The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-16
DAVENPORT TO LOSE ITS PASTOR Rev. Jason N. Pierce Surprises Congregation by Reading
 Letter at Morning
 Service.
ACCEPTS BROOKLYN CALL
Member of Four Yale Debating Teams and Amherst Graduate Receives Fine Offer in Greater
 New York.

At the morning service at the Dav- enport Congregational church in Wooster Square yesterday the pastor, Rev. Jason Noble Pierce, who has been with the congregation for the past two years, read his letter of res ignatlon asking that the church take action thereon as soon as possible and setting the date of his leaving the church for April 15, one month from yesterday The action of the pastor came as q surprise to a large part of the congregation though some few are said to have known that Rev MT. Pierce had been given flattering call from another church
 Mir. Pierce leaves to take up the pastorate of the Puritan church at the corner of Lafayette and Marcy avenues in Brooklyn. When seen yesterday Mir. Pierce stated that it was with regret that he left his church in this city, but the church in Brooklyn offered him in every way increased opportunity. He stated that his de- clsion to leave the Davenport church was not connected in any way with the proposed merging of the church with the Church of the Redeemer and that there was no suspicion of trouble in the congregation which resulted in his action. He declared that so far as ha lsppvr Ia roc ,,,,l,r rnrn nI b,- all the members of the church. His new church in Brooklyn is in the heart of the residential district, and is one of the finest Congregational churches in Greater New York.
 Rev. Mir, Pierce is graduate of Amherst college and of the Yale d. vinity school in the class of 1906 While In the Yale divinity school he was a member of four Yale debating teams, twice opposing Harvard and twice Princeton During his last year at the divinity school he was pastor oi the church at Mt Carmel, and upon graduation took up his present pas. torate. It is understood that his sal. ary at the Brooklyn church will bt about double what he is receiving here.
 A meeting of the congregation has been called for Friday evening al 7:45 to act on the resignation. A. Rev. MT. Pierce was appointed by tn, council a meeting of that body will bt required to dismiss him. He is very desrous to take up his new work a! quickly as possible, as the new church has agreed to give him twt and half months vacation thi coming summer which he intends tt spend with Mrs. Pierce in travel il Europe.
 MT. Pierce was secretary of the ex ecutlve committee and chairman O the music committee in the recen Chapman campaign in New Haven Besides these offices he is membe of the standing committee of the Stat Association of Congregational minis ters. chairman of the standing com mittee of the New Haven West con ference of Congregational churches chairman of the executive committe, of the Congregational club of Ney Haven. secretary of the Congregation al church of New Haven incorporated and secretary of the Yale Dlvlnit, School Alumni association.
 Rev Mir. Pierce worded his lette of resignation in the following Ian guage:
 New Haven, Conn, March 15, 1908. To the officers and members of Day
 enport church.
 Having received from Purital church, Brooklyn. call to it's pas torate, and believing 1t to he my dut | to accept the call hereby regretful l ly tender my resignation as pastor o this church
 The unswerving loyalty that ha been accorded me, the hearty sympa thy and cordial support of so man i workers. in the several departments c the church. and the many endurin i friendships that have been formed these and countless other blessing
 have brought joy to my ministry an make it no easy task to surrender m office. That you may accord tn same loyalty to my successor. and tha
 under a more efficient pastorate tn success of Davenport may be In measurahly greater, is my warm dc sire.
 I would ask that this resignation ht
 accepted by the church as seon asN
 convenient, and that it take effe,
 one month from date. on April 15tl 1908. Ever fraternally yours.
 JASON NOBLE PIERCE.