Descriptive Summary
Creator(s)
Biographical Note / Administrative History
The Brazil Mission of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA) was established by the Board of Foreign Missions in 1859. It was the second mission field opened by the PCUSA in Latin America. The structure of Presbyterian mission work in Brazil differed from that of other mission fields developed by the church throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. While the latter evolved around permanent centralized mission stations, comparatively few such stations were established in Brazil. Because of the vast distances that had to be traveled by itinerant missionaries, the mission was subdivided in 1871 into two missions: the South Brazil Mission and the Central Brazil Mission. The latter encompassed the stations at Bahia, Cidade de Bomfim, Ponte Nova, Caetité and North Minas. The former included the stations in São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso, Goiás and Santa Catarina. In 1938, the two missions were reunited as the Central Brazil Mission. The name was continued by the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) after 1958.
The nature of the church's ministry in Brazil was evangelistic, educational and medical. Though permanent institutions were constructed in the cities, evangelistic work in the vast interior was directed by itinerant missionaries who trained evangelistic workers to continue the work they had initiated. In the South Brazil Mission, educational work centered in São Paulo where primary, intermediate, and secondary education courses were taught in the Escola Americana and higher education was provided at Mackenzie College. In the Central Brazil Mission, the Farm School of Ponte Nova offered coeducational training. The primary medical work of the Central Brazil Mission was conducted at the Ponte Nova Hospital.
In 1888, the 52 mission churches of the PCUSA and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS) were united to form the Presbyterian Church of Brazil (Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil or IPB). A growing divergence of opinion on matters of doctrine, policy and methods resulted in a schism in 1903, and a number of ministers, elders and communicants withdrew to establish the Independent Presbyterian Church.
The Board of Foreign Missions encouraged the transfer of mission work to the IPB. By the late 1960s, the missionary force of the Central Brazil Mission was greatly reduced from its former numbers. In 1971, the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations (COEMAR) formally dissolved the Central Brazil Mission, an action that prompted the Presbyterian Church of Brazil to end its relationship with the mission. UPCUSA missionaries continued to work in Brazil under the auspices of the Independent Presbyterian Church.
Collection Overview
Record Group 137 documents the educational and evangelistic mission efforts of the PCUSA's successor, the UPCUSA, in Brazil 1956-1972. The essence of this collection is the Secretaries' Files of the Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations, though some materials from its predecessor, the Board of Foreign Missions, are also included.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Administrative Information
Record Group 137 was processed minimally--the original filing order of the material was left intact. This may present challenges to the researcher in search of specific materials. The researcher is advised to examine "Executive correspondence" for papers on any given subject, even when that subject is listed separately. Executive correspondence is not filed separately by subject.
The Commission Representative annual report and the Field Treasurer annual report are filed with "Institutions."
Budget papers for the mission are filed with "Executive correspondence," except as noted. Budget papers for Institutions are filed with "Institutions."
Some missionary personal reports cover the fiscal year (July-June). These are filed according to the concluding date of the report period.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared: 1978
Robert Goldstein, Assistant Records Researcher
Notes added to finding aid: 1983
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr., Archivist
Finding aid revised: March 1992
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist
Mission minutes interfiled and finding aid revised: 2016
Jennifer Barr, Technical Services and Reference Archivist
Preferred Citation
Catalog Headings
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | Description | |
|
|
| |
1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 137 | |
1 | 2 | Historical and background papers | |
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|
| |
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| 1956 | |
1 | 3 | Executive correspondence | |
1 | 4 | Institutions--reports, correspondence, minutes | |
1 | 5 | Missionary personal reports | |
1 | 6 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
1 | 7 | Christian literature programs--correspondence | |
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|
| |
|
| 1957 | |
1 | 8 | Executive correspondence | |
1 | 9 | Institutions--reports, correspondence, minutes | |
1 | 10 | MacKenzie College, São Paulo--correspondence | |
1 | 11 | Missionary personal reports | |
1 | 12 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
|
|
| |
|
| 1958 | |
1 | 13 | Executive correspondence | |
1 | 14 | Institutions--reports, correspondence, minutes | |
| 1 | 15-16 | MacKenzie College--correspondence | |
1 | 17 | Missionary personal reports | |
1 | 18 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
1 | 19 | Christian literature programs--correspondence | |
|
|
| |
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| 1959 | |
1 | 20 | Executive correspondence | |
| 1 | 21 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes | |
1 | 22 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
1 | 23 | MacKenzie College--correspondence, reports | |
1 | 24 | Missionary personal reports | |
1 | 25 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
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|
| |
|
| 1960 | |
1 | 26-27 | Executive correspondence | |
| 1 | 28 | Central Brazil Mission Plenary minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes | |
1 | 29 | Mission budget | |
1 | 30 | Institutions--correspondence | |
1 | 31 | MacKenzie College--correspondence | |
1 | 32 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
1 | 33 | Missionary newsletter (scattered issues) | |
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| |
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| 1961 | |
1 | 34-35 | Executive correspondence | |
| 1 | 36 | Central Brazil Mission Plenary minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes | |
2 | 1 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 2 | MacKenzie College--correspondence | |
2 | 3 | COEMAR educational survey in Brazil--correspondence, follow-up | |
2 | 4 | Missionary personal reports | |
2 | 5 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
2 | 6 | Missionary newsletter, related papers | |
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| |
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| 1962 | |
| 2 | 7 | Executive correspondence | |
| 2 | 8 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes; Conselho Inter-Presbiteriano minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes; Communications Committee minutes | |
2 | 9 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 10 | MacKenzie College--correspondence | |
2 | 11 | CAVE (Centro Audio-Visual Evangelico)--correspondence | |
2 | 12 | Missionary personal reports | |
2 | 13 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
2 | 14 | Mission property--"Report on Property Records" | |
2 | 15 | Missionary newsletter | |
|
|
| |
|
| 1963 | |
| 2 | 16 | Executive correspondence | |
| 2 | 17 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes; Conselho Inter-Presbiteriano minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes | |
2 | 18 | Mission budget | |
2 | 19 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 20 | Missionary personal reports | |
2 | 21 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
2 | 22 | Missionary newsletter | |
|
|
| |
|
| 1964 | |
2 | 23 | Executive correspondence, draft guidelines for the mission | |
| 2 | 24 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes; Communications Committee minutes | |
2 | 25 | Mission budget | |
2 | 26 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 27 | Buriti Farm and School--correspondence re immigrant resettlement project | |
2 | 28 | Missionary personal reports | |
2 | 29 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
2 | 30 | Missionary newsletter | |
|
|
| |
|
| 1965 | |
2 | 31 | Executive correspondence | |
| 2 | 32 | Central Brazil Mission Plenary minutes; Executive Committee minutes | |
2 | 33 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 34 | Missionary personal reports | |
2 | 35 | Cornell Brazil Project--background and planning | |
|
|
| |
|
| 1966 | |
2 | 36 | Executive correspondence | |
| 2 | 37 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes; Financial Advisory Committee minutes | |
2 | 38 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
2 | 39 | MacKenzie College--correspondence | |
3 | 1 | Missionary personal reports | |
3 | 2 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
|
|
| |
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| 1967 | |
| 3 | 3 | Executive correspondence--relations between mission and Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil | |
| 3 | 4 | Central Brazil Mission Plenary minutes; Executive Committee minutes | |
3 | 5 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 6 | Missionary personal reports | |
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| |
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| 1968 | |
| 3 | 7 | Executive correspondence | |
| 3 | 8 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes | |
3 | 9 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 10-11 | Missionary personal reports | |
3 | 12 | Porto Alegre Urban Mission Project--background, proposal | |
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| 1969 | |
| 3 | 13 | Executive correspondence | |
| 3 | 14 | Central Brazil Mission Plenary minutes; Executive Committee minutes | |
3 | 15 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 16 | Missionary personal reports | |
3 | 17 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
3 | 18 | Missionary newsletter (incomplete run) | |
|
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| |
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| 1970 | |
3 | 19 | Executive correspondence--Radio Cometa affair | |
| 3 | 20 | Central Brazil Mission Executive Committee minutes | |
3 | 21 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 22 | CAVE, Radio Cometa--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 23 | Missionary personal reports | |
3 | 24 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
3 | 25 | Missionary newsletter (incomplete run) | |
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|
| |
|
| 1971 | |
3 | 26-27 | Executive correspondence--relations between mission and Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil; phase-out of mission | |
| 3 | 28 | Brazil Advisory Council Plenary minutes; Administrative Committee minutes | |
3 | 29 | Institutions--reports, correspondence | |
3 | 30 | Missionary personal reports | |
3 | 31 | Relations between mission and Brazilian Presbyterian churches | |
3 | 32 | Missionary newsletter (incomplete run) | |
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| 1972 | |
3 | 33-34 | Executive correspondence, COEMAR representative annual report | |
| 3 | 35 | [Field Corporation Executive Committee] minutes | |
3 | 36 | Missionary newsletter (incomplete run) |