The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-22
An ENDONM EN7 FUND.
Bible Class Alumni Of St.
Johns Form an Associ-
alton to Ensure the
ChurCh's Future.
DR.. 3. L. sToDDARD's PROJECT
Bishop Bowman, the Methodist
Patriarch, Retires-Chautau-
guam and Church News.
DR.. 3. L. sTODDARBs PROJECT

1 aM
1t is the belief of the Rev. e. l.. Stod-
| dard that the future generations will see
another shifting of the population of
Jersey City and that what is now the
fashionable residential section of the
Heights will be given over to business
purposes and to inferior class of dwell
ings. Poor people will live where now
only the rich max their homes. The
immigration of the wealthy will naturally
result in their withdrawing their support
from the institutions they now maintain.
The churches, he argues will be the first
to suffer from such a change. In support
OF his arguement he points to the down.
fall of st. Matthews P. e. Church, once
the wealthiest and most fashionable place
of worship in Jersey City, but now on the
verge of bankruptcy and scarcely able
to keep it's doors open. DR.. S%toddard is
determined that St. Johns Free Church,
whose rector he has been for nearly
twenty years, shall not meet a similar
tate. He believes that the church should
be in a position to be independent of the
support of any one class and where it
can do it's appointed work
among all classes. 1t is his ambition to
place st. Johns on such a sound financial
basis during his lifetime that there need
be no fear of its decaying at a time when
its influence is most needed.
In order to accomplish this he has
determined to raise an endowment fund of
100000. The work of raising this enormous
u he has planned shall be entrusted
TO those who have reaped the benefit of
the church's teaching during his pas
torate; those who have grown up under
his care. In the year 1880, DR.. Stoddar
began what has since been known as the
Rector's Bible Glass. In 1896 the graduates
OF this class numbered 347, and Dr. Stod-
dard felt that a class which held together
for sixteen years should have a permanent
organization and should undertake some
specific work for the welfare of the parish.
An event which had taken place the year
before, determined what the character
of the work proposed to the Bible Class
should be.
In the fall of 1894, Miss Mary A. Muir
ray. a working girl, died of consumption.
leaving the first bequest ever made to
81. Jonn's. The rector at once an
nounced that this bequest would be made
Mary Murray Fund, that an offering
YOU'D be received toward it each yea,
aaa persons asked to make in their wills
During Lent. 1876. Rev. MI. stoddard
cailed a meeting of the Bible Class grad
dred young men and women. He then
proposed the. formation of an Alumni
association, having for it's aim the rails
ing OF an FUND of $lOO, 600.
This was assented to and the following
business was done:=
a. TIL Association declared organized.
dent.
e Miss L. c. Pitcher elected vice
q. Mr.. Geo. A. McIlroy elected Treas
urer.
e. Mrs. W. H. Mattocks elected secre-
At a subsequent meeting of the rector
and officers, a prospectus Of the organiza-
ton was ordered printed and distributed.
concisely the objects of the association.
1t is in part as follows
The purpose is to unite the Alumni of
ton. to keep in touch with all members
present and absent and to perpetuate
their interest in the church by raising
an fund of $100, 900.
The future of any church in our rapid
~ changing cities is uncertain. Churches
IN our own city and many in New York,
moved away. Yet such churches were
not only crowded with hallowed a~ssocia-
tons but stood in the midst of a popula-
ton which needed but could not support
them. Trinity of New York is an ex-
ample OF a church which maintains it
endowment. We desire by an endownnent
which shall yield at least $4,000 a year
or nearly half its running expenses, to
fluctuations of ordinary fortune and give
it the power to maintain itself
sha do d ifs ,t work he,sS Tnateysr the
be. 1t is not intended h the as
ISOLATION shall pay dues of any kind.
Each member of it, however, and each
member of the parish will receive Zach
year an envelope II which an Offering
may be placed and made to the Mary
Murray Fund. which henceforth will be
one with the fund. But we
desire to raise our endowment fund also
through requests. Each member of this
Alumni Association is asked to make a
will or leave a memorandum ~bequeathing
a certain amount to this fund, and the
fact of one agreeing to do this shall con-
stitute him a member of the Alumni AS
ISOLATION. 1t is understood that many of
the alumni being young nave little to
leave. 1t is not asked that much be left,
but that each member bequeath some
thing which he can increase as time goes
on. There are few of the BAT alumni who
have not some small bank account, and
therefore few who cannot even now be-
queath a trife to this fund.
Each member shall also agree to use
his OF her influence upon members of the
| congregation to induce them to make be-
quests to this fund Any person making
a bequest shall have his name reported
to the secretary and shall be made an
honorary member of the Alumni Associa-
ton.
| To reach all members past and present,
it is proposed that each class shall have
it's secretary, whose duty shall be to keep
in touch with each member of that class,
and to. write them or send them a print
ed statement each year.
There shall be one general meeting of
the association each year, at which re-
| ports from all secretaries and from all