Papers of World Council of Churches and the British Council of Churches

Artificial collection of copy minutes, reports, circulars.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international fellowship of Christian churches, built upon the foundation of encounter, dialogue and collaboration. The WCC was formed to serve and advance the ecumenical movement - the quest for restoring the unity of the church - by encouraging in its members a common commitment to follow the gospel.

Reference: The World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches at a Glance (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/index-e.html). Accessed May 2002.

The British Council of Churches, set up in 1947 is a body which comprises representatives of the major Churches in Britain and Ireland except the Roman Catholic Church (although this sends observers to meetings). The recommendations it makes to member Churches are designed to effect unity and joint action. It founded Christian Aid and is an Associate Council of the World Council of Churches. Xrefer British Council of Churches (http://www.xrefer.com/entry/498843). Accessed May 2002.

Open. Access to all bona fide researchers. All papers held at the Orchard Learning Resources Centre will be viewed at the Birmingham University Information Services, Special Collections Department. Please contact the University Archivist for further information.

This collection is uncatalogued.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Following the merger of the Selly Oak Colleges and the University of Birmingham in 1999 the custodial ownership of collections belonging to the Selly Oak Colleges and held at the Orchard Learning and Resource Centre (OLRC) was transferred to the University. These collections now form part of the University's Special Collections Department and are available for consultation at the Main Library on the University's Edgbaston Campus.

The University of Birmingham, Special Collections Department holds a rich collection of archives relating to missions, charities and other religious and ecclesiastical organisations and individuals. For collections relating to this deposit see the papers of William Paton (GB150 DA35), David Paton(GB150 DA34) and the papers of W. G. Symons (GB 150 DA43).