174 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



porate members of the societies by the State 

 societies, of 1 delegate for each body, 1 for 

 each of 50 churches, and 1 for every certain 

 amount ($5.000 in the foreign department and 

 $10,000 in the home department) contributed to 

 the treasury of the society. The subject was 

 referred to another committee, which reported, 

 recommending in substance that the council ac- 

 cept the [dan proposed by the American Board, 

 of nomination by the associations of representa- 

 tive members to be elected by the Society, re- 

 questing the board to consummate its measure, 

 advising the associations to make nominations to 

 vacancies in the board, and providing for the 

 appointment of a new committee, to whom should 

 be referred the subject of representation of the 

 churches in the societies, with instructions to 

 confer with the societies in reference to the best 

 methods of combining stability in administration 

 with the principle of representation of the 

 churches. A discussion relating to the recog- 

 nition of the Congregational organizations in 

 Alabama excited interest, because it involved 

 the question of the " color line." The council 

 has always refused to recognize any churches or 

 organizations which did not fellowship with 

 Congregational bodies composed of members of 

 the other color. There were in Alabama an 

 association of colored churches and 10 district 

 conferences of white churches. These confer- 

 ences, seeking recognition by the missionary soci- 

 eties and the council, proposed to form a State 

 convention, composed of delegates from the as- 

 sociation and from the conferences, such as had 

 been formed in Georgia. The churches of the 

 association offered to unite in any way that in- 

 cluded a recognition of membership in the State 

 body by representation of each church by its 

 pastor and a member, but declined to unite in 

 forming a body of delegates from conferences. 

 A meeting of delegates was called to consider 

 the subject of union, the representatives in which 

 of the association (colored) were instructed to 

 refer any proposition to their churches for ratifi- 

 cation. On the holding of the meeting, the 

 delegates of the conferences proceeded to the. 

 organization of a convention, without reference 

 to the churches, while the representatives of the 

 association withheld their consent from such a 

 step. Delegates appeared to claim seats in the 

 council from the convention thus organized, 

 from 2 of the district conferences, and from the 

 old Alabama Association. The Committee on 

 Credentials recommended that the delegates from 

 the Alabama Association and from the district 

 conferences be admitted, but that the delegates 

 from the State convention be not admitted. The 

 subject was referred to a special committee, on 

 whose recommendation the delegates approved 

 by the Committee on Credentials were admitted, 

 and the delegate from " the body claiming to be 

 the General Convention of Alabama," which was 

 " not yet organized as representing all the Con- 

 gregational churches of the State," was received 

 as an honorary member. The council also, on 

 the report of the special committee, expressed 

 " an earnest hope that the Congregational 

 churches of Alabama will be at an early day 

 found in one united body, on accepted principles 

 of Congregational fellowship," and reaffirmed 

 "the principle which Congregationalists have 



always affirmed, of equal rights of all disciples 

 of Christ, of every race, as essential to the fellow- 

 ship of Congregational churches." This meeting 

 of the Council was marked as being the first in 

 which a woman participated as a delegate. 



Armenian Congregational Church. The 

 first Armenian Congregational church in Amer- 

 ica was organized in Worcester, Mass., early in 

 January, 1892, with 19 members, while enough 

 other persons had applied for membership to 

 make the probable whole number of members 

 about 40. A parish organization was formed, 

 with special reference to persons who are unwill- 

 ing to sever their connection with the churches 

 to which they belong in Turkey, the members of 

 which were pledged to work 'for the spiritual, 

 moral, and social interest of each other and their 

 fellow-countrymen. 



II. British Congregational Churches. 

 The Congregational Year Book for 1892 gives as 

 the number of Congregational churches, branch 

 churches, and mission stations in England and 

 Wales (including 166 mission stations supported 

 by individuals but not embraced in county re- 

 turns) as 4,652, with 1,666,867 sittings, showing 

 an increase of 64 churches and branch churches 

 and 19,367 sittings, and 2,747 ministers, or 15 

 more than were previously reported. In Great 

 Britain and the colonies, during the year, 9 per- 

 sons had left the Congregational ministry for 

 that of other denominations, and an equal num- 

 ber had been received from other denominations ; 

 27 new churches had been formed, 30 additional 

 chapels and halls provided. 19 rebuilt or enlarged, 

 and 28 new schoolrooms opened, while founda- 

 tion stones had been laid for 7 chapels and 8 

 schools. There were returned in connection 

 with the churches of the London Missionary So- 

 ciety 67,797 church members and 276,521 native 

 adherents. The number of women missionaries 

 had increased from 37 to 45. 



Congregational Union of England and 

 Wales. The sixtieth annual meeting of the 

 Congregational Union of England and Wales 

 was held in London, May 9. The Rev. Dr. Her- 

 bert Evans presided. The annual report men- 

 tioned as among the events of the year the In- 

 ternational Congregational Council, the appear- 

 ance of a proposition for holding a Free Church 

 congress, the publication of large editions of 

 the hymn books, the sale of 7,000 copies of the 

 chairman's address by Dr. Brown, on " The His- 

 toric Episcopate," and the collection of statistics 

 of Congregationalism in Wales, from which it 

 appeared that the number of Congregational 

 churches and branch churches in the principal- 

 ity had increased in thirty years from 766 to 

 1,173 : of church members from 97,647 to 130,111 ; 

 and of Sunday-school pupils from 88,765 to 

 131.418. There were in the United Kingdom 

 4,886 Congregational churches, branch churches, 

 and mission stations, and 721 in the colonies. 

 The treasurer reported that the income of the 

 Union had been 15,813, out of which the ex- 

 penses of the International Council had been 

 paid, and a balance was left to be distributed 

 among Mansfield College Settlement, Browning 

 Hall, the Colonial Missionary Society, the Pans 

 Mission, Silcoat's school, and the final settle- 

 ment of the expenses of the " Tooting church 

 case." The committee on the secretariat re- 



