Events
January 25, 2021
The Archives has prepared a set of recommendations for local churches in developing a policy on making name and gender changes to Episcopal Church records. These guidelines for policy development accommodate individuals’ requests to align name and gender entries with usage they have legally adopted in civil jurisdictions. Name and gender identity in records is particularly sensitive in instances where individuals seek to safeguard their privacy, protect themselves from harm, or simply to revise records that do not accurately represent their identity.
The guidelines were prepared at the request of General Convention (2018-A088) and approved for distribution by Executive Council at its October 9–11, 2020 meeting. The Executive Council’s resolution and an additional bibliography of resources are available under the website’s “Text Center” tab above. The Guidelines for Policy on Amending Church Records for Name and Gender Changes are available in Spanish. The Church archivists welcome questions and comments on the guidelines.
May 14, 2020
The Archives is prompted by the new coronavirus to consider how past efforts have been addressed by The Episcopal Church. Inquirers have asked how the Church addressed the influenza pandemic of 1918. Responses to that pandemic were led by parishes and dioceses who provided relief services appropriate to the needs of their communities and the safety of their congregants.
Thanks to diocesan archivist Michael Krasulski for sending us his parishing gleanings.
Familiar themes emerge in recalling past parish and diocesan efforts. Does your diocese or parish have a story about its experience during the 1918 pandemic? Send us a story, link, or reference to add to our list. Our findings are available alongside a compilation of stories on local experiences.
November 08, 2017
The Archives of the Episcopal Church has recently received the personal papers of Dr. Charles Radford Lawrence II, 27th President of the House of Deputies from 1976 to 1985. Dr. Lawrence is honored as the first and only African American President of the House. The 14 cubic feet collection was donated by his wife Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence and their three children, Dr. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, Dr. Charles R. Lawrence III, and the Reverend Paula Lawrence-Wehmiller.
November 06, 2017
The Papers of the Rt. Rev. Everett Holland Jones (1902-1995), 4th Bishop of West Texas, have been processed and are now open for research. The papers include a large collection of printed sermons, personal and family biographical papers, correspondence spanning 1921 to 1990, and course and lecture outlines.
November 06, 2017
Archives staff have recently completed the rehousing and preservation of an important collection of missionary correspondence with the Church in Liberia (1822-1952).
January 13, 2017
The Archives Board will meet on January 17 to receive updates on The Episcopal Church's negotiations and development work to build a new Archives in downtown Austin. The Archives in Austin is envisioned as a center for honoring and celebrating the gifts and challenges for this province of the Anglican Communion. The Board will also discuss governance issues, the next triennial budget, and financial planning.
October 28, 2016
The Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, an Archives Board member since 2010, was elected the Bishop of Indianapolis as the first African American woman to serve as a chief or diocesan bishop in The Episcopal Church. Congratulations to the Diocese of Indianapolis and to Jennifer, our friend and advocate, from the Board and staff of the Archives.
May 04, 2016
The Archives of the Episcopal Church announces the release of their newly designed and content-rich website. The principal feature is the opening of a major exhibit on the life and work of the 23rd Presiding Bishop, John Maury Allin. Entitled Venture in Ministry, the exhibit weaves historical text and rich media into an exploration of Bishop Allin’s ministry as he navigated the Church through arguably its greatest period of institutional change in the 1970s and 80s.
March 30, 2016
The Archives of the Episcopal Church, in partnership with the General Convention Office, has edited and published the Church’s core governance documents in the 2015 edition of the Constitution, Canons and Rules of Order of The Episcopal Church.
March 30, 2016
The Personal Papers of the Reverend Dr. John Rowan Claypool IV (1930-2005), a nationally-respected minister, theologian and writer, are now open for research. The papers include a large archive of audiovisual recordings, indexed sermons, correspondence, books, photographs and scrapbooks from the period 1953-2005.