Baptist Historical Society of Queensland
The National Guide to
Australian Baptist Historical Resources and Services
On line version © 1999
edited by David Parker and
Keith Applegate
© David Parker Oct 1999
AUSTRALIAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Please note: The
ABMS is now known as
Global interAction
Australian Baptist
Missionary Society
P.O. Box 273, Hawthorn Vic. 3122
Moore-Potter House, 593 Burwood Road, Hawthorn Vic. 3122
Tel: (03) 9819 4944, Fax: (03) 9819 1004
Contact Person: General Director
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 8.30 a.m - 4.30 p.m
The ABMS, the overseas missionary arm of Australian Baptist Churches, started its service as a group of colonial Baptist missions Societies from 1864. Since the first Australian personnel went out in 1882, there has been a continuous supply of people and programmes. The Colonial Societies federated in 1913 to become the Australian Baptist Foreign Mission. Initially activities were focused on East Bengal, India, but diversification followed 1945; today ABMS has staff in 16 countries, with the largest group in Papua New Guinea.
Accessibility: Available to bona-fide researchers/students of Baptist mission history, at the convenience of the staff of Moore Potter House. It would be helpful to give advance notice of the area of study being undertaken. Access to personal records and current material may be restricted. Permission for use of material in publications needs to be specifically obtained from the Society.
Fee: No fee is charged for search, but photocopying and phone calls are to be reimbursed.
Holdings
ABMS holds a limited amount of Archives of the pre-federated Colonial Baptist Missionary. Other records for this period are in the states of origin of the Societies. The records since federation of the Societies are held in Moore Potter House, including minutes, reports, personal correspondence, publications from that date; some personal papers and photographs of missionary personnel
Publications
Our Bond 1893-1929; Our Indian Field 1915-49; Vision 1950-
Annual Reports of the ABFM and ABMS 1924-60
Photographs: Collection is extensive, but inadequately accessible.
Artefacts: some memorabilia
Non-Paper Records: Sound recordings: reel to reel tapes and cassettes of personal interviews with missionaries, presentations; and sermons; videos of interviews with missionaries, films - ABMS promotional and documentary productions
Other material: ABMS also has a limited collection of missiological literature in the E. H. Jenkin Library, including reports of the Edinburgh Conference, 1910 and the Tambaran Conference, 1938. There are also some Missiological and Islamic Journals
ABMS holds a collection of books, sermon notes and papers of Dr F. W. Boreham, in its F.W. Boreham Training Centre
Finding Aids: available on premises only; indexes are being developed and computerised.
Facilities: Reading space available; photocopier by arrangement
Special Comments: Log books, correspondence and reports from the fields, particularly Bengal, are being collected. The ABMS would welcome the personal papers of previously serving missionaries, and hopes to make a collection of oral histories.
For further reference
The Australian Baptist Mission and its Impact in Bengal 1864-1954, Gerald Ball, (M.A. Thesis, Flinders Univ. of SA, 1978)
Australian Baptist Mission History: Papua New Guinea 1949-1975, J. Prior (M.A. Thesis, Macquarie Univ., 1992)
Beautiful Feet: Australian Baptists enter Papua New Guinea (Melbourne: ABMS, 1981)
Daring to Believe: Personal Accounts of Life Changing Events in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya, Sheila and Norman Draper (ABMS, 1990)
God and the Garos, C. D. Baldwin (Sydney: Australian Baptist Publishing House, 1933)
The Light Shines On: The Story of the Missionary Outreach of Baptist People of Australia, Jess Redman (Hawthorn: ABMS, 1982)
Mission Accomplished: the Life of F.A. Marsh, J. A. Redman (Hawthorn: ABMS, 1982)
Our Heritage (Melbourne: ABFM, 1952)
There was a Man: The Life of Cecil Silas Mead, Missionary Doctor, Walter Barry (ABFM, 1952)