Description of the Papers

The Church of Uganda archives held at Uganda Christian University are a segment of a much larger whole. Additional Church of Uganda records can be found at Makerere University, at Diocesan Offices, Cathedrals, Parishes, and among the archives of its founding agency, the Church Missionary Society. Early records of CMS Mission/NAC at Makerere University were sent there by the Church in the early 1960s.

This record group forms part of a group of archives records received at UCU from The Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat. Other Church of Uganda archives held at UCU include Record Group No. 2 - Education Secretary General – CMS/NAC; Record Group No. 3 - General Secretary – CMS/NAC; and Record Group No. 4 - Financial Secretary. These record groups primarily document the period after the Church of Province of Uganda was established in 1961. The General Secretary acted as administrator for the Bishop, and education was an important focus of the CMS/NAC, so all the records groups documenting the CMS/NAC era should be consulted when pursuing a topic.

These records were received from the Provincial Secretariat in a somewhat disorganized state. An important preliminary inventory of the records had been completed by Uganda Christian University Head Librarian, Mr. Fredrick Mukungu in 1999 but more thorough processing of the archives revealed disorder within the files. Every attempt has been made to keep records produced by a particular office together. (Bishop's Office, ESG Office, General Office, Finance Office).

The series created within each record group represent an attempt to categorize the records of the Office in a manner that reveals the various aspects of its work.

Series I as a whole provides an overview of the work of the CMS Uganda Mission from the 1920s and documents the gradual transfer of power from the CMS to the Native Anglican Church. The first three sub-series represent the central administration, the development of a regional structure, and the governance and operations of the Deaneries that existed within the regions. There was originally one Diocese, The Uganda Diocese, then, Diocese of the Upper Nile was created in 1926; as the work grew there were continual realignments

Series I as a whole provides an overview of the work of the CMS Uganda Mission from the 1920s and documents the gradual transfer of power from the CMS to the Native Anglican Church. It includes correspondence between the Bishop of Uganda and the various individuals who represented the CMS and NAC bodies, as well as minutes and reports of the committees and bodies that are noted. These materials should be consulted in conjunction with other available COU records in RG2: Education Secretary General – CMS/NAC; RG3: General Secretary – CMS/NAC; RG4: Financial Secretary. RG5: Archbishops; RG6: Provincial Secretary; RG7: Provincial Programmes.

A fascinating variety of topics are documented by the files, including interaction with Roman Catholic missions and Islam. The training for clergy, issues related to marriage and polygamy, translation work, youth work, women's work, etc. As time goes on, an increasing number of documents are in vernacular languages.

Series II, General File, contains primarily correspondence of the Bishop and his files on a variety of topics.

Series III, Central Program Units/Activities, contains documentation of activities that were coordinated centrally.

Series IV, Regional Activities, documents educational work in surrounding regions and complements other records in RG2, the Education Secretary General Office.

Series V, Publications/Writings, includes issues of the Uganda Diocesan Gazette and Uganda Church Review, a list of books written on Uganda by CMS missionaries, and other publications.

Series VI, Legal/Financial Records contains marriage certificates of missionaries in Uganda, documentation of land issues, and a small amount of financial material. Additional documentation from this era is contained in RG 4, Financial Secretary.