The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-01-21
NOTES O PRESBY![RY
Ministers and Elders Talk Local
Church Matters.

| AuulNu HQIlNlS.
Morris and Orange Presbytery Meets in
Morristown-Reports and Recommended
tions of ees-Appropriations Of
Aid for Needy Churches-New Church
to Be Organized at vailsburg-Dr Riggs
Caled-Powers of Trustees, Deacons and
Elders.
About fifty ministers and elders of the
Morris and Orange Presbytery attended
the sessions at the lecture room of the
South Street Church in Morristown
Tuesday. Rev. Arthur j. Brown, DID,,
of East Orange, secretary of the Presby-
terian Board of Foreign Missions pre-
sided as moderator. Reports of commit
tees were received and several important
matters were discussed during the day
and withal the meeting was very in
teresting.
Ia the morning, Presbytery received,
through Elder R. T. Underhill, the call
of Rev. James F. Riggs, D. D., late pro-
fessor of theology in Rutgers College at
New Brunswick, to the Brick Church at
East Orange, with salary of $1,000.
Action was deferred until the June
meeting of Presbytery.
James B. Cochran of this city,
graduate of Princeton University and
now student at Union Theological
Seminary, was admitted to Presbytery
after brief examination by DR.. Mac
naughtan.
Elder E. J. Ross of Dover, for the
Committee on Synodical Home Missions,
recommended appropriations of aid to
weak churches, as follows: Morris
Plains, $75 (reduced from $3.50 last Year,;
Myersville, $1O0; Vailsburg, $100 (for
six months); Mt. Olive, $3.50; Whippany,
800 (six months); Orange Valley Ger
many, $3.50; Stirling, $3.50; Fairmount,
500; Mine Hill and Berkshire Valley,
$3.50; Wyoming, 500; and for tempor-
ary supplies, $3.50.
A memorial on the death of the late
Rev. James M. Brewster, prepared by
Rev. Elijah Stoddard, was read by DR..
White and adopted as a minute of Pres
bytery. Rev. Mr.. Brewster was former
ly pastor at Chester, and died on Aug
ust 10 last at Summit.
On motion of Rev. J. F. Patterson, for
committee, it was voted to observe the
anniversary of the Westminster Stand
ards, with special services at Morristown,
Boonton and Orange, at some time dur
ing February, as near as possible to the
final meeting of the Westminster As
sembly, committee to arrange with pas
tors in these localities. The committee
to arrange for Conference on Home Mis-
sions recommended the holding of Con-
ference in March, announcement to be
made later. On vote of the meeting the
standing rules were amended to add to
the study of the English Bible to the
form of examination of candidates for
licensure. Former points of examina-
ton were language, arts and sciences,
theology, church history, church govern
ment and parts of trials.
The church at German Valley present
ed the call of Rev. Mr.. McHenry of And
over, to be dismissed from the Newton
Presbytery in session at Oxford, Warren
county, on the same day. Owing to Mr..
McHenry's absence on this account, the
call was laid over for the spring meeting.
The sessions of the Parsippany, Flan-
ders, German Valley and Brick Church,
East Orange, were granted power to
supply their pulpits until the next meet
ing of presbytery. The noon devotional
exercises were led by Rev. E. P. Gardner
of Chatham.
The discussion of an overture from the
General Assembly regarding the power
of deacons and the temporal affairs of
the church, reported by DR.. White in
the morning, occupied the greater part
of the afternoon session, and about all
present engaged in the discussion. The
committee reported against the overture,
but after much talk, wherein the relations
of deacons, elders and trustees were
much discussed, the matter was, on mo-
ton of DR.. Macnaughtan, laid over until
/ the spring meeting, to allow time for the
printing of the overture with the COM
mittee's report, for distribution among
the various sessions of Presbytery.
While not committing himself for the
overture, DIR. Macnaughtan, in an earn
est speech, gave evidence of another
side" to the question, arising out of at
tempts to curtail the rights of trustees
who in some cases were not church
members, and urged careful considera-
ton of the question.
A motion was adopted endorsing the
work of placing monument at Freehold
in Monmouth, marking the location of
the first (recorded) Presbyterian Church
in America, the old Scots meeting house,
dating back to December 90, 1702.
1t was decided to organize church at
Vailsburg, near Orange, the work hav-
ing up to this point been conducted as a
mission church by Trinity Church of
South Orange. A petition containing
100 names for the establishment of the
church and pledging its support was
read.
The church at Fairmount was re-
ported as being in weak and demora-