[Note: In the Arrangement section, the notation “folder 2-5" means “Box 2, Folder 5"]

Series: Paper Records

Arrangement: Alphabetical by title

Date Range: 1991-1997; mostly 1994-1996

Volume: 9.61 cubic feet

Boxes: 1-22

Geographic coverage: Chicago, Illinois, and its suburbs.

Type of documents: Correspondence, memos, reports, newspaper clippings, financial records, lists, schedules, questionnaires

Correspondents: Mark Anderson, John Ogle, Kevin Palau, Tim Robnett, Jerry Vreeman, Kent Whitney Subjects: Evangelistic work in the Untied States in the 1990s, Christian ministries (particularly Protestant Evangelical ministries) in the greater Chicago area, Luis Palau and the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (PLEA), Chicago religious and cultural life in the 1990s, Chicago ethnic groups.

Notes: The records in this collection give a fairly detailed picture of the organizational and financial preparation for the campaign, including the participation of churches and other Christian organizations, the recruitment and training of counselors, and the preparations of the steering committees of the different regions. There is less detailed information, but still significant, on the events themselves, mainly in the form of newspaper and magazine coverage and some information on the follow-up and wrap-up. These files are basically the files of the chair of the campaign, Mark Anderson, and show the effort largely from his perspective and that of the executive committee. Minutes, correspondence and other documents of the executive committee are in folders 3-2 through 3-4. Folder 6-8 contains letters of support for the campaign from churches and individuals in the Chicago area. Financial records of the campaign, including figures on donations, budgets and expenses, can be found in folder 3-5 to 4-3 as well as 1-1. Some of the call sheets for fund raising efforts are in folder 1-4. General Correspondence and information about the campaign from start to finish are in folders 4-5 to 5-16. Folder 1-3 contains the campaign brochure, giving the overall plan and folder 4-4 has some of the forms used. A few schedules of campaign events are in folder 6-4. Folder 6-3 contains many reports about the efforts to organize continuing prayer support for the campaign and for particular prayer needs at different times, including a manual on how to organize a mayor’s prayer breakfast for civic leaders. Folder 1-2 has the counselor training course handbook as well as other books distributed by the campaign (some in Spanish) and box 21 holds the manuals that describe the set-up of the a typical Luis Palau evangelistic campaign, and the responsibilities of the different committees. Folder 5-18 contains various documents about the LPEA, including some annual reports. Folders 2-3 through 2-7 contain newspaper clippings, either about the campaign or about events or trends that Anderson or others thought were helpful in preparing to reach the population of Chicago. A few statistics are in folders 3-4, 6-6. 6-7. Materials on the training of counselors and the follow-up of new converts are in several folders, including 1-2, 4-4, and 5-14. Boxes 7 through 20 consist entirely of applications filled out by people who volunteered to be counselors (Bridgebuilders) for the campaign, helping new counselors get started in the Christian life. Box 20 contains applications in Spanish. The Englished applications are organized alphabetically by the name of the church the counselor belonged to. These application contain very brief (usually one or two sentences) accounts of how the applicant became a Christian. Some attempts at evaluation of the campaign can be found in folders 5-16 and 6-4.

Exceptional items:

●Folders 1-5 and 2-1 contains letters, newsletters brochures and other materials from various Evangelical ministries in the Chicago area, including Chicago Baptist Institute, Chicago Bible Society, Chicagoland Christian Women’s Conference, Chinese Christian Union Church of Chicago, International Urban Associates, Lawndale Coalition for Christian Leadership, Metro Chicago Youth for Christ, Midwest Christian Outreach, Moody Church, Northside Fellowship of Churches, Promise Keepers, Straight Talk, the Pui Tak Center, and West Suburban Evangelical Fellowship. There is also information on the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George L. Carey, to Chicago on May 23, 1996. Similar information is scattered throughout the general files in boxes 4 and 5. Folder 2-8 contains clippings, newsletters, brochures, etc., about events sponsored by Christian organizations in the Chicago area and folder 4-13 and 4-15 contain copies of the Chicago Evangelical News Bulletin.

●Folder 1-2 contains a random sampling of church bulletins from Chicago area churches, possibly churches at which Anderson or others were speaking about Say Yes.

●Folder 3-1 contains a draft of the letter of agreement between the LPEA and the Greater Chicago Evangelistic Campaign Committee about the responsibilities of each group.

●Folders 5-2 and 5-4 contains some information on the campaign’s Muslim outreach efforts.

●Folder 5-10 contains reports on outreach plans for the Polish and Hindu communities, as well as many reports on activities in the different regions.

●Folder 5-11 has reports on the “Spread the Flame” rally on March 31, meant to kick-off the campaign events. Folder 5-11 and 5-13 also have information on one of the events of the campaign, a banquet at which John Ashcroft and Luis Palau both spoke.

●Folder 6-9 contains reports and data from a telephone survey done after the campaign to investigate reasons for lack of support from African American churches. See also folder 5-4.

●Box 22 contains lists printed out on large ledger sheets of churches participating in the campaign, churches holding Bridgebuilder classes, counselors at the larger events of the campaign. Each list contains basic contact information and most list hundreds or thousands of individuals or churches.

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Series: Audio/Visual Records

Arrangement: By date, where possible

Date Range: 1988-1996

Volume: .128 cubic feet

Geographic coverage: United States, particularly Chicago

Type of documents: Training tapes for counselors, PR for the campaign