Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-04
FINANCES OF A CHURCH
Condition of Affairs Alleged to
Be Startling.
CLAIM OF TRUSTEE R0EDER
North Capitol M. E. Congregation is
Concerned.
REFUSAL TO GRAND RELIEF
Statement in Reference to Bishop Will
son and Presiding Elder Naylor
Asks Action.

hnanC1al AFFAIRS OF the NOrtn zap
itol Methodist Episcopal Church
of this city, reaching as far back as
1892, is what c. H. Roeder, a
trustee OF the church, says he can
prove to the Baltimore annual con-
ference of the denomination, now
III session in Cumberland, Md. The
claim is made in letter to Presid-
ing Elder H. R: Naylor of the
Washington district, under date of
March 20, 1907.
Trustee Roeder also claims that DR.. Nay
lor and Bishop Luther b. Wilson, formerly
presiding elder here, have refused to grant
any relief, although he has called the mat
ter to their attention many times. In their
official capacity, he holds, it is their duty
to examine closely into the finances of the
church.
says:
Enclosed please find a tabulated state
ment taken from the official minutes Of the
Baltimore annual conference, Methodist
Episcopal Church. AS trustee of North
Capitol Church during the erection of the
new church and the contracting of the en-
tire Indebtedness. l wish to disclaim any
responsibility for the making of such state
ments to the conference in my official ca
pacity. and make this final appeal to you in
your official CAPACITY to have this matter
1ectified on the official minutes of the con-
beginning April 3, 1907
First Balance Due.
You will find the first balance due rem
dered in 1872 as $4,000, after paying $s317
during the year. Now, without counting
the smaller items unpaid at that time, you
will find my name recorded on mortgage
for $4,000 and on $1,000 secured either as
second mortgage or notes to NJ .chigan
furniture firm. The rendering of a time
balance will give you the details.
You were fully informed OF the irregu-
larities in connection with the finances. You
were appealed to for an itemized account
ing in your capacity without avail. In
quarterly conference l openly complained
to you as presiding officer of false report
ing and suppression of financial facts Bish-
ops at conference have been appealed to,
but without results.
II will not detail further, but 1 respect
at this coming conference.
Tabulated Statement.
The tabulated statement to which Mr..
Roeder refers gives the church debt in
1882 as $4,000, and the amount paid on the
debt in that year $S,317. In 1893 the
debt is given as $4,000, and Trustee Roe
der asserts that no more Indebtedness was
contracted. The statement indicates that
in 1888, $3.50 was paid the debt but
the figures for 1894 show the debt as $13,-
wv. The figures for the following years
until 1890 are given as follows: In 1894,
$l,563 paid; in 1880, $4,000 debt, $5,2J5
paid; in 1886, $4,000 debt, 81, 900 paid; 1897,
$4,000 debt $1,2J4 paid; 1893, S13,22S debt,
$1,000 paid; 1892 S1295O debt, $217 paid
1900 $l2,15 debt, $500 paid. Thereafter
the balance on the debt is more nearly the
difference between the amount paid and
the debt of the previous year. In 1906 the
amount of the debt is given as So, 800 and
the amount paid as 81 800. The debt in
1906 is given as $4,000.
In long letter to Bishop Wilson, dated
March 3, 1905, Mr.. Roeder recounts va
rious circumstances in connection with the
financial history of the church, mentions
the names of a number of persons from
whom the bishop may get detailed data in
regard to the conditions and asks for an
official examination and itemiZed account
ing of all the finances of the church dur
ing his term of office from 1891, to relieve
him of any responsibility under the
church or civil law.
Necessary to Employ Counsel.
On one occasion, it is stated in the letter,
1.-The situation was such that few trus-
tees and members deemed it necessary to
employ counsel and try to adjust the
financial affairs and place them in proper
manner by having authority from the pre-
siding elder. H. r. Naylor, DID,, to allow
Mr.. W. II. McCreary. as an expert ac-
countant, to properly audit and account
for all moneys and vouchers used on the
new church edince." The letter goes on
of trustees could tell what the new church
cost from the records. 1t also says that
the presiding elder did not grant any re-
lief at that time, but said that charges
would have to be preferred.
The reason charges were not made
then" the letter continued, was because
of the trouble it would cause innocent
members and families of all and because of
elder, pastor and members of the board of
trustees; also because Of confidence in
promises made by individual members of
the board that the accounts would be
properly revised and reported by statement
in satisfactory manner-and they would
have been If the important papers and
records could have been found
False Report Alleged.
Mr.. Roeder further states in the letter:
In a quarterly conference presided over
by Presiding Elder Naylor 1 openly
charged that the accounts were not prop
erly kept and that a false report was made
and the report then under consideration
was false. The discussion led to fistioufYs
in which several brethren took part DIR.
Mayor can give you particulars. Then
came the attempt of the jority to GUST
the minority by vote augmented by the
help OF few local preachers secured for
the OCCASION presumably, as they were
never there before, and they voted to drop
myself and another brother since de-
ceased. They first voted our stewardship
Office from us, and in regular manner voted
and carried that We be dropped as trustees
THE presiding elder asked If we were
on any legal papers, and received assurance
that 1t was of no consequence, as the rest
of the board would take care of that
was on mortgage of $4,000 and several
notes for 81, 600 each. The presiding elder
then decided We could not be dropped
This decision and the fact that the financial
affairs of the trustees were not being con.
Quoted in the manner as provided in the
discipline and in conformity with the re-
quirements of civil law, lead me to make
this appeal to you for proper accounting u
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