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MINUTES
OF THE
VERMONT
CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
Vermont Domestic Missionary Society .
1919
-
MINUTES AND REPORTS
OF THE
One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting OF THE VERMONT
CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
AND THE One Hundred and First Annual Meeting
OF THE
Vermont Domestic Missionary Society
HELD AT
ESSEX JUNCTION, MAY 20, 21, 22, 1919
THE COWLES PRESS St. Johnsbury, Vermont 1919
CONTENTS
CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
Act of Incorporation
5-7
Declaration of Faith.
14
Rules of Business and Order.
15-22
Procedure for Licensing Candidates for the Ministry
23
Officers of Congregational Benevolent Societies.
24
Officers, committees and arrangements for next meeting .. Minutes
28-43
Roll of Conference.
28-30
Appointment of Committee.
30
Report of Committee on Benevolence and Religious Education 30, 112
Report of Committee on Religious Education and the Ministry
30, 38, 124
Report of Committee on Evangelism
31, 117
Report of Committee on Civic Justice and Community Service
31,127
Report on Board of Pastoral Supply.
31
Report of Fairbanks Board of Ministerial Relief.
32-33
Report of Fairbanks Board of Education 33-34
Report of Treasurer.
34-35
Report of Nominating Committee.
35, 39-40
Report of Board of Directors.
36, 38, 106
Report of Ways and Means Committee
36, 130
Changes of Constitution.
37, 41-43
Seaman's Friend Society.
37
Reports of Business Committee
37, 38, 40, 41-43
Pilgrim Memorial Fund.
38
Report of Secretary.
38, 113
Report of Statistical Secretary
44-50
Obituaries
51-55
Statistics of Churches, Tables, Insert (Between 56-57)
58
Associations of Churches
59-65
Incorporated Churches. 66
Ministerial Associations
67
Ministers, Alphabetical List and Post Office Address
133-137
Ecclesiastical Record.
25-27
4
CONTENTS
VERMONT DOMESTIC MISSIONARY SOCIETY
Officers
70
Act of Incorporation.
71
Constitution
72-75
Rules
76-77
Minutes of Annual Meeting
78-80
Directors' Report.
81-92
Statistics of Aided Churches
93-94
Report of Treasurer.
95-100
Receipts for Home Missions
101-105
APPENDIX
Report of Directors
106-109
Report on Inter Church Federation
109-112
Report on Benevolence
112-113
Report of Secretary
113-117
Report on Evangelism
117-123
Report on Religious Education and the Ministry.
124-127
Report on Civic Justice and Community Service
127-130
Report on Ways and Means
130-132
ACT OF INCORPORATION
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont :
Section 1. Jonathan Clement, H. F. Leavitt, Aldace Walker, Harvey D. Kitchel, M. H. Buckham, William H. Lord, Charles S. Smith, Alfred Stevens, Joseph Chandler, Joseph Tor- rey, Julius Converse, Franklin Fairbanks, John A. Page, L. L. Dutcher, James W. Hickok, and their associates, who shall be members of the General Convention of Congregational Minis- ters and Churches of Vermont,* and which members shall con- tinue such associates for one year from the time of the adjourn- ment of the Convention of which they are members, and till others become members in their stead, are hereby constituted a corporation and body politic by the name of the General Con- vention of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Vermont; and by that name may sue and be sued ; may have a common seal; and shall have all the rights, powers and privileges of a corporation, for the purpose of receiving, taking care of and managing all funds, property and money which have heretofore, or may hereafter come to the care, control, management, cus- tody or ownership of said Convention, or any trustee, officer, or person for said Convention, by whatever form or mode said funds, property or money may have been, or may hereafter be conveyed, given, transferred, bequeathed or devised to such Convention, or to the denomination of Christians called and known by the name of Congregationalists, or any branch thereof.
Section 2. The first meeting of said corporation shall be called by two or more of the persons named in the first section of this act, and which meeting shall be at the time and place of
*Name changed by Act approved November 16, 1898, to Congregational Con- vention of Vermont; and by Act approved October 23, 1908, to the Vermont Congregational Conference.
6
VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
the next General Convention of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Vermont, a notice of which meeting shall be pub- lished at least three successive weeks in the Vermont Chronicle, published at Windsor, Vt.
Section 3. The officers of the Vermont Congregational Conference shall be a President, Vive-President, Secretary, Treasurer, one or more Auditors, and a board of twenty-one Directors. These officers, with the exception of the Directors, shall be elected annually, and hold their offices until others are elected or appointed.
Section 4. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditors shall respectively perform the duties usually performed by such officers in other corporations, and such as may be imposed upon them by this Act of Incorporation, and by the Constitution and By-Laws of this corporation.
The Secretary shall call the annual meeting, as matter of course, by publishing the call in two newspapers published in the state, unless the Constitution and By-Laws of this corpora- tion shall prescribe a different method, in which case the meet- ings shall be called in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws; and he shall call other meetings under the direction of the Directors, and shall call a special meeting, when at least ten members shall in writing request a special meeting to be called.
The Treasurer, except where otherwise ordered by the Con- ference, shall receive all moneys, funds, property and assets of every description belonging to, entrusted or in any way commit- ted to the care or custody of the corporation, and be responsible for the same, and shall disburse, pay over, and deliver, as shall from time to time be ordered by the Executive Committee of the Directors, or a majority of them; he shall at least once a year make a full and true statement and report of the financial condi- tion of the corporation, therein designating the kind or class of funds, and for what purpose donated, bequeathed, or held; he shall also exhibit all books, vouchers, or papers to the Executive Committee of the Directors, whenever requested by them, and shall furnish statements and copies when requested by them,
7
ACT OF INCORPORATION
upon reasonable notice. He shall, if requested by said Executive Committee of said Directors, give bonds with sufficient sureties, to the acceptance of said Executive Committee, for the faithful discharge of his duties as Treasurer.
Whenever a vacancy shall occur in any of the offices or committees of said corporation, such vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the Directors until the next annual meeting of the corporation.
The Directors shall have the general oversight of the inter- ests and prudential affairs of the corporation, shall see that all funds, moneys, and other property are faithfully preserved, taken care of, and administered as shall be most for the interest of the corporation, and in accordance with the wishes of testa- tors and donors; they shall perform all acts and discharge all duties not assigned to any other officer by these Articles of As- sociation, or by the Constitution and By-Laws made in pursu- ance thereof.
Section 5. At an annual meeting of the corporation, By- Laws may be established or altered; not inconsistent with this charter or the laws of this state.
Section 6. This act shall be under the control of any future Legislature, and shall take effect from its passage.
Approved November 21, 1872.
Adopted by the Convention, June 18, 1873.
CONSTITUTION
Article 1. The work of the Conference is to promote the harmony, fellowship, and efficiency of the Churches, and their co-operation in Christian work.
DOCTRINAL STANDARD
Article 2. The Conference receives as articles of faith the doctrines of Christianity as they are for substance stated in the Declaration of Faith of the Kansas City Council of 1913; these doctrines are understood by us to be those which from the be- ginning have been received by the Congregational Churches of New England.
COMPOSITION OF CONFERENCE
Article 3. Each Church is entitled to be represented in this Conference. Its representation shall be by pastor-who has been duly chosen as pastor by "definite act of the Church"-and one delegate.
Persons elected to any office or holding any appointment by this Conference shall be members thereof until such office or appointment shall expire ; and officers and ordained missionaries of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society.
Persons recommended by the Business Committee may be received as honorary members, and participate in all its delibera- tions, but may not vote.
OFFICERS
Article 4. Section 1. The officers of the Conference shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, one or more Auditors of Accounts, and a Board of Directors. These officers, with the exception of the Board of Directors, shall be
9
CONSTITUTION
chosen annually and shall hold their respective offices from the final adjournment of the meeting.
Section 2. There shall also be appointed at each annual meeting two or more Boards of five each, to have the care of funds or any valuable interests intrusted to the Conference for the ensuing year, a Scribe and Assistant Scribe, to serve at and during the meeting at which they are appointed ; and once in five years, commencing with 1875, there shall be appointed a Statis- tical Secretary of the Conference, and Reporters and Receivers of Assessments for the several Associations of Churches. The Registrars of Associations may be appointed to do the work of reporting and receiving.
Section 3. A. The corporate powers of the Conference shall be vested in the Board of Directors, who shall have and exercise the general control and management of its funds and af- fairs, except as provided in Section 2, and shall perform all acts necessary to promote the interest and enhance the welfare of the Conference, not inconsistent with special instructions of the Conference, the Articles of Incorporation, these By-Laws, and - the Laws of the State.
B. The Board of Directors shall consist of twenty-one per- sons. One member shall be chosen from each Association except Essex. Three members shall be chosen at large. The following shall be members of the Board ex-officiis: The Pres- ident of the Conference, the President of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society, the President of the Woman's Home Mis- sionary Union of Vermont, the President of the Vermont Branch of the Woman's Board of Missions. The Board of Di- rectors shall annually elect its own Chairman.
C. At the first election under this Constitution the pastors and delegates present from each Association shall be asked to name two persons, one minister and one layman, from the Asso- ciation for the Board of Directors, and one of these persons shall be reported to the Conference by the Nominating Committee as its nominee. For subsequent elections each Association shall be asked at a duly called meeting of the Association to name one person for any vacancy occurring in its representation in the
10
VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
Board of Directors. In case an Association shall not name one such person, the Nominating Committee shall provide a candidate for such an Association.
D. At the first election under this Constitution seven of the elected members of the Board of Directors from the Asso- ciations shall be chosen for one year, and seven for two years; thereafter seven members shall be chosen at each election for two years.
E. In reporting nominations from Associations for the Board of Directors, the Committee on Nominations shall name at least seven laymen the first year, and thereafter it shall ar- range and the Secretary shall send to the Associations a sched- ule of such approximate alternation between ministers and laymen in the nominations for Directors from the Associations as shall result in at least one-half of the elected members from the Associations being laymen.
F. Members of the Board of Directors from the Associa- tions who have served one whole term shall be eligible for re- election for one term and then for a period of one year shall be ineligible for re-election.
G. The members at large on the Board of Directors shall be elected annually and shall be eligible to three re-elections and then for a period of one year shall be ineligible to re-election.
H. The Board shall hold at least two regular meetings during the year, one in connection with the annual meeting of the Conference. Special meetings may be called as needed by the Chairman, and shall be called at the request of seven of the Directors. Nine of the members shall constitute a quorum.
I. There shall be an executive committee consisting of the Chairman (who shall be Chairman thereof) and four other mem- bers of the Board of Directors to be appointed by the Board. At least two of the Executive Committee shall be laymen. The Executive Committee shall possess, between meetings of the Board, the full power and authority of the Board of Directors ; provided, however, it cannot annul or reverse any action taken by the Board. It shall keep a record of all its transactions,
11
CONSTITUTION
which shall be read at the next meeting of the Board. It shall meet at such times as it may find advisable.
J. The Board of Directors shall present a Budget of Esti- mated Income and Expenditure for the ensuing year at each Annual Meeting of the Conference.
K. The Board of Directors shall annually appoint, as largely as practicable from its own membership, such sub-com- mittees as may be deemed necessary to perform the duties hith- erto performed by the Standing Committees on Arrangements for Next Meeting, Benevolence, Religious Education, Civic Jus- tice, Inter-Church Federation, the Advisory Committee, and the Committee on Missionary Education. The Board shall also arrange for other Standing Committees as required by vote of the Board or of the Conference.
THE SECRETARY
Article 5. The Secretary shall be nominated annually by the Directors and elected by the Conference, except in 1917, when he shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee. He shall be the executive representative of the Board of Direc- tors among all the Churches, and shall serve ex-officio on all the Committees of the Board. He shall represent the Conference in all denominational and inter-denominational gatherings, unless representation is otherwise provided for. It shall be his duty to become broadly informed concerning every phase of work undertaken by the Conference. It shall be his special duty so to organize, direct, and co-ordinate all of the work of the Con- ference that each part may be given proper importance, and all of the work may be done with the greatest efficiency and econ- omy of time and money. He shall visit and advise with pastor- less Churches, and shall assist, when requested, with fraternal counsel, a pastor or Church. He shall keep the records of the Conference and Board of Directors and make full report of his administration to the Conference at its Annual Meeting.
He shall see that suitable notice of the time and place of meeting is given in two or more newspapers in the state, and
12
VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
also that the program prepared by the Committee on Arrange- ments is printed therein. He shall send, not later than two weeks before the meeting of the Conference, blank delegate's creden- tials to each Church in the state. Each year, soon after the adjournment of the Conference, he shall notify those appointed or elected to any position of the duties devolved upon them. He shall notify the Registrars of the Associations when nomina- tions for their representatives on the Board of Directors are due. And he shall perform whatever other duties naturally pertain to his office.
He shall call the first meeting under this Constitution of the. Board of Directors.
DUTIES OF STATISTICAL SECRETARY
Article 6. It shall be the duty of the Statistical Secretary at the end of each calendar year, to collect and arrange for pub- lication statistical reports of the Churches; also to correspond with the Association Reporters, and, from the facts reported, to present to the Conference during its session a condensed ac- count of the state and progress of religion in the Churches during the year ending May 15.
DUTIES OF REPORTERS AND RECEIVERS ..
Article 7. It shall be the duty of the Reporter and Receiver of each Association to collect the assessments due the state Conference from his Association, and forward the same to the Treasurer of the Conference.
TIME OF MEETING
Article 8. The Conference shall meet annually at 2 o'clock P. M., on the second or third Tuesday in May at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
BOSTON SEAMAN'S FRIEND SOCIETY
Article 9. The Boston Seaman's Friend Society shall be
13
CONSTITUTION
the agent of the Conference in its work of promoting the spirit- ual and temporal welfare of seamen, and shall make an annual report to Conference. The Conference shall annually nominate a person for membership on the Board of Managers of the Bos- ton Seaman's Friend Society.
VACANCIES
Article 10. If at any time, or from any cause, the office of Secretary, Statistical Secretary, or Director of the Conference, or of Reporter and Receiver of Assessments for the local Asso- ciations and Churches, shall become vacant, the Board of Direc- tors shall appoint some person to fill the vacancy till the next annual meeting of the Conference, or until a new election is made, and any person so appointed shall be a legal officer of the Conference.
AMENDMENTS
Article 11. These articles may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the Conference, by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the persons enrolled at such Annual Session. Provided, however, such proposed amendment must be read at a business session of at least one day preceding such vote, together with notice of time and place of its consideration.
Adopted June 17, 1874, and amended in 1892, 1893, 1900, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1917, and 1919.
14
VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH OF THE KANSAS CITY COUNCIL
Adopted as the doctrinal standard of the Vermont Congre- gational Conference, May 20, 1914.
We believe in God the Father, infinite in wisdom, goodness, and love; and in Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord and Savior, who for us and our salvation lived and died and rose again and liveth evermore; and in the Holy Spirit, who taketh of the things of Christ and revealeth them to us, renewing, comforting, and inspiring the souls of men. We are united in striving to know the will of God as taught in the Holy Scriptures, and in our purpose to walk in the ways of the Lord, made known or to be known to us. We hold it to be the mission of the Church of Christ to proclaim the gospel to all mankind, exalting the wor- ship of the one true God, and laboring for the progress of knowl- edge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. Depending, as did our fathers, upon the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, we work and pray for the transformation of the world into the kingdom of God; and we look with faith for the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting.
RULES OF BUSINESS AND ORDER
1. To facilitate the preparing of the roll, members of the Conference are required to hand their certificates of membership to the Secretary, or to the minister of the parish, as soon as practicable after reaching the place of meeting. No person shall be enrolled without credentials, unless by the vote of the Conference. Any resident of Vermont, in good standing as a Congregational minister or layman, may be chosen to any office or committee, and when so chosen shall be a member of the Con- ference, until such office or appointment shall expire.
2. The annual meeting of the Conference shall be opened with a business session. The President, or in his absence, the Vice-President, shall take the chair, lead in prayer, call for the election of a Scribe and Assistant Scribe, when the docket of business prepared by the Secretary shall be read. In the ab- sence of both President and Vice-President, the Secretary shall call the meeting to order, and shall call for the election of a Pres- ident pro tempore, who shall be chosen by ballot, and shall pre- side till the President or Vice-President shall arrive, or till the close of the session.
3. After the business session of the Conference, the public exercises shall be as follows: The Conference Sermon, Com- munion Service, the Reports of the Board of Directors, the Secretary, Statistical Secretary, Addresses or Discussions, Ad- dresses by representatives of such Benevolent Societies as the Committee on Arrangements shall provide, together with what- ever further exercises, if any, may be deemed expedient. The order of the above exercises shall be left to the discretion of the Committee of Arrangements, it being understood that the anni- versary of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society shall be held on Wednesday.
4. The President, in connection with the Secretary, shall
16
VERMONT CONGREGATIONAL CONFERENCE
nominate at the opening session of the Conference a Business Committee, through which all business not provided for in the docket shall be brought before the Conference. The Conference shall elect a Standing Committee on Nominations, consisting of three members to be elected one every year to serve three years.
5. The meetings of the Conference each morning shall be opened with prayer, when the Scribe shall read the Minutes of the preceding day. The roll of members shall be read at the last business session of the Conference.
6. The President shall preserve order and decorum in the body, and when he takes part in any discussion shall leave the chair and address the Secretary.
7. No person shall speak more than twice upon any ques- tion, except by unanimous consent and after every other mem- ber who desires shall have spoken; and then the mover in the matter pending shall be permitted to speak in reply.
8. Every motion, except for adjournment, shall be reduced to writing, if the President or any two members desire it. No motion shall be acted on till seconded.
9. If any member in debating or otherwise shall transgress the rules of order or of propriety, the President shall, by his own authority, or at the request of any member, call him to order ; and if a question shall arise concerning his being in order, it shall be decided without debate by an appeal to the body.
10. When two or more persons rise to speak at once, the President shall name the one who is first to speak.
11. No motion committed to writing shall be finally de- cided upon until it shall have had three several readings, if any member calls for it.
12. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received but to adjourn, to lay on the table, to postpone to a stated time, to commit, to amend, or to postpone indefinitely, which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are here arranged. On motion for adjournment, for laying on the table, for indefinite postponement, there shall be no debate.
17
RULES OF BUSINESS AND ORDER
13. If the report of a committee contains only matters of fact for information, or of argument for the consideration of the Conference, the question is: Shall the report be accepted? and that question, unless superseded by a motion to reject, to recom- mit, to postpone, or to lay on the table, shall be taken without debate. Such report, if accepted, is placed upon the files of the Conference, not entered upon the Minutes.
14. If a report is in, or terminates with, the form of a vote, resolution, or declaration, expressing the judgment or testimony of the Conference, the question shall then be taken on the adop- tion of the report. If adopted, the vote, resolution, or declara- tion is entered upon the Minutes.
15. On the report of a Treasurer of a Board of Trustees or Directors, or of a Committee or other agent empowered to act for the Conference, the question is: Shall the report be accepted and approved? which question may be divided if a division is called for.
16. All resolutions and other matters of business to come before the Conference shall first be referred to the appropriate committees. Matters not within the province of any other com- mittee shall be referred to the Business Committee.
17. Members who may find it necessary to leave before the close of the meeting are expected to give notice of the fact to the President.
18. Whenever a vacancy shall occur, by death or other- wise, in the representation of this Conference at a session of the National Council, the delegation from Vermont, composed of the delegates from this Conference and from the several Asso- ciations, are hereby authorized to fill such vacancy by the elec- tion of any resident of Vermont who is eligible to a seat in the Council; such election to be certified by any member of the Ver- mont delegation chosen by them to act as Secretary.
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