Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography / Administrative History
Chronology: Denominational Support
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Index
Other Finding Aids
Separated Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Cooperative Ministries in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada
Dates: 1964-1994
Collection number: GTU 94-11-04
Creator:
Cooperative Ministries in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada
Collector:
Jentzsch, Trilla
Collection Size:
6.5 linear feet (7 record boxes)
Repository: The Graduate Theological Union. Library.
Abstract: The collection contains minutes of board meetings, administrative records, and program files of the Cooperative Ministries
in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada.
Physical location: 4/D/4-5
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
Cooperative Ministries in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada, 1964-1994, GTU 94-11-04. Graduate Theological
Union Archives, Berkeley, CA.
Acquisition Information
Materials were donated by Trilla Jentzsch on November 17, 1994.
Biography / Administrative History
The ecumenical movement of the main Protestant communions led to the creation of shared campus ministry organizations on a
national and regional level in the mid-20th century. The United Ministries in Higher Education (UMHE) became the main organizational
body in the Sixties. In California and Nevada, the UMHE was divided between northern and southern regions. Organizations founded
a few years earlier included United Campus Christian Fellowship and United Campus Christian Ministry.
The UMHE of Northern California and Nevada was formed in 1966 (For Southern California, see GTU 2003-10-02, Albert G. Cohen
Campus Ministry, Social Justice and Environment Collection). The organization amended its name to CMHE (Cooperative Ministries
in Higher Education) in 1974 to reflect a new cooperative operating agreement. The basic aims of the organization were "to
be about the mission of the Church, to be ecumenical in intention and to be participants in the work of colleges and universities"
(Theological-Philosophical Statement of CMHE, September 12, 1981). Throughout its existence it continually revisited its mission
and processes in order to remain an effective organization. Trilla Jentzsch, who donated the collection, served as secretary-treasurer
for nearly all of its history.
Similar to the national UMHE organization, the initial communions were United Church of Christ, Christian Churches (Disciples
of Christ) and United Presbyterian Church. This organization had briefly been preceded by a similar group, the United Christian
Campus Fellowship. Other denominations, such as the United Methodist Church, Church of Brethren and American Baptists, joined
(see Timeline below for a list of membership). The Episcopal Church joined briefly to coordinate efforts on community colleges.
The eight core ministries were San Francisco State, San Jose State, Stanford, UC-Berkeley, UC-Santa Cruz, UC-Davis, Fresno
State, and UN-Reno. However, other campuses in the Northern California and Nevada region were members from time to time, including
schools in the Sacramento area, UC-San Francisco, and junior and community colleges.
Founded during one of the most contentious periods on campus during the Sixties, the organization struggled to be effective.
Campus ministers faced a new role providing direction on civil rights and social justice issues, as well as counseling for
draft and drug issues along with unplanned pregnancies. A number of campus ministers became mediators between groups in conflict.
The collection includes materials that document the role of campus ministry during events such as the San Francisco State
Strike in 1968-69 and the failed tenant collective at the Westminster House in Berkeley in 1970. Local congregations often
disagreed with activism and new initiatives promoted by the campus ministry, resulting in additional conflict within denominations
and greatly reduced local contributions and support.
During the late seventies and eighties, the CMHE worked to expand their support to other campuses within the region. Marna
McKenzie, a staff member and interim director for a campus ministry, was hired to spearhead funding and direct developing
ministries (see GTU 94-11-01, Marna McKenzie Developing Ministry Collection). At this time, evangelical and other non-mainline
Protestant organizations, along with non-Christian religions, grew in prominence on campuses.
In the early nineties, ongoing lack of funding and denominational support forced CMHE to create a new identity. On January
1, 1995, CMHE became the Association of Campus Christian Ministries (ACCM), a voluntary organization that continued the legacy
of the UMHE.
Campus ministry efforts were left to the individual campuses. Local organizations at some schools continued a coordinated
presence as before, for example, the United Campus Christian Ministry at Stanford and the Edge at San Francisco State. At
UC-Berkeley, specific communions rather than ecumenical organizations provided a physical presence, as with the Westminster
House (Presbyterian) and Wesley Foundation (Methodist). At other schools, campus ministry came to be either supported by
local churches within these denominations or closed completely (San Jose State).
Chronology: Denominational Support
1966 |
United Ministries in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada formed by United Church of Christ, United Presbyterians,
and Disciples of Christ
|
1969 |
United Methodists and Episcopal Church (community colleges) join. American Baptists join and then leave |
1970 |
Church of Brethren joins |
1973 |
Church of Brethren leaves |
1974 |
Episcopal Church leaves |
|
UMHE of Northern Californai and Nevada renamed Cooperative Ministries in Higher Education of Northern California and Nevada |
1977 |
American Baptists re-join |
1985 |
American Baptists suspend formal relationship but continue funding |
1991 |
American Baptists suspend funding |
1995 |
CMHE becomes Association of Campus Christian Ministries (ACCM) |
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection contains minutes of board meetings, administrative records, and program files of the CMHE and local campus
ministries. Of particular interest are campus ministry involvement in student activities in the sixties and seventies. The
original order has been maintained.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
United Christian Campus Fellowship.
United Campus Christian Ministry.
United Ministries in Higher Education.
Cooperative Ministries in Higher Education.
Association of Campus Christian Ministries.
Disciples of Christ--California--History.
Episcopal Church--California--History.
Presbyterian Church--California.
United Church of Christ--California--History.
United Methodists--California--History.
Church work with students--California--History.
Church work with foreign students--California--History.
Church work with students--Christian--Disciples of Christ.
Church work with students--Lutheran Church.
Church work with students--Presbyterian.
Church work with students--Congresses.
College chaplains--United States.
College chaplains--Congresses.
Universities and colleges--Religion--Societies, etc.
Baptists--California--History.
Christianity and justice--United States.
Interdenominational cooperation--California--History.
Student movements--California.
Church and college--California.
Clergy--Political activity--Archives.
Church and social problems--United States.
Civil disobedience--Religious aspects.
Jentzsch, Trilla
McKenzie, Marna
Other Finding Aids
GTU 94-11-01 Marna McKenzie Collection, Developing Ministries, CMHE (Cooperative Ministries of Higher Education) in Northern
California; GTU 2006-7-02, John S. Hadsell Westminster House Collection (U.C. Berkeley, Presbyterian Campus Ministry); GTU
2001-11-02, United Campus Christian Ministry at San Jose State University Collection, 1960-2000; GTU 89-5-016, Berkeley Free
Church Collection, 1959-1976; GTU 2003-10-02, Albert G. Cohen Campus Ministry, Social Justice and Environment Collection.
Separated Material
Duplicate materials documenting activities at the Ecumenical House during the San Francisco State Strike (1968-69) were donated
to the San Francisco State Strike Archives, Special Collections, San Francisco State University, on April 4, 2008.