International Friends of Gethsemane United Methodist Church records
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.
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
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
libarchives@bsu.edu