The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-09-30
GENESEE ASSOCIATION.
Congregationalists Read and Discussed
Papers in this City Tuesday and We'd

Congregationalists Read and Discussed
Papers in this City Tuesday and We'd
nesday.
The September semi-annual meeting OF
the Genesee Association of Congregational
churches and ministers was held In the Con-
gregational church in this city Tuesday
afternoon and Wednesday with fair attend
ance.
The meeting was called to order at two
o'clock and the organization was effected.
Rev. M. M. Martin, d. D., of Ovid, was
chosen moderator and Rev. Arthur Metcalf,
Of Bancroft, was chosen secretary. The
regular printed program was then carried
out. DR.. Martin offering a number of
interesting and very profitable suggestions
in his paper on, "What shall we do with
our negligent and wayward church men,
bers." The Doctors remarks commanded
close attention on account of the vital i'm.
portance of the subject which is one familiar
to every church worker. The PAPER read
by Rev. F. M. Coddington. on prayer,
secret, family and social" was also one
which was we'll calculated to exercise strong
influence on the minds of those who heard
1t. =
The deyotiona. service at half past three
was conducted In pleasant, inspiring way
by Mrs. Arthur Garrison. of Vernon. Mrs.
d. II. Hunt, of st. Johns, then read a
practical paper on. "Utilizing the Social
Powers of the Church." one of the ideas
suggested by her being that of different
families each seeking to interest some other
family, outside the church and their own
clique, in the church. Rev. NJ. Knowles,
of Durand, then closed the afternoons pro-
gram with a talk on the Substance and
accessories of the Christian life."
The Tuesday evening program was
changed by the necessary absence of Rev.
g. G. Longman, of st. Johns, who was 10
have given the sermon. In his place, Rev.
n. Il. Whittlesey, ID. D., of New Haven,
Ct, preached short but strong sermon in
which he showed the growing tendency of
all denominations to look more to Christ as
the great leader and less to patron saints
and apostles. All are getting to this
common ground of higher appreciation of
his life.
The communion service administered by
Rev. j. G. Cromer of this city and Rev. I.
II. Warner, of Perry, followed the sermon
and then the regular evenings address was
taken up.
DIR. Whittlesey's address on Ministerial
Relief or the duty of churches to their
disabled veterans was forceful appeal to
the hearers. The doctor is secretary of the
national organization for ministerial relief
and knows what he is talking about when
he tells of the cases of destitution which
come under his notice. He rightly believes
in the need of more than the state organiza-
tons which are not efficient enough to do
effective work, but need to be supplemented
by others.
Wednesday morning opened with busi-
ness meeting, after which an "Open Parlia-
ment" was next in order. This discussion
was opened by Rev. f. A. Stevens, of Yer
nou After this discussion of methods of
conducting ministerial work, Rev. P Scher-
merhorn, of Highland Station, gave an
address on The Office of the holy spirit"
and following this, devotional services were
held under the leadership of Mrs. NJ. M.
Martin, of Ovid. The devotional exercises
in the afternoon were conducted by Rev. j.
s. Butler, ID. D., of Alma, Ia the absence
of Miss May Moreand, of st. Johns, who
was on the program for that duty.
Among the papers which made up
the remainder of the forenoon's work none
was of more interest than that of Rev. VIM.
Ewing, of Lansing, who spoke of the need
of more systematic study of the bible in
church and Sunday school and In young peo-
ple's societies. In this work he pointed out
the good use to which recent discoveries
could be put in keeping up the interest
The afternoon meeting, which was the last,
was full of interest Rev. w. Ii. Warren
ID. d., of Lansing, gave an earnest address
on home missions, and Mrs. w. S. Ament,
of Owosso, spoke on foreign missions, draw
ing on her own knowledge of the foreign
work. A very thoughtful paper of some-
what different type was the one read by
Rev. Arthur Metcalf, of Bancroft, on Re-
ligious thought and life in England"
Private Lewis Dead.