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Contains the personal papers of a denominational leader who served as pastor, evangelist, Hesston College President (1932-1951), and early advocate of Christian stewardship education in the Mennonite Church. The collection is arranged by series and includes correspondence, copies of writings and speeches, sermon notes, and materials related to two book projects on Christian stewardship.

Personal papers of a longtime advocate for stewardship education in the Mennonite Church. Of note are an unpublished memoir and a large collection of notes and outlines for speeches and sermons on the topic of Christian stewardship.

These papers are divided into three series:

(1) Correpondence

(2) Notes and Teaching Materials

(3) Miscellaneous

The papers were in jumbled condition when they came to the MLA.  Some items were in a self-adhesive photo album dating possibly from the early 1970s.  These items were removed and the album discarded.  The papers are divided into several series: business papers, personal financial papers, community organizations, school papers, miscellaneous.  Unfortunately there is little correspondence.  The business papers are very fragmentary but could shed some light on Rapp’s business activities and on early Hesston businesses.  The personal financial papers are also fragmentary but offer a little information on the family’s business in Hesston and Tuleta.  The community organizations series relates to the beginnings of the Hesston Cemetery Association and the school that became Hesston College.  The school papers offer some insight into classroom life at Hesston College in its early years.  The miscellaneous series includes a Maple Grove Sunday School record book 1883-1886 and unidentified photos among its more interesting holdings.

Relates to his work at Hesston College, Friends University, and on the Mennonite Board of Education.