The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-13
TRUSTEES REPLY
Tell First Congregational
Church Their Side Of the
Tabernacle Controversy.
GRAVE CHARGES MADE
Down Town People Practi-
cally Accused Of Forgery
and Theft.
GRAVE CHARGES MADE

| lished statements made by a few in
diyiduals without brains with the result
that the public received the impression
that the sentiment of the entire con-
gregation was expressed.
After the meeting Mr.. Frank Hall gave
out all the information which was de-
sired to be made public The important
business of the evening was to decide the
fate of the Tabernacle.
| After a short discussion Mr.. ScuddeI
offered a resolution, which was unani-
mously adopted, to the effect that the
/ Tabernacle be continued as long as il
were possible to obtain the necessary
funds for maintainance. To accomplish
this it was found necessary to make an
! immediate reduction of expense. The
| Board of Trustees made no appropriation
| for music, and the choir and organist will
| have to go. In the interests of economy
a cheaper janitor will also have to be en-
/ gagged. If there is ever again music in
/ the Tabernacle it will have to be furnish
/ ed by volunteers. The music cost over
| 5000 last year and the janitor received
$500 BY getting janitor for about $500
and abolishing the choir $500 will be saved.
|
the past to select ministers to officiate at
Sunday services.
| A report read by the treasurer credited
| the Tabernacle with receipts amounting
/ to $500 for the first quarter of 1900. The
debt exceeds the receipts by about $500.
This deficiency will be made good by the
First Congregational Society.
The resignation of Mr.. Sydney Gould as
! a member of the Board of Trustees, was
read and accepted. Mr.. William A. Kim
ball was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr..
Gould had been connected with the
church over thirty years, serving the
church in many official capacities during
that time. He ascribed as his cause for
resigning lack of time and the incon-
venience of reaching the church from his
present residence.
A report of the Tabernacle controversy
was read, and at the suggestion of Mr..
Scudder a resolution was unanimously
adopted approving it. The statement
was prepared by Messrs. Hall, Soerry
Board of Trustees of the First Congrega-
tion Church The report began:-
sit has seemed to your Board of Trus-
tees that this is the proper time to pre-
sent to the society a statement, as brief
as possible of what they have done with
regard to our Tabernacle branch.
"You are fully acquainted with the
situation up to the quarterly meeting held
in April of last year. Soon after that
meeting the following petition which had
been sent to a committee of the Congre-
gational Union by some of our members
who were connected with the Tabernacle
branch, came into our hands,.
Then follows a copy of the petition sent
to DR.. Bradford, the Rev. H. S. Bliss and
Mr.. Hazelton of the Congregational Union
and copies of the document that passed
between the Board of Trustees and the
Provisional Board of Trustees appointed
bv the Tabernacle All these documents
were published in 'The News" when they
were sent. The report then continues,
regarding the attempt made by the Trus-
tees to have conference with COM
mittee from the Tabernacle authorized
to settle affairs:-
Nothing came of this attempt of ours
TO have conference on these questions
until February Z, 1900, when your Board
met with the Tabernacle people, and after
a long conference it was finally agreed
that the Provisional Board should meet
with us, this time having full power to
settle the terms upon which an indepen-
dent church could have the use of the
Tabernacle.
"The result of that conference you al
ready know, but in order that our action
may be fully understood we desire to
xxrhio oh c
based.
s'Although the petition addressed to DR..
Bradford and others, had appended to 1t
$50 names of these 92 contributed nothing
to either pew rent or sustaining fund, six
teen did not attend the Tabernacle at all,
eight did not live in Hudson County, four
have given us written statements that
they did not sign It, and still others have
assured us that when they signed it they
did not know that they were signing a
petition for an independent church.
"In addition there were number of
orr downtown members who did not and
would not sign it.
"Again, of the gentlemen named as
members of the Provisional Board, two
declined to act as such; one was pastor
of a church in East Orange and in no way
connected with our church, while the re-
cords show the total amount contributed
by two Of the remaining four to sustain
ing fund and pew rest is but $3.50 for the
past two years
.sYour Board and the Provisional Board
practically agreed upon the conditions
upon wnIch the new society could have
the free use of the building, and the
only point of difference between US was
the time for which the lease should be
written.
ssWe were ready and willing to give a
lease for one year. They demanded that
the lease be executed for one year with
privilege of renewal. When pressed TO
explain what they meant by a renewal,
the only reply was that it meant re-
newal.'
Having in mind the fact that the petit
tion as presented to US had for it's object
the absolute disposal of the Tabernacle
either by deed to the new society or by
deed to an outside organization, or by Civ
I ing the use of the property to the new
society for such period as should be de-
termined by some outside Organization,
and the further fact that one OF the Hem-
I bers Of the Tabernacle who afterwards
became member Of the Provisional
Board, and one Of the leaders y the move