Over the past couple of years, a dedicated team has been diligently working to preserve a precious and unique record of mission movement across the world.

Comprising written and audiovisual material, the UFM archive represents nearly 100 years of history, of mission workers and the people they have served. We spoke to some of the volunteers, who have so kindly given up their time, to glean what they have learnt.

We talked to Sarah Charlton, a freelance archivist by profession and the UFM member who led the team. This voluntary project was quite a departure from her usual focus on medieval records!

Why was there a need for an archiving project at UFM?

The UFM office move near Swindon presented a great opportunity to sort out the archive. Paper records had been kept in the attic but the boxes were all sagging because they had got damp. Thankfully no mould was ever found on the records!

UFM wanted to preserve the records in the best possible condition as a complete mission archive. To do this, we first needed to catalogue the entire collection of material. 

How did you go about it?

An amazing team of volunteers, plus some UFM staff members, went through absolutely everything, box by box. The archive goes back to the formation of UFM in 1931 and there were well over 200 boxes. We started by making a list of the contents and then reallocated the material into categories, such as minutes and administration, relevant country, etc.

What challenges did you face? 

The audio-visual material was difficult to work with as so much of the original formats are now obsolete. The mission workers files are extremely comprehensive, and among the most interesting in the collection, but also contain sensitive personal information.

What has stood out to you from working with all this material? 

A key figure in the history of the Mission was Herbert Jenkinson; he was there at the beginning in 1931 and served in the Congo. Known there as ‘Kinso’, he returned after the massacre in 1964 and made a point of contacting the Congolese people to understand their suffering during the Simba uprising. There are many letters to or from him and it’s a great record of their stories.

There is much material in the archive about ‘the Three Freds’, martyred in Brazil. Another interesting story is of a lady mission worker who went to Brazil shortly after the Second World War, travelling in a boat which picked up survivors from Japan. The songbooks that she wrote in both Portugese and English are in the archive.

What stands out is how much the mission workers loved the people they were working alongside and the reciprocation of that love and respect.

We spoke to Carol (pictured) a volunteer, who travelled once a week from Cardiff to Swindon to help sort the archive.

What motivated you to get involved with the archiving project?

It was a great opportunity to be involved in a worthwhile project. I had the time since I am retired, but I am also really interested in the history of mission and love reading mission biographies. I feel part of the wider UFM family, having been on summer camps to Moldova and as a supporter of UFM mission workers from my church. Isn’t archiving material quite mundane? 

I like cataloguing and working with spreadsheets, so I do enjoy the mundane aspects of these tasks. But it’s what I learned about individual people’s stories that I found most thrilling.

Tell me about some of the stories that have inspired you 

I had never heard of the Three Freds and was blown away by their story, which I feel deserves wider recognition. One day, we found the Last Will and Testament of one of the three Freds which I believe he wrote just before he travelled upriver in Brazil. We just sat and wept. Seeing not only their pioneering spirit, but their willingness to lay down their lives for Christ, really struck me. 

Another day we came across a photograph of the first convert of the Kayapo people in the 1960’s. Here was the fruit of the seed planted by those first martyrs in the 1930’s. Just as we found this photograph, we heard that Michael Prest was about to visit Brazil for the handing over of the mission structure to the national church. It was amazing to think that the circle is complete; we saw the beginning and now we see the potential for yet more fruit as Brazilian Christians continue to share the gospel.

I was also moved by stories about the massacre in the Congo in 1964. I was reading Margaret Hayes’ autobiography, so to discover material about the African pastors who were sadly killed was really stirring.

Pictured above: the Three Freds and a colleague in Brazil

Was there anything surprising about the archive material?

The archive isn’t all official documents, but personal photographs and letters telling stories about families and marriages. It gave a flavour of mission workers as individuals like you and me. This has caused me to pray more realistically, recognising that although mission workers are on the frontline for Christ, they too are sinners struggling with the same things that I do.

What struck you about how mission has changed over time? Individuals from the early days of UFM lived hard lives and trusted God for everything. We found a kit list from one of Three Freds: it was all about survival in the jungle. If you were planning a mission trip today, you would pack very different items!

What would like to see happen to the archive?

I’d love to read a history of UFM. The reason it needs to be told is that it is God’s story. It’s not that people or the Mission have done wonderful things, but that God has done and continues to do wonderful things. 

We are very thankful for all the volunteers (pictured above) who helped with the UFM archive. Please join us in praying that this resource will be a blessing to many and a testimony to God’s faithfulness, and that it will inspire future generations to continue the work of reaching the least reached and making disciples of all nations.

It’s not that people or the Mission have done wonderful things, but that God has done and continues to do wonderful things.