Second overture to save Montreat archives proposed
The Layman Online, January 24, 2006
Mission Presbytery in Texas will consider an overture during its meeting March 3-4 that would keep the historical collection at Montreat Conference Center intact in North Carolina.
The overture was submitted to the presbytery by the session of First Presbyterian Church of Cuero, Texas. If the presbytery approves the overture, it will be the second seeking to maintain the collection at Montreat submitted to the 217th General Assembly, which will meet in Birmingham, Ala., June 15-22. The first was submitted by the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee.
The Mission Presbyery overture asks the General Assembly to place the Montreat Historical Office under the direction of an independent board of directors of a new organization, the Friends of the Historical Foundation of Montreat. The new foundation would not have to report to the Office of the General Assembly, which institigated the closing of the Montreat Center as a cost-cutting initiative.
The Montreat Center, a treasure trove for the history of the Southern stream of the denomination that includes 500 years of Reformed relics and archives, has already been closed. Some of its archives have been dispersed to the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia and some to the library at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga.
The proposed Mission overture asks that everything be returned, including “but not limited to any endowment, funds, or property of any nature entrusted to its care by any third party, or donated to the Presbyterian Historical Society and placed in or held by its Montreat Office.”
Here’s the text of the proposed Mission Presbytery overture:
The Presbytery of Mission overtures the 217th General Assembly to take the following actions:
A. Affirm that the Historical Foundation and its Board of Directors be constituted as a fully independent self-perpetuating body; and to implement this:
1. That the current Board of Directors of The Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, Incorporated be removed with the adoption of this Resolution; and
2. That the Historical Foundation Board of Directors shall then immediately be constituted as directed by the Board of Directors of Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, Inc.; and
B. Affirm that the Articles of Incorporation of the Historical Foundation be amended to delete any requirement that
1. its Directors, officers, by-laws, or
2. any amendment to its Articles of Incorporation, or
3. any disposition of the Historical Foundation’s assets (whether upon dissolution or otherwise) be subject to the approval of the General Assembly or of any General Assembly officer, agent or agency; and
C. Resolve that any and all assets of the Historical Foundation, which may have been removed by, delivered to, or placed with any officer, agent or agency of the General Assembly since 1982, shall be returned to, or remain under, the exclusive custody and control of the Historical Foundation, in care of its governing body as reconstituted in accordance with this Resolution; including, but not limited to, any endowment, funds, or property of any nature entrusted to its care by any third party, or donated to the Presbyterian Historical Society and placed in or held by its Montreat Office; and
D. Resolve that the Presbyterian Historical Society shall work cooperatively with the reconstituted Historical Foundation in exchange of information and in building a common data base for the collections of materials related to Presbyterian and Reformed history at both institutions, as well as at Presbyterian seminaries.
The rationale for this overture is as follows:
The Historical Foundation at Montreat contains a remarkable and exceptionally rich collection of materials on the history of the Presbyterian Church and its worldwide Reformed tradition and relationships, housing resources that enable Presbyterians to understand the roots of our Presbyterian history; and
The Historical Foundation is the primary place for holding the official records and artifacts of Presbyterianism in the South, including those of governing bodies such as congregations, presbyteries, synods, general assemblies and their missionary enterprise, but also priceless personal and family records, such as letters, manuscripts, paintings, photographs, tapes and memorabilia that reflect the life and mission of the church both here and abroad; and
The Historical Foundation is the place where Presbyterian historians have for years placed annual histories of the life and work of their congregations, in confidence that this unique collection of primary source materials would always be conveniently accessible to their wide regional constituency; and
The present facilities of the Historical Foundation are well designed and eminently suited for their specific purpose, and are visited each year by several thousand persons, including many researchers, scholars and congregational historians; and
The Historical Foundation is located on the campus of the Montreat Conference Center, which is the largest conference facility of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and a major gathering place for Presbyterians from across the nation; and
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly has announced that, because of the ongoing decrease in the per capita income to the Office of the General Assembly, the Historical Foundation should be closed and its holdings distributed between the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia and Columbia Theological Seminary, with the present Historical Foundation building becoming a museum under the management of the Mountain Retreat Association; and
Closing the Montreat Historical Foundation and dispersing its resources and collections would destroy a precious heritage that has great potential for the life and ministry of the total church, as well as of partner churches around the world; and
There has also been an outpouring of concern protesting the contemplated closing of the Historical Foundation from the spiritual heirs of the Presbyterian missionary enterprise, such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea, the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, and the Presbyterian Church of Congo;
and The Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, is prepared to undertake the support of the Historical Foundation as a self-standing independent institution, relieving the General Assembly of responsibility for its restoration and continuing support; and the Historical Foundation at Montreat has legally existed as a North Carolina nonprofit corporation under the name the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, Incorporated, beginning in 1927 and still existing until the present day, with the legal ownership of most or all of its assets still being lodged in the still existing North Carolina corporation.