More Than Just a Project
—Preserving the Stories
I recently sat down with Fellowship President, Steve Jones, and Thomas Hopkins, Fellowship Communication Director. Our discussion revolved around the future of Fellowship Archives. In passing, Steve referred to the development of the Archives as a “project” and then said: “I don’t like to call this a ‘project.’”
Steve’s comment about not liking to refer to Fellowship Archives as a project got me thinking about what we should call it. I wonder if the word “service” would apply.
Fellowship Archives exists to provide evidence of who we are as a Fellowship and how we got here. It is the Fellowship’s story—and it’s important to preserve it, to understand it, and to learn from it. It is important, just as the stories of its churches and the individuals within those churches are important.
It is a service to our Regions, to our churches, to the individuals in our churches, to our educational institutions, and to a wider world who want to know just what The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches is all about (people do ask).
Steve has a passion for history, particularly Fellowship history. That’s kind of where I came into the picture. When I moved to Guelph in 2016 someone at the Fellowship National Office (I think it might have been Thomas) mentioned the piles and files of old photographs that had accumulated over the years. Most of the people in the photos were unidentified and the bulk of the staff hadn’t been around long enough to know who most of them were.
I’ve been in Fellowship circles for a long, long time! My personal archives include the Cradle Roll certificate that proves that I was part of a Fellowship Baptist Church (one that predates the Fellowship) from the moment I was born. I have worked under the Fellowship umbrella for all of my ministry career, both in Canada and overseas. I knew, and know, many of those who were key to its beginning and who have forged its path over the decades. What else could I do but volunteer to identify as many of the people in the photos as I could. Besides, I enjoy history too!
That led to being asked to help out with an even bigger challenge—the boxes and boxes of documents collected and stored at Fellowship National, some of which go back before the Fellowship was the Fellowship. Graciously, the Fellowship provided the means for me to pursue some studies on how to set up an Archive. The journey as Fellowship Archives Co-ordinator began—a huge, ongoing challenge.
But why spend some of my “retirement” years doing what some might believe to be such a boring job?
I have often told audiences and individuals that everyone has a story and that story is important to someone. I have tried to encourage people to write their stories down. Though your story, and mine, will likely never be bestsellers, they remain always the testimony of our journey with Christ though the good times, and through those times that have been challenging for us. We are part of a much larger story—HIS! That testimony needs to be shared. Only the Lord knows what impact your story, or mine, might have on a family member or some stranger who, accidently or on purpose, comes across it.
One of the highlights of my journey through the endless boxes of documents that have accumulated over the years at Fellowship National have been the insights into the lives of the people who have made significant contributions to our Fellowship—their stories. Oh, not all of them are heroes with public profiles that would normally make headlines. Most are just people who, for the glory of God and the building of His kingdom, went about His business faithfully without fanfare.
However, each one is a brick in our building, a step on our staircase, an hour in our timeline. Each one is important. Every story, no matter how long or short, is important. Fellowship Archives will try to preserve those stories for you. Eventually, we will be able to provide you with access to all the information being collected. Our story as a fellowship is important. It’s your story, the story of people and churches and leaders who have been used of God to influence a movement across Canada and around the world.