The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-20
PROGRESS
The Keynote of the
Conference.
UNlTARIANS MEET
70 Discuss Plans for Fur
thering Work of Church.

The annual meeting of the Worcester
~Serday morning and afternoon at the
First Unitarian church, with large
attendance. Many of the churches in
the county have no church organiza-
ton. except through parish associa-
tons, which are business concerns. At
the close of one. of the morning address,
es, a resolution was presented recon-
mending the adoption by the various
churches of the conference of the sim
pie expression of belief which was re-
Gently adopted by the First Unitarian
church, when it abandoned the ancient
articles of faith, which had been in
force for nearly century. and accept
ed in its place as its belief. "In the love
Of truth and in the spirit Of Jesus, we
unite for the worship Of God and the
service of man."
Owing to the recent action of the
First Unitarian church Of this city it
has occupied conspicuous position
among the churches of the conference,
and by its new PRONUNCIATION of faith
has set the standard for the churches
Of the county. Accordingly there was
much interest manifested in the re-
marks of Rev. Austin S. Carver, pastor
OF the church. who told how it hap
p.l ed. The change in the covenant
ives announced exclusively in The Spy,
ard many churches of the county prom
isc to accept the new rule of faith,
The subject of Rev Mr.. Garyer's adj
dress was Church membership" and
he made special reference to his own
parish. Mr.. Carver said that his peo-
pie, who had Inherited a church from
the last century, and who had the dou-
BILE organization of church and parish,
began to realize that during the last
half century the religious side had re-
ceived less and less attention, until the
church was merely ghost of its form
er self.
The strangest thing was that as soon
as the question of what should be done
was preached to the congregation, the
members were all found to be intensely
interested in the subject, and them
selves proposed the solution Of the
problem. Let US make our present
organization express our present be-
lief" they said.
This has been done, and in a quiet
( simple way a new period of life has be-
gun for us ALL The same spirit that
made the old covenant effective in its
day will make the new one doubly so;
for it is the same spirit, adapting Itself
to the present time. Society is. per-
haps, not worse than formerly, but
very different, with different dangers
and temptations. There Is only ONT
thing that teaches the golden rule anC
the law of love, and that is the church
We cannot afford toy lose it. The church
is no longer valued for what it pre-
- tends to teach about the unknown
neither as an ark of safety agains
Gods wrath; and not as a transmitte
of traditional sacraments and rituals
1t is valued as a type of life, Of the bes
life IN the world. The church mean
just what anyone means in his bette
moral life for himself and for his neigh
boris In this sense the church includes
ali right-m inded people who are work
ing to uplift themselves or their neigh
bors. Then the union of common mora
interests is the membership of church
After Mr.. Garver's xEsay, resolution
was brought forward and read. Thi
had been prepared at meeting hell
last week of the Worcester county cler
gymen who felt the need of some simpl
statement of purpose that every on
who values a high moral ife, and VIII
wishes to help his fellowmen, coul'
sign and so become member of tn
church. This put in practical form tn
ideas advanced by Mr.. Carver.
This resolution stated the need tina
was felt for better church organization
and for a statement of its religion
spirit and purpose in simple, clear AM