Invite us to your anniversary party.
Is your American Baptist congregation celebrating a significant anniversary? Include us on your guest list! We’ll issue a certificate for presentation during your event marking the occasion. Send us copies of programs, history booklets, and other documentation of your celebration to make sure your church is represented in the ABHS archives. Request a Church Anniversary Certificate.
Please send your request at least six weeks in advance of your celebration.
In addition, your church might be eligible for the George Younger Award (see below) which is given for excellence in local or regional American Baptist history. Learn how to apply for the Younger Award.
Church Bulletin Inserts
Download these bulletin inserts to promote Baptist History in your congregation. Some are also useful for small group discussion.
- Baptist Heritage
- Pioneer Missionaries
- Liberty to Vote
- Women’s history month insert [PDF]
- Spanish American Baptist Seminary bulletin insert
Print out the bulletin on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper to make a master sheet. (Using a smooth, bright white paper will give you a crisper image.) Photocopy doublesided, using your copier’s automatic settings or manually. Cut in half to 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ insert size.
Educational materials
- Youth Archives [PDF]
- Three videos about the Japanese Internment from ABHS’s annual event on September 28, 2017. Good for Discussion and Reflection. Jeffrey Haggary, Yosh Nakagawa, and Priscilla Eppinger.
- Videos from the Legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch conference is available on our YouTube channel.
Church History Resource Now Available
The Historical Society has a new resource to help with church anniversary celebrations and anyone working on preserving church histories. This is a digital resource with hard copy pages included. To order one of these resources ($15), print the order form available here.
Resources for Preserving Church Records
The George Younger Award for Excellence in Local or Regional American Baptist History
George D. Younger (1926-2001) was a historian, minister, ecumenical leader, and lifelong enthusiast for Baptist history. Seeking to honor his achievement and to continue his legacy of encouraging others to share their own part in Baptist history, the Historical Society’s Board of Managers created the George D. Younger Award in 2004.
Along with his parish and regional ministry in New York City and New Jersey, he served as editor-in-chief of the Historical Society’s journal, Foundations (predecessor to the American Baptist Quarterly), represented the Baptist World Alliance at the United Nations, and taught Baptist history and polity at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Drew Theological School, and Union Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rev. Dr. Dodie Younger, were strong supporters of the American Baptist Historical Society.
The next Younger Award will be presented during the 2025 ABCUSA Biennial Mission Summit. Projects eligible for nomination must reach completion in 2023 or 2024 and include, but are not restricted to, church anniversary celebrations, congregational or regional histories, oral history projects, or other historical programs that promote Baptist history in the local community or region. The judges especially look for evidence of the impact on the targeted audience, with special consideration given for those projects with outreach beyond the immediate Baptist community.
Deadline for submission for the next award cycle is April 1, 2025. Please consult the guidelines for nominees.
