The Jersey City news., 1898-04-20

ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
Congregationalists Hold
Their Thirtietn Session
in the First Church,
Montclair.
FINANCE AND MEMBERSHIP
Retiring Moderator Declares the
Spaniards Must Leave Cuba
Years Work.
rspecIal = ..rhe Jersey clty Newa.,l


opened IN the First Congregational
Church, Montclair. yesterday. with Rev.
Henry W. Ballentine. of Baltimore, Md.
the moderator, in the chair. The nrst
business was the election of a moderator
TO succeed Rev Ballentine. Rev. Dr.
Richards nominated Rev. Frank j. Good
win of the Glen Ridge Congregational
Church, who was elected unanimously
The conference then elected Rev. ELS
worth Borrfils of Paterson. scribe for the
ensuing year The appointment of dele
gates to the National Conference was re-
ferred to the Nominating Committee.
The report of the treasurer of the asso-
citation, James H. Noyes, was as fohows'
Amount assessed upon the churcnes py
Finance Committee, s47S; remaining un-
paid, So: amount actually received from
assessments 1891; arrears from previous
year, S12; on hand last year, S6296; total
receipts. s465 96 The total disbursements
amounted to S40517 which includes dues
to national circles, salary, printing, ETC.,
leaving a balance in treasurer's hands OF
s607s
At 11:2o Rev. Henry w. Ballentine, the
retiring moderator, delivered his address,
taking for his subjeet:-'The Sympohc
Cities of the Revelation" DR.. Ballentine
delivered forcible and interesting ao-
dress, during which he referred to the
Cuban situation, and said:E"How long Is
this greed and selfishness on the part OF
Spain toward her people and the 1r1gnt-
ful murders to last? Shall not GOO look
down and intervene? Is this to go on Tor
ever? Nay! God is resolved this shall pc
destroyed and peace given TO civilization.
Notice on Spain is soon to be served to
cease its cruelty forever. They have tIaeo
TO make amends with their left hand, out
that will never do. They must go. rms
Babylon will fall"
At the conclusion of the address there
was a devotional meeting and Lords sup
per. conducted by Rev. DR.. William A.
Rice of Newark and Rev. Charles L.
Goodrich of Plainfield.
Rev. Mr. Cooley in the afternoon gave
a list to the conference of members VINO
have passed away during the year.
Moderator Goodwin named these COM
es:-Finance-Dr. William A. Rice,
Newark. Deacons John Edmunds, Phila-
delphia. and " v. LIE Roy, Asbury PARK.
Nominations-The Rev. DR.. c. H. Rlcn-
ards. Philadelphia; the Rev. Charles saw
age Orange: Professor Skinner, of WASH
ington. Place of next meeting-The Rev.
F. w. Baldwin, East Orange; the Revs-
S. NJ Nefman, Washington, d. C.; Dr. II.
M. Ayres, Upper Montctir.
The Rev. William Forbes Cooley. of Ok
/ ford. the secretary of the association,
ASDfesented his annual report after Lne
opening of the afternoon session. Ine
report says that the ASSOCIATION s, mas
thIiyed during the year. There are now
three conferences within the limits, tne
Philadelphia Conference having been or
ganized during the year.
Four. new churches, all recognized Dy
council, have been established. They are
Verona and Little Ferry, N. j.; Whining
ton. Del, and the Pilgrim Church OF Phil
adeiphia The Swedish Church OF Mont
clair is now one of the members. Waver-
iy Church, Jersey City, is rejoicing in the
extinction of its debt, a result secured IN
a large degree by the heroic efforts OF It's
pastor; the First Church of East Orange.
in the payment of $1,000 on .IS mortgage,
aund the church at Nutley, in the posses
sion of a handsome new house OF worship.
During the year there have been many
pastoral changes. AT the close of 1897 Dr-
Javan K. Mason, after an honored minis,
terial career of half century, retired
from active service and from the pas
torate of the church at Herndon, Va, his
successor being August Davisson, former
II at Monterey, Pa The pulpit OF the
ing gone to Buena Vista, Col, last fali
Charles Helliwell left Park Ridge IN June
last to take charge of the CumDerlano
W II. Kershaw succeeds him. G. O.
s5jobey left Perth Amboy in the early
part of the year to return to Sweden, his
place being taken by Oscar G. Norseen
&. a. Tychsen went from IIoboken te
ST. Paul on October l. ]. II. Peterson is
the new pastor.
The total membership this year is 10, $40
Eight churches have not reported, six OF
whom were included in last years tables.
The total membership by estimation Is
about II 424. gain over last year or 'Voo
i'm oh
First Church Of Washington. d. c.. which
has 993 members, but the First Church,
Jersey. City. has ss5, and the First Church
Montclair, 857. The greatest additions te
membership during thet year were nads
in the First Church, Jersey City, where
eighty were added. The First Church
Momtclair, comes next, with accessions
numbering fifty-eight; then the Centra
and the Snyder avenue of Philadelphia
with fifty-three each; then, in the order
Christian Union, Upper Montclair; Mount
Pleasant and the Peoples of Washington
Park of Philadelphia, the Fourth o1
The last two have each added thirty-fve
with the Jersey City church first in the
lsad for net gains.
After that the roll of honor stands
Westfield, Upper Montclair. Glen Ridge
Piainfield, Baltimore First. East Orange
First leads with the generous average q
nearly S24 per resident member. West
field comes next With $lf per reSldenf
member; and then in order, Glen Ridge
Upper Montclair, East Orange, Trinity
Philadelphia Central, Orange, Baltimore
FIRST, Newark First, Washington First
The phenomenal event of the year is a to
tai Of benevolent legacies in the F'irs
Church of Baltimore of $436. 755.
The total Sunday school membership q
the reporting churches is 10,SSl, which
with those not accounted for the total il
probably II 1868. This is a gain during thu
wear of 2352 The largest school by s.
Der cent. is that of the First Church, Jer
sey City which has 927 members witt
First Church, Washington and First O
Montclair next.
The young peoples societies report
total membership of s229, am apparen
falling off of 454, although several churehe'
have not been reported. In the Distric
If Columbia where all churches are re
ported there is a decrease of l30 Ih
home expenditures of the churches in ls9
amounted to $1S7,O5S, which is sl0,lo7 les
''.a4s sscflrst and the CITY," was the mex
s,,1efftst Rev John L. Scudder, of tn
Jersey City Tabernacle speaking par
ficuiarly of s.Tle Work Among the Down
town Business Men," said that the labor
ing Classes in the large cities were force
to Ike in tenements in the downtown dis
trjcts lii order to be near the factorie
and because of the greed of the landlord
and the rapid transit companies
ssThe worst part of this Indictment. n
added sds that the great majority 9
those who determine the condition of thi
submerged population are members Of Z p
church. Now, imagine the feeling OF Ia
worISins. classes and the non-worixfn
<.lacepS who honestly want work and ar