to the council were voluntary.

For many years the most outstanding activity of the council was its inter-denominational religious services at Thanksgiving, Good Friday, and other times. In addition, a Committee on Comity worked for orderly location and expansion of churches. In 1948 Reverend James R. Love, the chaplain at Mendota Hospital, became a part-time executive director which allowed the council to expand its program considerably. In 1949 it began a support program for international students at the university, and it co-sponsored a youth basketball league. In 1951 a Committee on Evangelism was formed to take a city-wide religious census. In 1955 the council began sponsoring licensed nursery schools. As a result of a constitutional revision and the participation of churches outside the city in programs such as the School of Religion and the Christian education workshops in 1959 the council changed its name to the Madison Area Council of Churches. During the 1950's the council became actively involved in the use of radio and television. Charitable efforts also expanded, and the council served as a clearinghouse for Madison's international relief efforts.

After Vatican II, Roman Catholic churches in Madison became interested, and by 1971 Our Lady Queen of Peace, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the St. Benedict Center had become members. In 1968 the council began sponsorship of the Ecumenical Information and Resource Center as a successor to the Catholic Information Center. In 1969 the organization was re-named the Madison Area Community of Churches.

During the 1960's and early 1970's MACC's social action concerns expanded as a result of outside funding secured by president Michael Petrovich, and the number of committees expanded to meet those demands. Staffing also expanded with a full-time executive secretary and an Audio-Visual Media Center and a Counselling and Consultation Center. At the same time, however, MACC struggled with lack of definition on the part of its member congregations and a low level of financial support from them. In 1976 MACC succumbed to this institutional fatigue and apathy, officially dissolving in October 1976. The Madison Church Women United assumed some of MACC's public information functions and the Madison Area Lutheran Council continued publication of MACC's Communicator and its church directory.

The records are organized as BACKGROUND MATERIAL, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, COMMITTEE RECORDS, PROJECT FILES, and SUBJECT FILES.

The records of the Madison Area Community of Churches cover the entire history of the organization, although the majority of the documentation relates to the last decade of its existence. The minutes of the assemblies and meetings of the cabinet and the executive committee are virtually complete, and they provide the most comprehensive coverage of MACC's activities and concerns. The MACC newsletter (eventually known as the Messenger), which is available in the Historical Society Library, is another essential source, although Society holdings are not complete.

The BACKGROUND MATERIAL consists of constitutions and by-laws, miscellaneous clippings about MACC activities, organizational charts, and statements of purpose. Also filed here are its directories of Madison churches, an annual publication of MACC. The background information includes the script for a fundraising slide show. This contains some historical information, but there is no true history of the Madison Area Community of Churches in the collection.

ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS consist of agendas and minutes of various administrative committees and correspondence of the executive committee, two executive secretaries, and President Paul Hoornstra. Treasurers' records and monthly reports are also filed here. The assembly records, which are virtually complete, contain annual financial reports, as well as reports of the officers and committees.

The alphabetically-arranged COMMITTEE RECORDS primarily document the expanded activities of MACC's last decade, although several files such as the records of the Celebration and Worship Committee, the Forum Committee, the Special Ministries Committee, and the Sunday Evening Hour Committee relate to earlier activities. These files variously include minutes, correspondence, and mailings, although none of the committees appear to be fully documented.

PROJECT FILES relate to charitable and religious activities supported by MACC. The degree of involvement varied from sponsorship of the film The Late Liz, which MACC supported with a promotional mailing, to the Ecumenical Information and Resource Center which commanded a great deal of attention and resources. (Some records about the operation of the Catholic Resource Center from which EIRC developed are filed with the SUBJECT FILES.) Also of interest here are materials on the Interfaith Dialogue, which was the ecumenical organization of the Madison clergy; the jail ministry; and information gathered about religious retreat centers in Wisconsin during the early 1970's.

The SUBJECT FILES, which have been extensively weeeded, are an alphabetically-arranged reference file that was primarily collected by Executive Secretary Sally Lavik. The files relate to issues and topics with which MACC was concerned such as aging, the draft, and race relations, and to organizations with which MACC was involved in some way. These range from national religious bodies to local social action groups such as the Interfaith Committee of the Madison EOC and the Dane County Community Action Commission and to religious organizations such as the Madison Area Lutheran Council.

The MACC newsletter is available in the Histrical Society Library.

Acquisition Information

Presented by MACC, 1976-1978. Accession Number: M76-456, M76-510, M78-272

Processing Information

Processed by Carolyn J. Mattern, 1992.

Mss 468	Series: Background Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Background information, histories, organizational charts
Box   1 Folder   2	Clippings and press releases, 1970-1971, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Constitutions and by-laws, 1935-1975
Box   1 Folder   4	Letters of application from congregations, 1965-1969
Box   1 Folder   5	Directories, 1956-1974
	Series: Administrative Records	⇧
Box   1 Folder   6-8	Assembly agendas and programs, 1934-1976
	Executive Committee
	Minutes
Box   1 Folder   9	1931-1939
Box   2 Folder   1-5	1940-1976
Box   2 Folder   6-8	Correspondence, 1940-1976, undated (including Michael B. Petrovich, 1973)
	Executive Secretary
Box   2 Folder   9	, 1966-1968 (Charles P. Melcher)
Box   3 Folder   1-2	1969-1973, undated (Sally Lavik)
Box   3 Folder   3	Form letters, 1967-1976
Box   3 Folder   4	President's correspondence, 1971-1972 (Paul Hoornstra)
	Treasurer
Box   3 Folder   5	Annual reports, circa 1936-1954
Box   3 Folder   6	Budget notes
Box   3 Folder   7	Church contributions, 1960-1964, 1970-1975
Box   3 Folder   8	Correspondence
	Ledger
Box   3 Folder   9	1957-1974
Box   11	1974-1975
Box   3 Folder   10	Monthly reports, 1962-1976
Box   4 Folder   1	Zimmerman bequest, 1964
	Series: Committee Records	⇧
Box   4 Folder   2	Lists of committee members and delegates, 1931-1973
Box   4 Folder   3	Adult Education Committee, 1959-1970
Box   4 Folder   4	Audio-Visual Committee, 1965-1973
Box   4 Folder   5	Celebration and Worship Committee, (Outdoor services), 1956-1972
	Christian Education Committee
Box   4 Folder   6	Correspondence and general papers, 1962-1971
Box   4 Folder   7	Minutes, 1962-1969
Box   4 Folder   8	Church Day Nurseries Committee, 1966-1971
Box   4 Folder   9	Comity Committee, 1954-1967
Box   4 Folder   10	Counseling and Consultation Committee, 1971-1975
Box   4 Folder   11	Education Committee (and School of Religion), 1934-1960, undated
Box   4 Folder   12	Forum, 1936-1939
Box   4 Folder   13	Nominating Committee
Box   4 Folder   14	Communications Committee, 1966-1972
Box   4 Folder   15	Finance and Budget Committee, 1957-1969, undated
Box   5 Folder   1	Personnel Committee, 1966-1972
Box   5 Folder   2	Public Relations Committee, 1971
Box   5 Folder   3	Radio and Television Committee, 1956-1966, undated
Box   5 Folder   4	Recreation Committee, 1930-1944
Box   5 Folder   5	Special Ministries Committee (including nursing homes), 1959-1973
Box   5 Folder   6-7	Social Action Committee, 1937-1949, 1968-1972
Box   5 Folder   8	Social Relations Committee, 1968
Box   5 Folder   9	Sunday Evening Hour Committee, 1950-1952
	Series: Project Files	⇧
Box   5 Folder   10	C.R.O.P., 1972
Box   5 Folder   11	Ecumenical Information and Resource Center, 1968-1973, undated
Box   5 Folder   12	Church committee survey, 1972
Box   5 Folder   13	Good Friday services, 1938-1966
Box   5 Folder   14	Human development conference, 1972
Box   5 Folder   15	Interfaith Dialogue, 1970-1973
Box   6 Folder   1	Jail ministry, 1972
Box   6 Folder   2	King: A Filmed Record, 1970
Box   6 Folder   3	The Late Liz, 1971
Box   6 Folder   4	Madison Young Adults, 1961-1965
Box   6 Folder   5	Open House Sunday, 1970
Box   6 Folder   6	Outdoor theater, 1966
Box   6 Folder   7	Retreat centers survey, 1971-1972
Box   6 Folder   8	Symposiums, celebrations, etc., 1964, 1970
Box   6 Folder   9	Thanksgiving, 1958-1965
PH Mss 468	What Child Is This? Christmas Special: Photographs Note: All items relate to a Christmas special produced at WISC-TV (Channel 3), a public affairs presentation developed by the Public Relations Committee of MACC, circa early 1970s.
Item   1	Personalities involved in Special Note: Left to right: Rev. William D. Simpson, Pastor, St. Mark's Lutheran Church; Jerry Deane, Exec. Producer of Public Affairs Programs, WISC-TV; Msgr. Henry C. McMurrough, Pastor, St. Paul's University Catholic Center; Larry Oppreicht, Communications Consultant; Fr. Stephen Umhoefer, Holy Name Seminary
Item   2	Deane, Oppreicht, and Umhoefer in the Channel 3 studio
Item   3	Deane, Oppreicht, and Umhoefer in the Channel 3 studio
Mss 468	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   6 Folder   10	Adult education
Box   6 Folder   11	Aging
Box   6 Folder   12	Alcoholism
Box   6 Folder   13	Association for Childhood Education
Box   6 Folder   14	Association of Council Secretaries, 1969-1971
Box   6 Folder   15	Audio-visual services
	Bethel Lutheran Church
Box   6 Folder   16	Borgwardt mimeographed sermons and miscellany, 1969-1972
Box   7 Folder   1	Official reports, 1972
Box   7 Folder   2	Birthright
Box   7 Folder   3	Campus Crusade for Christ
Box   7 Folder   4-5	Catholic Information Center, 1954-1968
Box   7 Folder   6	Children's religious education
Box   7 Folder   6a	Christian unity
Box   7 Folder   7	Church Women United, Madison
Box   7 Folder   8	Church Women United, Wisconsin
Box   7 Folder   9	Citizens Concerned for University-Community Issues, 1969, undated
Box   7 Folder   10	Clergy Mental Health Professionals Cooperative Committee, 1974, undated
Box   7 Folder   11	Communication Workshop (Revel Howe), 1968
Box   7 Folder   12	Community Welfare Council of Madison, 1966-1970
Box   7 Folder   13	Consultation on Church Unity, 1971
Box   7 Folder   14	Continuing education for clergy
Box   7 Folder   15	Cooperative Campus Ministry
Box   7 Folder   16	Dane County Citizens for Children and Youth, 1967-1969
Box   7 Folder   17	Dane County Health Planning Council, 1972
Box   8 Folder   1	Draft
Box   8 Folder   2	Drugs
Box   8 Folder   3	Ecumenical Institute of Madison
Box   8 Folder   4	Edgewood College Religious Studies Committee, 1969-1970
Box   8 Folder   5	Environment
Box   8 Folder   6	Family living
Box   8 Folder   7	Family planning
Box   8 Folder   8	Foundation for Friendship
Box   8 Folder   9	Good Samaritan House
Box   8 Folder   10	Headstart, 1971-1972
Box   8 Folder   11	Housing
Box   8 Folder   12	Independent House
Box   8 Folder   12a	Intertribal Consultation Association
Box   8 Folder   13	Key 73
Box   8 Folder   14	Lutheran Campus Ministry, 1972
Box   8 Folder   15	Madison Area Association for Retarded Children, 1969, undated
Box   8 Folder   16	Madison Area Committee on Southern Africa, 1970
Box   8 Folder   17	Madison Area Lutheran Council, 1965-1972
Box   8 Folder   18	Madison Campus Ministry, 1967-1972
Box   8 Folder   19	Madison Crusade for Christ (Bill Glass), 1971-1973
Box   8 Folder   20	Madison Equal Opportunities Commission, Interfaith Committee, 1971
Box   8 Folder   21	Madison Friends of International Students
Box   8 Folder   22	Madison Ministers Fellowship
Box   8 Folder   23	Madison Public Schools, Human Relations Council, 1967-1969
Box   8 Folder   24	Madison United Churchmen, 1958-1961
Box   8 Folder   25	Madison Urban Coalition Committee, 1967-1968
Box   9 Folder   1	Madison Urban Ministry, 1974, undated
Box   9 Folder   2	Mayor's Citizens Advisory Committee, 1968
Box   9 Folder   3	Mentally retarded, Religious education of, 1969-1970, undated
Box   9 Folder   4	Methodist Children's Services of Madison
Box   9 Folder   5	National Association for the Advancement of Colored People of Madison, 1969-1971
Box   9 Folder   6	National Association of Ecumenical Staff, 1972, undated
Box   9 Folder   7	National Council of Churches... Commission of Regionalism and Local Ecumenism, 1972
Box   9 Folder   8	Neighborhood centers
Box   9 Folder   9	Omega, Inc.
Box   9 Folder   10	Our Home
Box   9 Folder   11	Parish libraries
Box   9 Folder   12	Peace
Box   9 Folder   13	People's Video, 1975-1976
Box   9 Folder   14	Peruvian relief work, 1970
Box   9 Folder   15	Priests' senate
Box   9 Folder   16	Project Equality, 1971
Box   9 Folder   17	Project Teach, 1968, undated
Box   9 Folder   18	Public Assistance Coalition
Box   9 Folder   19	Public education, 1966-1970
Box   9 Folder   19a	Race relations, 1949-1968
Box   9 Folder   20	ROA's Films (Milwaukee)
Box   9 Folder   21	St. Benedict's Center
Box   9 Folder   22	Religious Education Center
Box   9 Folder   23	Tutorial Assistance Center
Box   9 Folder   24	United Cerebral Palsy, 1972-1973
Box   10 Folder   1	United Church Women
Box   10 Folder   2	University Religious Workers, 1970-1972
Box   10 Folder   3	Veteran's Ministry, 1970-1972
Box   10 Folder   4	VISTA
Box   10 Folder   5	Voluntary Action Center
Box   10 Folder   6	Westside Coalition for the Aging
Box   10 Folder   7	Wisconsin Association for Retarded Children
Box   10 Folder   8	Youth religious education