The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-22
COHORTS OF CALVANISM.
JURISDICTION OVER CHURCH
PROPERLY EXPLAINED.

Show the Financial Condition OF
That Branch OF the Work-Work of
the Ruling Elders.
AsHEvILLE, N. c., May 21.-The pre-
sentation and consideration of the report of
the standing committee on home missions
was the special order for the first hour of
the Presbyterian general assembly this
morning, but the committee gave way to
the report from the committee on bills and
overtures. 1t was an overture from st.
Johns presbytery asking information with
regard to the jurisdiction of officers and
congregation on church property and other
secular interests. The report was adopted
inaslightly amended form, as follows:
1. AS to deacons. This assembly repeats the
| enunciation of the assembly of 1877, page 40
duties Of deacons as servants ministers of the
church are to execute the order of the session
| Tor practical presoytery) as rulers of the
church. Therefore it is the duty of the deacon
&c collect and dispose of all funds
n3I church purposes. whether for local
the pastor, aid to the poor and expenses of the
| church, or for objects of christian benevolencs
| recognized in the action of the courts under the
direction of the church session. Under para
| graph 40, section 4, of the form of government,
| an annual report Is to be made to the session.
2. That there is vested in each congregation
organized as church, or in a number of persons
about being organized as such the right and
power to appoint and remove at will, trustees
and their successors, VINO may receive dona-
tons and purchase, take and hold property,
real ana personal, In trust for the congre-
cation, and, if author zed by a ma
jority of the church members
at a congregational meeting constitutionally
convened for that purpose, sell, mortgage,
trust, deed or exchange property so held to aid
in the construction or repairing of their church
edif1ces or for other purposes Care should,
however, be had to make the action in each case
conform to the law of the state wherever the
property is located.
3. In the appointment of trustees part or all
OF the deacons, if suitable, should be selected,
porated churches it is advisable to have deeds
made to the trustees in all cases where it can
be DONE
The report was adopted.
HOME MISSIONS.
The reading of the report of the standing
committee on home missions followed, and
Rev. j. j. Vance moved that it be read
seriatim and discussed, speeches being
limited to five minutes The motion was
carried, and the reading and discussion
TOOK up most of the morning session. The
receipts and disbursements shown were as
follows: Total received by the treasurer
during the year, $40, 242, from which deduct:
First, amounts paid out before the begin
ming of the year, which, not being used,
were during the year returned to the treas
ury, STA; second, the amount returned on
church loans, 1896; third, the amount turned
over to this treasury from the office of
foreign missions on account of work in
Indian territory, 81, 755; total, s.. 265; and
we have left for the total receipts of this
year $70,977 OF this sum there came from
legacies SIC, 296 and from other general
miscellaneous sources $3,056, total of
S13,S52, which leaves as the amount re-
l to-
within the presbyteries $57, 625. The
| amount on hand the whole treasury at
the beginning of the year was s., 1872. The
| total received during the year as above
was S76,242 The total in the hands of the
treasurer during the year was SS1, 635. OF
| this sum the treasurer disbursed SIC, SOB.
The balance of cash in the treasury April /,
1880, was IS, Isl. The total receipts, not in
Guiding the amount received from the for
| eign mission Office, were greater than those of
| last year by Sl3,304 The increase in lega-
| cles was SIS, 724, and the increase in other
receipts "a, 57S The expense OF the man
agement has been fraction less than per
cent. upon the amount in hand, not includ-
ing the cash on hand at the beginning of
| the year.
MONEY FOR SUSTENTATIoN.
In the beginning the report spoke of the
| necessity of raising S35, 900 during the pres
1
| 1t recommended that $4,000 of this be
raised by the churches, so that the appro-
priatlon by the presbyteries might not be
scaled in October. it recommended that
the presbyterian committee revise the
| list OF churches which had
made application for aid, to see
| If they could not discontinue or lessen it.
Under the head OF church erection the COM
mlttee recommended that the churches give
| $4,000 for this purpose during the coming
! year. During 1882 thirty four presby-
| teries had employed tifty-four evangeI-
lists, costing $4,000 For the invalid
fund the committee recommended the rails
ing of $50, 900 at the next collection for this
| purpose i'll July. The benefciaries have in
creased thirty per cent during the past year.
| WORK OF THE RULING ELDERS.
| Col. Wade introduced an amendment
| that ruling Q ders should take the raising of
this collection into their own hands.
DIR. McPheters moved as a substitute that
ruling elders should especially interest
themselves in the matter and not take entire
| charge.
The substitute was accepted and the
amendment was adopted.
| The section touching on colored evan
| gelical work was docketed until the special
committee appointed for that purpose
| should report
he committee recommended the publi-
cation of a monthly by the executive COM
mittee to be called the Home Missionary.
Another recommendation that the church
| appoint unlicensed male and female mis-
| sionaries for work among the ignorant and
destitute, and Indians of Alabama and
Texas was changed so as to leave the mat
ter to the discretion of the executive COM
mittee with the approval of the several
| presbyteries.
| MINISTER'S AS PROFESSORS.
Col. Perrin introduced resolution stating
that the assembly regards with regret the
tendency Of ministers to leave the pulpit
to accept professorships in the different
schools and colleges. and that the presby-
| teries should discourage sucl tendencies
Rev J. j. Vance read a report from the
majority of the committee on licensure.
| The report recommends TO the presbyteries
that chapter g. section g. paragrap s 5 and
g of the book of church order be so amended
that paragraph shall read: These exer-
cises, or in case of candidates
who may not have pursued the
regular course of study, other exercises
of similar character, shall, at the discre-
tion OF the presbytery, be exhibited until
1T shall have obtained satisfaction as toThe
candidates piety, learning and aptness to
teach in the church, and paragraph shall
read: 1.-The presbytery shall require its