Read about our Archives

Research requests

CMS missionaries have made an enourmous contribution to the world over the past 150 years. CMS is working hard to make sure the stories of the past are told and we want to encourage people today to access them and learn from many years of service to God.

CMS Victoria holds a large quanitity of archival material dating back almost 200 years. Much of this is now held in the State Library of Victoria, which should be contacted directly for access. However permission will be required from CMS Victoria to access any of the Restricted Files held in the State Library. Some material has been retained at CMS Victoria.

For details or futher enquiries contact the Archives Manager, Mrs Janine Stewart, at CMS Victoria by email -
or by phone at CMS on Thursdays only between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm,
or by mail any time -
Mrs Janine Stewart, CMS Victoria,
PO Box 410, Blackburn, Vic 3130.

Missing records

We are missing details of the Summer Schools (Summer Conferences) from the years 1943, 1957-1960, 1969, and 1971-1973. We would appreciate information about these Conferences to complete our Archives, particularly advertising brochures or handbooks.

Also needed are MMA Newsletters prior to July 1984, and a copy of the newsletters for January 1989 and January 1994.

Research

Many researchers use our Archives for information. Some are writing a thesis on a particular subject. Some have a personal interest in a particular missionary.
At the moment we are helping Canon Alfred Olwa from Uganda, who is studying at Moore College in Sydney. Alfred comes from Lira, and has a personal interest in former Victorian CMS missionary the Revd Tom Lawrence who served in Lira from 1915-19, 24-41.

However Alfred's main interest is writing a Ph.D.Thesis on the preaching of Bishop Festo Kivengere from Uganda. Bishop Festo has visited Australia many times - his later visits being for African Enterprise. However his most memorable visit as far as CMS is concerned was his tour of CMS Mission Stations in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory in 1959 with the Revd Lance Shilton. The impact of the presence and powerful preaching of a black Christian is still well remembered amongst the people of those areas.

A Rare Treasure

William Wilberforce - founding member of CMS

"The Missionary at Home and Abroad"

by Hussey Burgh Macartney

One of the treasures of the Archives of CMS Victoria is copies of a Journal called "The Missionary at Home and Abroad" by Hussey Burgh Macartney. The Revd H.B.Macartney was the son of the Revd H.B.Macartney who was later the Dean of Melbourne. H.B. Macartney junior was for many years the Vicar of St Mary's Caulfield. He was extremely influential in encouraging interest in missionary work and supporting missionaries who went to China and India, some supported by the Church Missionary Society of the UK before CMS Victoria was formed until 1892.

For 26 years Macartney produced this weekly Journal aptly summed up by its title, "The Missionary at Home and Abroad". This Journal is today much in demand by people researching various aspects of missionary and church history. Our Archives held an almost complete set of these journals from 1873 - 1898. We are missing those from 1880 and 1881 but it is not absolutely certain the Journal was produced during those years.

The set from our Archives is almost certainly the most complete set of Macartney's journals in Australia, if not the world. Those journals have now been deposited in the State Library, where they will be held in the Rare Books section. This will enable the journals to be properly cared for and stored, and accessible to researchers under appropriate research conditions.