The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-19
A Card.


e,h inst. appears card by Alexander Ellis.
O-A =, the second African Baptist church. in
49, he endeayors to defend himself in the
s...d that he has taken against the deacons and
-.sas-s of his church The present difficulty is
-. ching of recent date. II is the result of
-. .a-iss of wrongs extending through six
.or,bs During all of this time the deacons
- managed 10 keep the matter from the
1,hic hoping always Tor an ainicaoie ADJUST
rrosnt Of the differences existing oetween tneln-
Ices and the pastor, but now tnat IL Is before
~. ,,sorls thew desire a fair representation ana
tair Nav IL is with the deepest regret that we
60 conpelled TO write this card, nut we can not
-, fael that il is necessary IN order tnae the
uus r,,,nitv NAV fully understand our position.
10 present the matter clearly some details viii
DC Ses,n with on March 6, 1890 serious dis
10 occurred between the pastor and a
s'nhar of his choir This the member brought
- the attention of the prudential committee, a
boSv composed of the deacons and other of1-
49, IF the church, by submitting written
satan,ent of the matter. The deacons thought
bsSt not to have a public investigation, but TO
srranpe the difference by appointing nlsht
81 inviting the pastor to appear b9tore them,
a aa Tins have the affair settled privately and
CIietly With this in view, one OF tneir num-
ssr was instructed to see the pastor ana tell
HIM of their desire This TIE member qia' put
the nastor absolutely refused TO meet with the
daacons because he said, they have no right
10 receive a charge against me from mem
her '" He would meet the deacons, but not the
oarrher Things stood thus till the church
-naatiny of April T. when the pastor entered a
charge of unftness against the deacons because
tbey had received charge against him from
rna1ber saving, In making the charge, that he
demanded a council or ministers 70 try MIN.
IF Won do not cali one. he said Will
Tiur;ng the month of April the committee, as
they had a right 70 do, frequently asked the
castor 10 meet with them. He failed to do SO,
frst on one pretext and then on another, till
finally. in order TO bring him before them. the
CLERK was instructed at one OF the meetings IN
this month TO serve the pastor with written
summons TO attend the regular meeting of the
committee on the 2Sth This summons he
treated with contempt, and so when the meet
ing took place, the committee recommended
the church to consider tine pastor Ia contempt
for his conduct and TO suspend him from his
nastoral duties pending settlement OF the diff
ficulty. A.,
nastor charged the deacons and officers with
conspiring against him, said that they were
plottiug to construct gallows, SO that they
could send for him and hang him. lie said that
he knew their plot and was afraid of them This
statement he was asked TO prove or retract. He
refused TO do either. motion was then made
TO withdraw the charges against the pastor, and
leave the deacons and the pastor 10 settle the
difficulty between themselves. At the meeting
of the prudential committee on the Sth, the
pastor being present, a member of the commit
tee brought the matter up for discussion. The
pastor thereupon took his hat in his hand and
said that if that matter was going to be dis
cussed he begged to be excused. The subject
was then dro ped by the committee and other
business was taken up. The pastor was seen
the next day by member.of the committee
who had long talk with him about the differ
ences existing between himself and the com
mittee aud was entreated to settle the affair.
He was seen By the same member on the fol
lowing day, was entreated as q friend and
brother to adjust the trouble. But this the
pastor refused to do insisting that he was in the
right and that the committee ought TO come to
him aud acknowledge that they had been in the
wrong After long and earnest talk the mem
Der left the pastor with the impression that he
hal agreed to call the meeting as the church
had directed him to do, SO that the Disagree
ment might be settled This he failed to do.
At the conference meeting of June the
church wanted TO know whether the difficulty
had been settled. On this subject the pastor
would not allow anything to be said, and told
the church that tae only thing that it could do
was 10 confirm the minutes of the meeting of
May s. These minutes were the ones that con-
tanned the larges made by the pastor against
the deacons for incompetency, and from which
the charge of contempt against the pastor had
been withdrawn. provided ne meet the commit
tee ami settle the difficulty between themselves.
OF course the deaconS objected To these min
utes, but the pastor, Ignoring their objections,
placed them before the church. They were
confirmed and thereupon five of the deacOns
rendered their designations. The church then
wanted to know the reason the deacons had re-
signed. The pastor said that all the oourch
could do was to accept the designations A
in the church and moved that the
designations be tabled The pastor
ruled the brother out of order, and in short
speech said that the deaconS were called to CO.
operate with their pastor, and that when they
failed to do this they ought to resign and their
destinations should be accepted. II have the
rens IA my hands" he said, and am going TO
drive this machn,. All those who want to go
with me, must get on; those who don't want to
go Will get efs.' He then threatened TO adj
1ourn tne meeting if the members would not
Ia rRra. -, 49,,
vote, The church was silent. voted as he said
ana the pastor thereup0n decar, the dea-
cons resi- nations accepted.
On July the conference met again. When
tne minutes or the last meeting were subm tied
I0r approval 1t was moved TO strike from them
Ihe part relating to the designations of the
ueac2ns, as the church waited to know why
VAey mad resigned. This amendment was ruled
out OF order by the pastor and paying no at
tentlon to the rights of the members on the
moor, he placed the original motion in the
l'iiaVlve before the house, and without count
Ins the negative votes declared the minutes
cohlrned AS the regulations of the church
Ie4uie all OF the votes of the church to be
Uoun'eu, and each member to vote on all meas
t,los' unless excused, and as this had not been
uohe, member appealed from the decision of
e,e pastor, and he was asked to take the
oa4suS' de refused to do this, and
b $50 on the clerk to proceed with the
BUSINESS AT thls point he was not allowed to
goce5I' ana the meeting was adjourned sine
~ iHere was prayer meeting the night
49, 49, tuis' ana 10 wind up the unfinished bust
LOS oL Tue night before the pastor held church
Misee1lhg few of the brothers on the other
~ uo protested ag inst this meeting being held,
ivDause tnere mad been no notice of it, as the
"s vi Tue church require in such cases. The
aaS Ss'oI sl5hceu those who OBJECTED to his mode
iuiil!llg Che Church by threatening them with
;pIlsiol adq Then proceeded to finish the bus
oes " Cne night before. The absent members
49, IuioIm eu OF this the next day resolved to
1917 oc,SN we proceedings, and for this purpose
SGreaeeu Che pastor to ask the members to re-
III g ~ Cne cnurch after covenant meeting on
t b1 ion0wlng Friday night. He refused to do
tiJ' a. a. ne mad refused all other requests and
Ui NIL W. church that no meeting could he held
r.?C MS consent. When the covena It
hratLs came of, he tried to bulldoze the
~; t gu Wnen they wanted to hold the meet
cb1rot NoC succeeding in this. he left the
cb,.ot ana retired 10 the robing ROOM The
and 'T na Vneh elected a chairman held a meeting
dIoseIsed the action of the meeting OF
da;e"oty mght. They also decided not to send
Il coma ~ 70 the Bap ist ssoci ,tion in Glynn
Il naSto,. Inc clerk was instructed to hand the
Il reorost copy OF these proceedings with the
c,1,ro2 VlAV ne call the reguiar meeting of the
81 matt ior Inc third Monday Ia July This
hnt tha 10 one OF The regular church meetings
nreya pastor refused to call it, and iu order to
81 tbe cb,'.ons being held went to the sexton of
q him r, en ana tried TO get the keys away from
81 the naa. no sexton would not give them I'D to
1 aftepd .s, out when the emhers came to
anf 49, ne meeting they found the church locked
/ sim tn sexton nowhere. OF course this put
W the meeting forthat night
~ tho d communion meeting held ON the 13th