Collections : [Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary]

This series contains filmstrips and commentary on the Church of South India's inauguration in 1947, as well as CD copies. This film and commentary, entitled "A Church Is Born" and presented by the India Committee of the Foreign Missions Conference of North America (FMCNA), provides a brief overview of the history of Christian missions to India, explains the appeal for unity amongst Protestant denominations in India, and shows the inauguration of the Church of South India.

This series contains the extensive correspondence kept by Banninga and his colleagues around the world, including church leaders in India, England, Sweden, and the United States. Particularly frequent correspondents include the Bishops of Madras, Dornakal, Bombay, Calcutta, Columbo, Tinnevelly, and Gloucester, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Metropolitan of India, J.H. Maclean, W.E. Tomlinson, H. Gulliford, W.J. Noble, W.I. Chamberlain, F.J. Western, J.S.M. Hooper, L. Hodgson, W. Paton, H.V. Martin, M. Warren, J.E.L. Newbigin, F.W. Tomkins, and S. Eddy. The bulk of the letters deal with the creation of the Church Union, although a few discuss other professional and personal matters. These letters contain essential information concerning the stance and arguments of various individuals and denominations involved in the negotiations on the Church Union. This series also contains documents on Church Union History including conference statements, reports, proposals, minutes, memoranda, and resolutions related to the Church Union; clippings from the Guardian, Madras Mail, The Christian Century, Dnyanodaya, and Church Times; documents on Lay Celebration consisting primarily of responses to letters sent by Banninga on the question of allowing laymen to administer communion in the absence of an ordained minister; CSI/Lutheran Joint Commission documents including reports on the meetings of the Church of South India (CSI) with representatives from the Lutheran and Baptist churches to discuss a possible union; Banninga's notes, personal memoranda of events related to World War II from 1941 – 1942, a description of his trip back to the United States in 1942, an exam, and other documents; as well as notes, drafts, correspondence, and certificates of Bengt Sundkler, a Swedish missionary who wrote the book Church of South India: The Movement Towards Union, 1900 – 1947.