The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-21
Serious Trouble in the First
Presbyterian Church.
ANNOUNCEMENT SUDDEN
1T CAME AT THE CLOSE OF THE
SERVICES.
Created Intense Surprise and Great
Pastor Who Has Been in Charge
OF the Church For Twenty Years
Past.

DR.. R. G. McNiece, one of the most
influential and widely known ministers
of Salt Lake, who has for the past
twenty years been the pastor of the
First Presbyterian church. resigned his
pastorate yesterday morning.
1t was at the close of the regular
services, after DR.. McNiece had preach
ed an interesting discourse, that he read
the following:
THE RESIGNATION.
To the Session and the Members of the
First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake
City:
called to take charge of this church,
nearly twenty years ago. by the guiding
providence of God, although contrary to
any plan of mine, my sense of duty under
present circumstances requires me TO
hand this trust back to the Lord who
gave it, for his own disposal. Therefore,
here and now, l present to you my reslS-
nation as pastor of this church, to take
effect at such time as the members OF
the church organization in congregational
meeting assembled may consider wise.
This action requires me, in accordance
with our form OF church government, to
ask the session of the church to join with
me in calling a congregational meeting
action upon the acceptance of my reS1S-
nation, and the time when it shall go into
effect; and also, unless some later date
shall be preferable, to choose not less
than three commissioners, one of whom
shall be from the session, to go before the
PreSbytery of Utah and join with me IN
asking the Presbytery to dissolve the pas
toral relation which has existed between
us for nineteen years, up to the list or
last August, although I began my labors
in the church on the first Sunday of June
preceding. | ask that the congregational
meeting to consider this important matter
be called to meet in this place next Sab
bath morning, Immediately after the de-
votional exercises, as the most suitable
time for securing the attendance of all
the members, and that some member OF
the Presbytery preside at the meeting.
THE CAUSES.
It is due to the members of the church
and congregat ton, anG also TO ~ Irlenus
and acquaintance in the community,
that frank but brief statement be made
of the reasons for this apparently abrupt
step. The only reason is alleged dlssatls-
faction with me in the church, of which
1 knew absolutely nothing, no one during
all these wears ever insinuating to me
ANYTHING of the kind, until the regular
meeting of the session on Monday even
ing, September T. At that time a commu-
nication was sent in signed by ten OF the
members stating, in substance, that by
reason of dissatisfaction the Christian
unity and spiritual growth OF the church
required that l should resign.
1t seems that q few days before, there
had been a secret meeting of sixteen out
of the nearly 400 members of the church,
at which time this committee OF ten had
been appointed to take this action. Hence
my resignation, because / do not KNOW
how far this dissatisfaction may extend.
Only one person has ever lived in this
world whose work was perfect. Never
theiess, [ do greatly lament that the
double work which was put upon me OIL
caring for the school as well as 1or the
church-too great a work for one man
has sometimes prevented me from DONG
the best work, and has kept me especially
from doing that amount OF pastoral WoIk
among the people which l wished 10 40
and whose Importance [ fully realized.
Although trying for three years ana more
TO be relieved of the supervision OF the
school, that L might give myseh "loIiy
to the work of the church, IL IS Only
within the last three weeks that nave
succeeded.
DEEPLY PANIED.
No words of mine can express the sad
ness and pain of this hour. For my as
sociations with places and things, as well
as with people, strike deep, and can pc
''uprooted only with blood" And the
pain is all the harder to bear because 1T IL
seems that it might have been manly
avoided if I had been spoken with at the
proper time several months ago. a
church cannot be too jealous OF its good
name in all it's treatment OF those Wlo
serve it, for the sake OF IT'S own sldAoiiiS
among churches.
Rl1t there are some things to praise the
Lord for amid the sadness. ana one
thing is the cheering fact that we ala
Ia hor together tremendously and mad I'M
broken peace and unity for well mig Ii
eighteen happy years The moving causes
of The interruption of this harmony and
peace, 1 must leave others to discuss
CAUSE FOR THANKSGIVING
Another cause for thanksgiving is the
fact that although the church was small
and feeble, having only torty-tWo mem
hers. when we began Christian work to-
gether vet under the divine leadership,
through all the peculiar hardships and
difficulties. we have gone steadily forward
from strength to strength, until we APP
pear before the Lord in Zion, today, an
advancing regiment of CHRISTIAN SololeTs
four hundred strong, lacking six. If the
church had not dismissed 2S2 to other
communities during these years, there
would now be 673 members. The average
annual acceSsions to the church 1or Ten
years past have been fifteen by CONVEX
sion and thirty-two by letter. And there
have been only five communion services
out of the sixty-four in sixteen years
when there have been accesslons. There
are two other noble and enduring monu-
rnents of the church's progress. One is
that Christian academy carried on under
the auspices of the church. within whose
walls has been trained, for the service OIL
Cod and humanity, that noble band of
young men and wome who in one gradu-
ating class after aother, have been going
forth to usefulness and worthy influence
for fourteen years.
THE MISSIONS.
And the other monument is the three
missions established by the church in diff
ferent parts of the city, two Of which
have become organized churches with
settled pastors. Surely we can praise the
Lord for his saving grace in bringing so
many wandering sinners home, and fol
his unfailing goodness toward us all and
toward this church. Peace be within