CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE
Section IV: Africa Missions

Part 15 continues the papers of the Egypt Mission. The Original Papers, 1890-1922, are contained in Part 14. Part 15 continues the Original Papers from 1923-1934 and also includes the Precis Books, 1890-1935 and the 1935-1949 material.

The Original Papers, 1923-1934 contain a wide variety of material including reports, memos and letters from the missionaries to the Secretary in London. Included are letters re health of missionaries; minutes of the Egypt Women's Conference; letters re the CMS policy in Cairo; report re strained feelings between workers; discussions on the retirement of missionaries and furloughs; report of the CMS hospital in Omdurman; report of the Egypt Mission Property Trust; report on the Old Cairo Mission; details of the cost of a bakery for the employment of Moslem converts; building site costs of a church at Giza; need for more medical men; minutes of the first meeting of the Egypt Mission Standing Committee; reports of the literature department; report of the CMS Girls' School at Boulac, Cairo; annual letter from the missionary M E Rathbone; report on CMS educational work; report on the Old Cairo Boys' School; letter from Bishop Gwynne, Bishop of Egypt and Sudan bewailing the terrible state of the mission; letters of resignation from missionaries; report of the death of Mrs Hall, one of the most longstanding missionaries; details of financial cuts in the mission; and many letters from F O Lasbrey, the Secretary of the Mission.

Also included are Bishop Gwynne's notes on the situation in regard to Government relations for Missionary Education in the Sudan; Anglican Church Council report of the Literature Department; report of the Infant Welfare work; discussions between CMS and the American missionaries as to which parts of the country they should work in; report on the Girls' School in N Sudan by Mabel C Warburton; minutes of the Medical Mission; report on the General Secretary's visit to Sudan; details and statistics of schools and hospitals; plans for CMS Boys' School; correspondence regarding Mr Mann, manager of the CMS bookshop in Old Cairo and his estranged wife; appointment of Mr S A Morrison as Secretary of the mission; Miss Pronger's report of the CMS Girls' General School at Omdurman with more reports of other schools by the missionaries Miss Jackson and Miss Myer; Dr Churcher's report on the hospital at Omdurman; financial position of the mission; and photographs of Moslem converts.

Other topics include the history of the magazine Orient and Occident together with the financial situation; letters from Dr Cash re staffing at the Old Cairo hospital; a report about the political and financial situation in Egypt; report on the Boulac Boys' Club in Cairo; report on the work among the blind by Gindi Effendi Ibrahim, blind evangelist; memo re Dr Payne's bad treatment of the Egyptian staff at the Old Cairo Medical Mission; balance sheet for the mission; report on the Oriental Churches and Moslem Evangelism; report on social work in Near East Africa; a complaint by a woman convert that undue influence was used on her to embrace Christianity; minutes of the emergency meeting of the Standing Committee re the possible closure of the CMS hospital at Menouf; need for more staff at Omdurman hospital; description of the Little Girls' Club at Boulac with a statement of accounts; a pamphlet on the history of Islam; and a memo on the financial status of the medical missions at Menouf and Old Cairo.

The Precis Books, 1890-1935, consist of a typed precis of incoming letters which were dealt with in London. The Precis Books detail from whom the letter was received, date sent and date received, a summary of the contents, matters of business arising from it, resolutions and recommendations of the Committee, how the queries were finally disposed of and when they were answered.

Many topics are covered, including Biblewomen's work; hospitals, statistics, native catechists; the Cairo Dispensary; the appointment of evangelists; illness of missionaries; descriptions of starving refugees in Suakin; a sketch of CMS Zerala; arrangements for a CMS orphanage; letters from General Haig describing the political situation; details of a proposed school at Khartoum; recommendations re missionary salaries, furloughs, schools, medical missions, language examinations; details of the Women's Conference; native agents; evangelistic work; accounts; statistics; and accommodation.

They also cover school policy; missionary allowances; minutes of the Medical Committee; conference minutes; report on women's work; Cairo Training Centre; proposed hospital at Omdurman; need for reinforcements; school reports; statistics of the mission; report of the Wad Medani Girls' School; the diocesanization of the mission; the Bookshop; mission property trust; missionary education; furloughs; difficulties between the American missions and the CMS in Egypt; the educational policy in Sudan; and a report on work amongst the blind.

The papers for Egypt, 1935-1949, are arranged by subject area and are divided into mission papers, papers of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Egypt, Education, General and Medical.

The Mission Papers contain material such as minutes of the meeting of the Missions and Government Committee of the Egypt Inter-Mission Council; a note on Egypt and the League of Nations; details of a new law concerning the personal status of non-Muslims; a list of documents regarding religious liberty; resume of an interview between H E the High Commissioner of Egypt and a Delegation from the Egypt Inter-Mission Council concerning religious liberty; the position of Christians in the Egyptian Government Service; notes for new missionaries undertaking long sea-journeys; government regulations affecting missionary work: details of a bill to ban missionary propaganda; a memo on the religious situation; and a description of a rural visit.

Also included are a survey of European staffing requirements; attendance of Muslim pupils at Christian teaching; staffing; the control of free education; a report on Orient and Occident with sales figures; a description of the League of Arab Nations; minutes of a meeting on Christianity and World Order; minutes re the re-organisation of the medical work; letter from Dr Hargreaves at the CMS Hospital in Gaza describing bombing by the Jews and the treatment of refugees; and a pamphlet called Pioneering in a Cairo Slum which is an account of the CMS work amongst women and children in Boulac. It also contains photographs.

The papers of the Episcopal Church of Egypt contain minutes of the Standing Committee of the Egypt Mission covering education, literature, salaries, medical work, evangelical work and finance; minutes of the Committee of Liaison between the Communities.

The Diocese of Egypt Papers cover the salary of the Bishop and grants and allowances to the Bishop.

The Education Papers for the Cairo Literature Centre contain the Annual Report of the SPCK; report on the Orient and Occident; the accounts of the Book Shop depot; staffing; and a report from the office of the Central Literature Committee for Muslims.

The Education papers for the Old Cairo Boys' School contain a CMS magazine in Arabic; papers re the future of the school; staffing and recruitment and for the Old Cairo Girls' School information on building a new classroom and staffing.

The General Papers for Ashmoun, Cairo, Old Cairo, Ghamreen, Menouf and Shubra Zanga contain material such as letters re purchase of land; a new building at Boulac; the Boulac annual letter; report on the work among the blind; report on the Boulac Welfare Centre; missionaries' allowances; plans for a memorial church; the rural unit at Ghamreen: sale of former Menouf Church; report of the CMS Girls' School; proposed developments of the Boys' School; sale of property; concerning the closing of the work in the Zubra Zanga mission and opening of a new centre.

The Medical Papers for the Old Cairo medical mission include material on staffing and recruitment; increases in salary; the re-building of the hospital; appointment of a Medical Commission; report on the mission; the finances of the mission. The Menouf medical mission papers include material on staffing and recruitment; new buildings and finances.