E&R Church. Churchmen's Brotherhood.

Collection

Identifier: E&R RG 2008.001

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Churchmen's Brotherhood collection consists of 3 boxes containing: National - Annual Meetings. Board of Directors. Charters. Conventions, 1936-1963. Executive Secretary Reports. General Mailings. Handbooks, 1940-1959. History. News Clippings. Newsletters, 1936-1963. Personnel. Photographs. President Reports. Press Releases. Program Booklets, 1935-1962. Franklin Center. Publications. Commission on Merger of Evangelical Brotherhood & Reformed Churchmen's League. Board Minutes. Regional - Miscellaneous. Baltimore: Annual Retreats, 1948-2004; Constitution; Membership; Minutes, 1945-1976; Programs. Cleveland: History. Coastal Bend, TX: Annual Retreats. Houston Area, TX: Annual Retreats. Lehigh Synod: Annual Retreats. Louisville: Annual Retreats. Mercersburg Synod: Annual Retreats. North Illinois: Workshops. Virginia: Annual Retreats. Wausau: History. West New York: Annual Retreats. Congregational Christian Churches, Laymen's Fellowship. UCC, Churchmen's Fellowship. Newsletters: CHURCHMEN'S BROTHERHOOD, 1936-1957. CHURCHMEN'S FELLOWSHIP, 1958-1963.

Dates

Creation: 0000 - 0000

Biographical / Historical

The Churchmen's Brotherhood was the result of a 1936 merger of the Evangelical Brotherhood of the Evangelical Synod and the Churchmen's League of the Reformed Church. Two offices were established, one at St. Louis, MIssouri with Rev. Herman Streich as executive secretary and one at Philadelphia with Rev. John M. G. Darms as executive secretary. After Rev. Streich's death in 1937, Rev. Edward J. Westerbeck (1889-1958) served at the St. Louis office until August 1949. The Philadelphia office was led by Charles Freeman and Warren Breisch after Rev. Darms left the executive secretary position. In October 1949 Rev. J. Kenneth Kohler assumed the office of executive secretary and January 1951 the Philadelphia office was closed. The first president of the Churchmen's Brotherhood was Walter H. Witthaus of St. Louis. He was succeeded by Edward S. Fretz of Collegeville, PA., Martin W. Zeiller of Washington, Missouri, and beginning in 1948 by Paul Wack of Hatfield, PA. The purpose of the Churchmen's Brotherhood was to enlist the men of the denomination for the cultivation of Christian life through study, prayer, fellowship and service and to support the whole program of the Evangelical and Reformed Church in local congregations, communities, and the world. This purpose was carried out through the establishment of Churchmen's Brotherhood chapters in each local church with coordination and cooperation at the regional synod level. In June 1949 a committee of the Churchmen's Brotherhood met with a corresponding committee of the Laymen's Fellowship of the Congregational Christian churches to discuss merging the two organizations in light of the proposed union of the two denominations. After the uniting General Synod in 1957, the two men's group held a joint convention at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio on August 23-27, 1957 which outlined steps leading to the merger of the two groups. With the implementation of the constitution and by-laws of the new United Church of Christ, the men's organization became the Churchmen's Fellowship. It, along with the corresponding Women's Fellowship, became departments in the newly formed Council for Lay Life and Work.