The collection is arranged in six series as HISTORICAL AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS, and PHOTOGRAPHS.
The records of the Grand Avenue Congregational Church primarily reflect the activities of the various boards and committees that govern the congregation, the organizations in which the women of the congregation participated, and the publications issued to communicate with members.
Other than baptism records, little sacramental information is available in this collection although the membership rolls contain some information of this type. The records document well the congregation's role and activities as a large church of the central city, although information pertaining to its important early role in the anti-slavery and temperance movements is entirely missing from the records. There is also little information on individual pastors or their ministries.
The HISTORICAL BACKGROUND MATERIAL includes printed histories prepared for anniversary observances which contain copies of some major documents and statements of faith from the church's past. Files on various anniversaries include programs, pageant scripts, and other related items. The union with Pilgrim Church which took place in 1916 as a result of the geographical proximity of the two congregations is documented by the resolutions passed by both congregations and a roll of Pilgrim Church members. Also here are files on the honor roll maintained during World War I and World War II also containing some correspondence between the pastor and service men and women from the congregation. Newspaper clippings reflect some aspects of the church's history for the period between 1932 and 1963, although these appear to be incomplete. Copies of statistical reports submitted to the Congregational Year-Book shortly after the turn of the century contain information on the composition of the membership, the amount and distribution of their benevolent contributions, and the career and salary of the minister.
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS are a major part of this collection, consisting primarily of minutes and correspondence of boards and committees and financial records. The records document well the activities and endeavors of a modern congregation.
With the general file of constitutions and by-laws at the beginning of the section is a file pertaining to the dissolution of the Second Congregational Society formed in 1848 to oversee the finances of the church and to the incorporation of the church in 1952. The remainder of the series is arranged by administrative body or by record type. Documented administrative groups include general congregational meetings, the Church Council (and its predecessor the Pastor's Staff), the Board of Religious Education (Board of Christian Education), the Board of Trustees, which was responsible for the business and secular operation of the church, and the Board of Worship that was responsible for religious activities.
The records of the general church membership meetings include minutes and annual reports of church groups and officials. In more recent years the annual reports were separately printed. They may be found in the PUBLICATIONS series.
Financial records are primarily comprised of individual pledge records and summary financial statements. The pledge books document the patterns in charitable contributions of individual members for the period from 1918 to 1958, while the summary financial statements (some monthly and some annual) provide good coverage of the congregation's overall financial position for most of the twentieth century.
The membership records include original record books for the period from 1857 through 1934; a single record for 1857-1997 arranged alphabetically; and the remainder of the documentation consisting primarily of lists compiled at various times. The record books contain some information on births, deaths, and baptisms, as well as the new affiliations of members who left the congregation. The Dismission Book contains the same information for the period 1934-1940, but it is difficult to use, as the names are not indexed.
Alphabetical subject files grouped with the administrative records contain some information on the merger with the Evangelical and Reformed Church and on the careers of individual ministers and other individuals employed by the congregation. The pastors' files are primarily biographical, often consisting of newspaper articles and a few sermons and writings. The files concerning the hiring of a pastor in 1903 and choir director/organist in 1934 are interesting in their documentation of the extent and thoroughness of the searches. Also in the subject files is information on church modernization projects and construction. The records here include committee papers, blueprints, specifications, and fundraising information.
The ORGANIZATIONS series documents well the role of women in the congregation, with a few of the volumes dating to the mid-nineteenth century. Well documented by both minutes and financial records are the Women's Guild and its many circles, and the early Home and Foreign Missionary groups. There is, however, only a small quantity of documentation pertaining to the Sunday School.
The PUBLICATIONS series consist of annual reports, directories, newsletters, and Order of Worship bulletins/Calendars. With the beginning of the Messenger in 1948, calendar information was no longer published in the bulletins, and as a result these later bulletins have not been retained. The cookbook issued by the women of the Pilgrim Congregational Church is an interesting example of this traditional type of fundraising vehicle.
A small group of material documents the relationship of GAC with EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS in the Milwaukee area, both members of the Congregational/UCC Church and other area denominations and churches. It is here that a file on Central City Churches, Inc. is found.
The PHOTOGRAPHS include exterior and interior views of the church. The exterior views help place the building into its urban context as it is surrounded more by businesses than by housing. These images also document changes to the church building as the needs of the congregation change, including an addition toward the rear of the building. Interior images show the church itself as well as worship activities occurring in the building. There are also a set of photographs from the 117th anniversary celebration. In addition to documenting the events surrounding the anniversary, these images also show the multiracial make-up of the church's membership.
