Church of the Truth Papers: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Katie Richardson, April 20, 2010.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© April 2010
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: Church of the Truth Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1920-2002
Collection Number: mssChurch of the Truth Papers
Creator:
Church of the Truth (Pasadena, Calif.)
Extent: 49 items in 3 boxes.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains 49 items chiefly documenting the early years of the Church
of the Truth in Pasadena, California, in the 1920s, including four diaries kept by Reverend H. E. Mills, which often note
church events.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Church of the Truth Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Provenance
Purchased from Elliott Mittler, July 24, 2009.
Historical Note
The Church of the Truth in Pasadena, California, was founded in 1922 by Reverend
Albert Grier who eventually formed a total of 22 churches in the early part of the
20th century. Grier’s goal was to provide a place of worship that stressed healing
the total human: mind, body and soul. In so doing, this would create a full
awakening of Christ within the individual. The Church of the Truth is associated
with the New Thought movement which emphasizes metaphysical beliefs such as the
effects of positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative
visualization, and personal power. It also promotes the ideas that infinite
intelligence or God is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human
selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, all sickness originates in
the mind, and right thinking has a healing effect.
H. Edward Mills succeeded Grier as the reverend of the Church of the Truth on August
15, 1925, after Grier took a call to serve as reverend for a church in New York.
Mills was a pioneer in the West for the New Thought movement and was well known as a
composer and writer of sacred music and songs. Besides regular church services, many
groups were formed to support the members in the Pasadena location: the Junior
Church was created for children from nursery through 6th grade, LTL was formed for
young people ages 13 through junior college, Harmony Circle was formed as a woman’s
group, and Harmony Juniors was formed as a younger women’s group. In addition,
members could partake in other activities such as singing in the church choir and
performing volunteer work in the church office or library. They could also attend
lectures and evening classes which included the Constructive Thinkers Class
(C.T.C.), a study group open to all adults.
Scope and Content
This collection contains 49 items chiefly documenting the early years of the Church
of the Truth in Pasadena, California. The collection includes article clippings
mentioning the church or its sister congregations during the 1920s-1930s; bible
lessons used by the church’s reverends; a catalogue from the University of
Metaphysics; church bulletins which give an introduction to the church, its
teachings, and activities that the members can participate in; the program used
during the dedication of the chapel; the School of Truth catalogue for 1984; and the
Christmas service bulletin from 1973. Also included are letters between the former
Rev. Jean Williams and Erma Wiley Wells (a leader in the New Thought Movement and
founder of the University of Metaphysics) and between Rev. Judi Dell Warren and Rev.
Kathy Meyers about the process of starting the Albert Grier School of ministry in
Pasadena.
The collection includes seven diaries that span from 1920 to 1937. The first diary
belongs to Gladys, the daughter of Albert Grier. It documents her family’s travels
during the summer of 1920 as they journeyed from the state of Washington throughout
California and all the way down to Tijuana, Mexico. The majority of the other
diaries were kept by H. Edward (H.E.) Mills, Reverend Grier’s successor, and span
the time period of 1925-1935. In his journals he describes how he came to be
ordained as Reverend of the Church of Truth in Pasadena and the role he fulfilled
while serving in that ministry. Mills moved with his family from Spokane, Oregon
after serving a number of years as associate pastor for the Church of Truth in
Spokane. He was called to replace Grier who moved to New York to oversee the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel and was ordained on August 15, 1925. His diaries record church events
and meetings, the creation of a song book, the song book dedication, trips from
Portland to Los Angeles, music recitals, and newspaper clippings that mention the
church. The last diary was kept by Mary T. Mills, the wife of H. E. Mills, in 1937.
It includes information about new church members, preparation for services,
newspaper clippings mentioning the church, and piano recitals.
In addition, there is a handwritten table of contents and an author’s index for
The Truth, a magazine edited by A.C. Grier, which ran from 1924
to 1932. There is an outline of article titles and authors for each issue organized
by month and year. Miscellaneous church items include church flyers and spring
concert planning notes. Also included are the C.T.C. notebooks kept by Rev. Jean
Williams from 1957-1964 and a notebook belonging to Albert Grier which outlines
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophy and teachings for the Church of the Truth.
Arrangement
Items arranged alphabetically.
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Church of the Truth
(Pasadena, Calif.) -- Archives.
New Thought.
Religious institutions --
California.
Pasadena
(Calif.)
Forms/Genres
Church bulletins -- California -- 20th
century.
Church records -- California -- 20th
century.
Diaries -- California -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- California
-- 20th century.
Additional Contributors
Grier, Albert C. (Albert Cotton), d.
1941.
Grier, Gladys C., 1891-.
Mills, H. Edward.
Wells, Erma Wiley.
Box 1
Article clippings – Diary: H. Edward Mills (1926)
Article clippings.
[Approximately 1920s-1930s]
Physical Description: 8 items.
Bible lessons.
[Approximately 1920s-2000s]
Physical Description: 4 items.
Catalogue: University of Metaphysics E.W. Wells.
[Undated]
Physical Description: 1 item.
Church bulletins.
1929-1984
Physical Description: 6 items.
Correspondence: Warren, Judi Dell. 1 letter to Kathy Meyers.
1995, Jan. 30
Correspondence: Wells, Erma Wiley. 1 letter to Jean Williams.
1951, Oct. 11
Correspondence: Wells, Erma Wiley. 1 letter.
1951, Jan. 7
Physical Description: to Thomas and Jean Williams.
Diary: Gladys Grier.
1920
Physical Description: 1 item.
Diary: H. Edward Mills.
1925
Physical Description: 1 item.
Diary: H. Edward Mills.
1926
Physical Description: 1 item.
Box 2
Diary: H. Edward Mills (1927) – Miscellaneous church items
Diary: H. Edward Mills [includes a note from H.E.M. to H.J.M.].
1927
Physical Description: 1 item.
Diary: H. Edwards Mills.
1935
Physical Description: 1 item.
Diary: Mary T. Mills.
1937
Physical Description: 1 item.
Magazine: The Truth ed. by A.C. Grier.
1924-1932
Physical Description: 9 items.
Miscellaneous church items.
1989-2002
Physical Description: 10 items.
Notebook: Albert C. Grier.
[Undated]
Physical Description: 1 item.
Notebook: Jean Williams CTC notes.
1957-1964
Physical Description: 1 item.
