The record-union., 1899-10-18

10 it the hopefulness and courage or ms
This action on the part of you, my
brethren, was most considerate ana gen
erous and l win not conceal the Iact lnal
it touched me greatly and innuehce9 ne
in deciding to accept the eplscopate ol IN 1iils
district inasmuch as it proved the slL-
cerity of your desire that snoulu ,ea po to
your Bishop and also your WlllHsipeS9. ~
appreciate and provide for some VI tue
burdens which are connected Will ,, .llio
high office But since then nave peen
while thanking. you most nearby n1 ms
time accept your kind oner' nosi5 dne
ton ton ~ to take this action. You
cannot afford to let $1,000 go out OF slsLi,I s,
annually in current expenditure. ask
YOU to carry out your intention OF raising
this money and to apply 1t TO tne en-
dowment fund of the district you 9s-
timated that you could raise this sum py
united determined action. You can raise
it and by teaching your people now , LOT
every dollar they raise for endowmeldt tneH MY
will receive two other dollars, ana WI VIII
accomplish thereby in the end theif selI-
support, you will arouse spirit Oh, OF nope Iept
fuiness and enthusiasm which Will KIN
die with new life the hearts OF the peo-
pie of this district.
/ recommend that a committee be ap-
pointed to be known as the FINANCE Coiil-
mittee to be composed largely or laymen,
who shall subdivide or apportloh among
the parishes and missions the sum OF
81 100, to be known as the conF F0c61IIoAA y =
fund, of which sum up TO SlOO sIali De
available for the convocation printing,
and the balance to be added to the en-
dowment fund. l suggest that the amount
assigned to each parish and mission snaIl
not be an assessment, with penaitles at
tached but a voluntary apportionmehL
which shall appeal to local pride, ana !
advise further that in each parish anu
mission a prominent layman, nominated
by the clergyman in charge, De appolIIIt.-
ed who shall be responsible to the FL
nance Committee for the sum assigned 10
that particular congregation Ihe opJect
. I, 20 L. nj
ready over-burdened shoulders or the
clergy the duty of collecting this eonVo-
cation fund, and TO place It where IL prop prop
erly belongs, upon the lalty. me money
may be collected or subscribed, pubncly
or privately, in any manner desired, put
let one layman in each place, ana that
one preferably not the local treasurer, be
ansWerable to the Chairman and Treas
urer of the Finance Committee Tor the
forwarding of the fund. | rely on the
laity to stand by the church and DO their
part.
/ recommend. therefore, that the per
cent. assessment plan heretofore employ
ed be abandoned, and the plan now sub
mitted substituted for it. The per cent;
plan contemplates ma maximum sum loIs raised sea
actually been paid. At this rate OF speed
and estimating interest teGte at thf Shm
more years to accomplish the same
end, which is a dispiriting prospect.
THE MISSIONARY FUND.
The offerings received at my invitations
have been turned into the treasury Oh
our local Board of Missions. They have
amounted in eight months TO S524.S5. This
disposition of the offerings was suggested
by me TO the General Board in New YORK
and received their Endorsement In TAX
ing these offerings away from the General
Board / pledged the district to an annual
Offering on the first Sunday in Advent
in behalf of the General Board, and also
TO concentrate and stimulate our Sunday
school Lenten offerings for the same OBJ
ject. The result thus far has proved the
change to be a wise one. Our local board
has raised $524.S5, against $l3l.bt reported
at last convocation, and the General
Board has received from Sunday school
offerings alone $5l43S as against Sl50.95
last Lent.
| would now remind you that the time
TO redeem this pledge will soon be at
hand, and ask that the annual Offering be
taken in all our churches on the first sun
day in Advent for the great Work or the
church at large Let our people realize
that this is the one and only opportunity
they have during the year to express their
gratitude to our beloved Mother Church
for her watchful, generous care of US.
Let the Offering in mission stations, where
service is held at intervals, be taken
on the Sunday or other service day near
est to the first Sunday in Advent. The
money thus collected is to be sent to
George Thomas, Treasurer, Church Mis-
sion House, New York, and a record of
the amount to c. w. Bush, Woodland,
Cal.
FERINGS.
Bishop Graves wisely introduced into the
district the use of Advent tents by the
children of our Sundayschools, for the
Following his lead, / have ordered 1000
OF these tents for our use this coming
Advent They will be distributed and sent
TO each rector and Sunday-school before
December 1st With the tents or pasted
upon them will be sent blank slips, ruled
for six names, one of each week day,
take as its Advent work the securing of
six persons who will contribute five cents
on a particular day of each week. The
child's Advent work will be to call upon
these six contributors, while the Offering
will come, not from our Sunday-school
treasures, which are too often hard
pressed to make ends meet, but from
adults to whom the gift of five cents a
week is a trifie cheerfully bestowed. BY
this plan each box will contain Sl,50, If
carried through Christmas week, and a
Sunday-school of twenty children can
and a Sundayschool of a hundred would
raise $3.50 without taking a cent from its
own treasury. Some children will take
more than one tent Let us unite all our
schools this Advent in this plan. If car
ried out diligently it will interest our
children and will bring in astonishing re-
suits.
You will perceive, brethren that both
our General Board of Missions and our
local board are equitably remembered and
provided for, the Sunday-school Lenten
offerings and the annual collection on
the first Sunday in Advent going to the
General Board. while the Sunday-school
Advent offerings and the Bishops vista
tion collections go to our local board.
AGED CLERGY FUND.
I indorse most heartily the recommend
alton of Bishop Graves that on Christ
mas day an Offering be taken everywhere
for the relief of aged and infirm clergy,
and for the widows and orphans OF
clergy. This is the practice of the diocese
of California Two methods are open to
us, either of which the convocation may
select. One is that, instead of attempt
ing to form special endowment fund
for our own district. in view of the neces-
sarily small offerings which would come
in, we send our unitetr offering to the
of the fund for the relief of widows and
orphans of deceased clergymen and OF
aged, infirm and disabled clergy" with
headquarters at the Church Mission
House This society has been generous
with its grants, and will certainly give us
special consideration in times of need, if
We take this action. Or we may prefer to
turn the collection in to our treasurer,
Mr. Bush, and disburse them ourselves
through a committee.
THE BISHOP AS CORPORATION
SOLE.
] find the titles TO church property in
the district in a confused and unsatisfac-
tory condition. Some titles are vested in
the Bishop as trustee, and under the laws
of California all such property has to be
decided over by the heirs of a deceased
heirs We're unfriendly, much annoyance
and litigation would ensue. Other titles
are held by Vestries, committees, local
boards and corporations, some of whose
members in several instances are non
Young children. to avoid