Ecumenical Movement.

The Hunt family collection contains primarily the papers and photographs of William Brewster Hunt and his son, Bruce Finley Hunt (and to a lesser extent the papers of their family members and more distant relatives). The chronology of this collection spans from 1840 to 1992, when Bruce Hunt died. In terms of geography, it mostly pertains to Korea, Manuchuria and the United States. The Hunts were Christian missionaries to Korea and Manchuria, having spent decades bringing the Gospel to that region (Bruce Hunt, some of his siblings and all of his children were born in either Korea or Manchuria). Documentation pertaining to the activities of the Hunts in the United States also appears in this collection. Notable items in this collection includes documentation that concerns Bruce Hunt’s imprisonment in Manchuria during World War II at the hands of his Japanese captors and the sufferings he endured while keeping his Christian faith. Hunt wrote two books about his imprisonment—these being For a Testimony and Out of Prison. The collection also contains many records produced by the Presbyterian Independent Foreign Missions Board, which shows how missionary activity was administered from the United States. The greatest parts of this collection are 1) the correspondence between the various family members, 2) the writings of Bruce F. Hunt, and 3) correspondence between Bruce Hunt and the OPC Committee on Foreign Missions. These members of the Hunt family lived before the age of digital communication (long before email and cell phones), so for the members of the Hunt family to keep in communication with each other, they frequently wrote letters, of which the Hunt collection contains hundreds. A noteworthy aspect of the nature of this collection is the fact that the associates and colleagues of Bruce Hunt were also close friends and some of them were also in-laws. A letter from one Presbyterian missionary to another might refer to matters of missionary work, as well as family matters. Also, as a part of his duties, Reverend Hunt traveled extensively around the United States, visiting various OPC churches and providing oral reports about his activities in Korea. The purpose of these travels was to keep other members of the OPC well-informed on Hunt’s missionary work and to develop relationships with those who might provide financial support. There are hundreds of letters in the Hunt collection to and from OPC friends and supporters. Since the people featured in this collection were deeply involved in the propagation of the Gospel, there is a large quantity of writings concerning Christian theology—sermons, essays, book manuscripts, articles and the like. By examining Reverend Hunt’s sermon notes, one gets the impression that he was able to deliver a full-length sermon after having jotted down a few notes on scraps of paper. The extensive quantity of written material in this collection indicates that Reverend Hunt (as well as other missionaries) must have spent the vast majority of their time seated at their typewriters, typing out reports, official correspondence, personal letters, sermons, articles, books and more. The Hunts were not camera-shy either, as this collection contains hundreds of photograhs, many of which feature Reverend Hunt, himself—often front and center in group photos. The Hunt family collection must be one of the most valuable and informative collections of manuscript, typed, printed and photographic documentation concerning Presbyterian missions in Korea and the far East in the twentieth century, and it will be of immense value to anyone needing information on Christian missionary work in Korea at that time, as well as any aspect of the Hunt family.