The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-03
TO BECOME A UNITARIAN
Rev. Mr.. Westall Resigns as
Pas or Of the First Uni
verSalist Church.

The Rev. Mr.. Westall, pastor of the First
Universalist Church of Ivy place, two weeks
ago tomorrow sent in his resignation to the
board of trustees and it was read to those of
acted upon. Following is copy of the res
ignation:-
To the Trustees and Congregation of the First
U1tiUsrsGlist Church.
s'Although not officially informed of the
fact l have good reason to believe that this
church is financially embarrassed, and that
it will find at the end of its fiscal year a
large deficit staring it in the face. In
order that it may be relieved
somewhat from the pressure under which it
labors, and also that | may be free to accept
an offer of larger field of usefulness, have,
after due consideration, decided to ask the
trustees to allow me to vacate this pulpit the
first Sunday in April
Here Mr. Westall said that he would feel
it his duty to vacate sooner, and would do so
but for the fact that he cannot cancel the
lease of his house. Continuing, he wrote:-
MADE SOME SACRIFICES.
II have made some sacrifices for
the opportunity to work with you,
giving up a position at the
West which paid me several hundreds of
dollars more than you could afford to pay
me; and while would gladly continue to
make sacrifices / feel that the best interests
not only of my own family but also of this
church require that | should resign"
l saw Mr. Westal1 at his home, No. 134
Arlington avenue this morning, and asked
him his reasons for resigning His state
ment of them as given to me is as follows
II came here two years ago last December.
/ formerly had charge of a large and ila-
huential parish in Bloomfield, Central Illinois.
The Governor of the State was one of the
trustees of my church. / accepted
the call and came here not knowing any
thing about the place or church. thought
I was to take charge of an influential parish
I soon found out, however, that the congre-
cation numbered mere handful, and that
the churchwas heavily embarrassed financial
w. They only pay meS1, 500 year, and some
times have hard work to get that, while in
Illinois Ireceived $4,000. This is an excel
lent field for work here, but try as I will
cannot build up the church. 1t is very
heavily in debt, there being mortgage Of
SIS, 600 on the old building. It is getting
deeper in debt all the time, and the hard
times are affecting it greatly, so I thought /
had better get out. You see | am not actu-
ated by any political but purely prudential
motives" 81
"Where will you go when you leave your
present charge"
You may say it is understood that Mr..
Westall has accepted call to a church at
Ashyille. N. c., the home of his boyhood,
and that he is to build home for himself
there this spring. You may also say that
Ashyille is one IS of the most fashion,
able winter resorts in the coun-
try and that it Is the place where
Mr. Vanderbilt is 4fding his S10,000,0 600
castle. have two brothers living there and
they have been begging me to go there for
some time. One of them is a builder and the
other an architect. They are going to build
me house."
TO BE A UNITARIAN.
From another source it was learned that
there isiquite colony of Westals in Ashville,
there beng several families of them there.
They are all Unitarians. The Rev. Mr..
Westall was also Unitarian but changed to
the Universalist Church. His brothers have
been persuading him to join the colony, and
return to take charge of the Unitarian
Church there This he has at last con
sented to do.
The Universalist Church, which Mr.. West
all leaves, is now for sale at $500 The
congregation, all told, doesn't number more
than fifty or sixty, and the number at any
one service seldom exceeds fifteen. Mr..
Westall didn't have q very large congrega-
ton when he started his work in Jersey City,
and it has considerably diminished since.
AS far as can be learned, tine congregation
are perfectly satisfied with the resignation.