The Portland daily press., 1900-10-11
Report Of Secretary John Carroll
Perkins.
Churches Generally are
Thriving.
Reports of WOmen's Alliance
and Papers.

z Waterville, October 10.-The second day
OF the State Unitarian conference opened
this morning with a communion service
Leu by Rev. A. g. Pettingin, assisted by
Rev. Mr.. st. John, Rev. Mr.. Coar and
Rev. j. ID. o. Powers. Ex-Governor
Selden Conner pre- sided at the organiza-
tlon of the conference. A report
was made by the secretary, Rev. John
Carroll Perkins, of Portland. He said:
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
Rev. John Carroll Perkins of Portland,
secretary OF the conference. began his
annual report by quoting from the
records of the first Unitarian conference,
held in Waterviue, June 81, 1864, and
added:
Now we meet again, after a lapse OF 36
years, in the place of the founding of our
conference. In 1864 there were "A church
es holding religious services; at the pres
ent time there are %. just previous to
1864 four churches had come to an end,
the last regular services having been
held in Bath in 1868, in Perry in 1862,
in West Thomaston in 1851 and in Hal
lowell in 1857 These churches were
never revived, although their names re-
mained several years longer on the lists
OF the churches in the hope that some
how new life might come.
Since 1854 one church only of those
then existing has gone to its grave, the
Second Unitarian society of Portland,
although it should be said that several
spasmod1c attempts to form new societies
have not come to fruition. It should
also be noted that the church Of Calais
united with a Universalist society in 1878,
under the name of Union church, - and
still preserves a health, religious life.
During the period of which we are
speaking three old churches have beer
resuscitated: HouIton, in 1864, after an
absence OF 10 years fromw our lists; ELS
worth In 1865, after an absence of 10
years; Castine, in 1867, after suspension
OF services for 20 yeas. Seven new
churches have been organized: Yarmouth,
Presque Isle, Bar Harbor, Winter Har-
Dor, Sullivan, Lamoine, West Gouldsboro,
the last formed under the name, "The
Eliot Unitarian church, s. having come
into being since the conference meetings
of a year ago at Kennebunk. Five of
these churches are the result OF the es-
tablishment of the Hancock conference
of Unitarian and other Christian church
es, organized at Bar HarbOH in 1889.
This is a conference of local ana sum mer
liberal churches in Hancock cOun ty
holding an annual session in the summer
of each year. This year the sessions
were held at West GoIdsboro, August
and 2.
There are, as have said, % churches. in
our conference today. Fifteen OF these
maintain, and, with the exception OF
Pressure Isle, are at present provided
with settled ministers. Two changes
have occurred in the ministry of these
churches during the year just passed.
Rev. Edward II. Brennan, after two
years settlement in Presque Isle, has ten
dered his resignation, thus leaving that
pulpit vacant. Rev. Arthur G. Pet
tengiIl, native of our State, one minis
ter of the church at Yarmouth, and late
of Hyde Park. Mass, has been called to
the church at Waterville.
OF those churches which do not main
tain regular services, one, Brunswick
may be designated as dormant. Six are
provided with summer preaching:
Standish, Bar Harb0r, West GoIdsboro,
Sullivan, Winter Harbor, Lamoine. 10
these 20 churches might properly be add
ed the church at St. John, N. B. which
is reokOned as associated with the Maine
conference, but distance and national
Isolation still prevent close intimacies
The minister OF this church Is with us
today.
The secretary then reviewed the changes
made in the conference constitution, and
recommended taking steps toward the
establishment OF a permanent fund for
missionary and other purposes connected
with conference work. Continuing he
said:
For many years the relation of the
churches to the secretary or other agent
of the American Unitarian Association
was not fully clear. Among the self-sup-
porting churches the problem was less
prominent. But in the case of dependent
churches there was often friction between
the officers of the national association
and the State conference. To whom
should a needy church apply firstP Whose
judgment should dominate in the dis
tribution of assistance grantedY Should
Individual churches send their general
missionary donations to the treasurer of
the national body at Boston, or to the
treasurer of the local conferenceY About
1877 the independents spirit OF the local
conference was strongest. At that time
the office of secretary was separated from
that of treasurer. The treasurer In that
event was ally a layman, whereas he
had formerly been a minister. The office