Skip to main content

International Friends of Gethsemane United Methodist Church records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-375

Scope and Contents

This collection includes correspondence, meeting notes, newspaper clippings, negatives, photographs, and promotional materials from Gethsemane United Methodist Church in Muncie, Indiana ranging from 1995 to 2013 regarding the International Friends of Gethsemane program's promotional dinners and outreach efforts. The collection was donated by church member Donna Bookout and reflect her experiences/work with the program.

Dates

  • Creation: 1994 - 2013

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.

Historical Note

The Garden at Gethsemane United Methodist Church is currently located at 1201 W. McGalliard Road in Muncie, Indiana. The church's history dates back to 1895, when it was known as the "Whitely Methodist Episcopal Church" and was located on Muncie's south side. On January 2, 1921, the church burned down and the congregation had to build a temporary building large enough to house its members. Reverend Mont C. Oliver designed the plans for a new building that would look much like the original but include updated features. In February of 1922, construction on the new building was complete and services resumed.

In 1939, the name was changed to Whitely Methodist Church after the church merged with the Methodist Protestant Church. In July of 1953, the church changed its name to "Gethsemane United Methodist Church." Within the same year, church officials decided to build a new church on the corner of Virginia Avenue and McGalliard Road because many families had relocated to that part of town. The new building was completed in December of 1954.

Because the church has grown significantly in recent decades, it was decided in 2012 that the building would be torn down and rebuilt. The multi-million dollar project was completed in 2014 and the name of the church was changed to "The Garden at Gethsemane United Methodist Church." In an effort to give back to the community and help other churches, Gethsemane adopted Main Street United Methodist Church because its members could no longer afford to keep it open. The two campuses now serve the community by providing hot meals to the public, meeting areas for addiction counseling, and temporary shelter for the homeless.

The International Friends of Gethsemane program began in the 1990s and allows church members to create relationships with people from other countries and experience different cultures. Some of their outreach efforts include providing host families for foreign exchange students, having dinners, and fundraising for the missions program in the church.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Donna Bookout on 2017/05/30.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Related Archival Materials

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:

SC.738: Gethsemane United Methodist Church directories

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2017/09/10 by Makenzie Stahl. EAD finding aid created 2017/09/20 by Lindsey M. Vesperry. EAD finding aid revised 2017/09/20 by Lindsey M. Vesperry.

Title
International Friends of Gethsemane United Methodist Church records
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA