Shirley Brander, with the assistance of her husband Clayton, spent most of their married life compiling this eleven volume collection of missionary newsletters, prayer letters, personal correspondence, and articles from publications related to missionaries of the United Missionary Church and its successors who served in many of the mission fields of the world.
The collection was actually started by Mrs. Gertrude Brander, Clayton’s mother, who began writing to missionaries in 1945. When Shirley and Clayton were married in 1950 Gertrude passed the responsibility to Shirley. Collecting missions documents and having missionaries in their home created a strong missions emphasis that impacted and influenced members of their family and the church community. The Branders completed their collecting about 2000 and subsequently donated their work to the EMCC National Collection.
Three hundred and thirteen missionary couples or single missionaries are addressed in the collection. For many of these the collection is extensive, for a few there is not much more than their names and mission fields served.