making history By Robert E. Picirilli (for the Free Will Baptist Historical Commission) Learn more about the departments, boards, and commissions of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Visit www.nafwb.org.

It has been said that those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat its mistakes. I don’t know about that, but I do know that good resources are required for meaningful historical research. Free Will Baptists have neglected to collect such resources—and that’s a pity.

Historical resources have not been totally neglected, of course. We do have a FWB Historical Collection, maintained in the Welch Library at Free Will Baptist Bible College. But the resources of the college—both in finances and personnel—are limited, and making improvements to the collection has not been energetically pursued.

As a result, the FWB Historical Commission has begun to give more attention to the collection. As a member of that commission I’ve volunteered most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for more than a year, working to sort, organize, and build our holdings.

During this period, I have focused on the periodicals in particular, the various regular publications of several state organizations and national agencies. The immediate objective is to compile complete sets of these publications and to have them placed in a archive-quality, permanent binding for better preservation and easier research. The project will require a great deal of time and a financial investment, but the end result will be something the readers of ONE can be proud of.

However, many issues are still missing, and we need to fill in these gaps! No doubt Free Will Baptists in every state want their state papers well-represented in the Collection.

So we call on Free Will Baptists to check their attics, basements, garages, and closets for back issues of various periodicals published by and for Free Will Baptists anywhere and everywhere. Below you will find a list of what we have and what we need.

This is a great opportunity to “make history” by contributing to the lasting record of Free Will Baptists. If you find that you have the following periodicals in your possession (or other historical FWB documents) please contact me:

Email repic@access4less.net
Telephone (615) 297-0183
Mail R. E. Picirilli, 301 Greenway Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205.

MISSING HISTORIC PUBLICATIONS

• Alabama
  The Digest (have all issues since the name change in 1995)
  Alabama FWB (published in the early 50s; have only 6)
  Alabama FWB Proclaimer (a few trial issues were published in the early 70s; may have all copies)
  Missions Digest / Alabama FWB Missions Digest / Alabama FWB Digest (published in the 1980s; several issues missing)

• Arkansas
  The Vision (published since 1959; many issues missing; greatest number missing from early 1980s and older)
  Additional state-sponsored papers may exist

• California
  The Voice (published since 1960; many are missing from the collection)
  California FWB News (have only April 1947)
  California FWB (have only May 1955)

• Florida
  The Florida Coordinator (published since 1965; many are missing)
  Spanish edition (some are missing)

• Georgia
  The Promotional Bulletin (published since about 1948; many missing, especially before 1964)

• Illinois
  The Illinois State FWB Association Newsletter (published since 1960; several needed between May 1966 and the end of 1979)

• Indiana
  The Key (published since 1971; several missing)

• Kansas
  The Arrow (published since 1963; many missing)

• Kentucky
  Kentucky Crossroads (published since 1997; have only Jan 1999, vol. 3, no. 1).
  Free Will Baptist Advocator (published from approximately 1945-50; several issues missing)
  The Advocate (published 1970s; we have them all volumes from November 1973 – March-April 1975)

• Maryland
  Maryland State Association of FWB Newsletter (old series published in the 80s; new series from 1996–99; issues missing from both sets)
  The Free State Progress (published 1960s and 70s; several issues missing)

• Michigan
  The Menorah (published since 1996; several missing before July 2001)            
  The Michigan FWB Newsletter (published mid-1970s; we have only a few issues from 1975)
  The New Morning Star (we have three issues from 1977; need any others)

• Mississippi
  Mississippi FWB Messenger (old series published in 60s; new series since 1970; several missing from 1978 through 2001)

• Missouri
  The FWB Gem (published since 1929; we have the only complete set in existence, I think). Note: this publication was more than a “state” paper. It is one of the two most important FWB periodicals (the other being The Free Will Baptist, published in Ayden, NC) because it goes so far back and provides regular denominational news. (Back issues are needed to complete historical sets at Mt. Olive College, Hillsdale FWB College, and the Missouri state office.)

• North Carolina (state association, with NAFWB)
  The FWB Witness (published since 1962; missing several issues since 1970).

• North Carolina (state convention)
  The Free Will Baptist (since 1873; have complete set from 1942 to present; need many prior to 1942). This is another important FWB periodical (see Missouri, above), especially in the earlier years. Due to its age, The Free Will Baptist is regarded as the single most important early FWB periodical.

• Ohio
  The Ambassador (published since 1963; two missing issues.  A prior series was mimeographed; we need nearly all of them)

• Oklahoma
  The Promoter (published since 1956; we need January 1956, January 1957, January and December 1996; also any FWB periodicals prior to The Promoter)

• South Carolina:
  The Informer (old series published 1970-71; new series published since January 1972; several issues missing, especially before 1980)
  The Post (beginning and ending dates uncertain; we have only a few)

• Tennessee:
  The Echo (published since 1968; missing only five issues from 1988-91)

• Texas:
  The Texas Challenge (published since 1965; many issues missing)

• Virginia:
  The Plumbline (almost all issues missing)
  The Virginia Link (published after 1966; many issues missing)

• West Virginia:
   The West Virginia FWB (published after 1976; many issues missing