Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-31
CHURCH MEMBERS
OBJECT TO PLANS
TO CONSOLIDATE
Breach Among Newark Presby-
terians Over Proposed Com
bining of Congregations.

Within a few weeks the session of
the Third Presbyterian Church will
make public in printed form, primarily
for the purpose of giving the members
of the several churches interested a
chance for discussion and considera-
ton, the main features of the several
plans that have been so far exploited
for the consolidation in one form OF
another of the Third, the High Street
and the South Park Presbyterian
churches. Already the special commits
OF the Third Church to consider the
consolidation plans has reported back
to the session, and the matter, so far as
the Third Church is concerned, is in
the hands of its session at the present
time.
A general spirit of apprehension and
unrest is prevalent among the mem
bers Of the church regarding the affair,
and the situation is such that when
the issue is brought up for final con-
s~ideration at the hands of the church
members a decided assure is almost
certain to develop. Evidence of this
exists, even at the present time, in the
form of a petition being circulated
among the members of the church pro-
testing against any plans for ~consolida-
ton. So intense has the feeling be-
come recently that about two weeks
ago the session of the church deemed 1t
- . III 49,. tlA xr-aTarG H1NaF nlIh-
fishing a statement reassuring the con-
gregation that no action would be
taken without the calling of a congre-
gational meeting to consider plans.
While j. Henry Huntington, chair
man of the special committee of the
session having the consolidation plan
under consideration, did not today
state definitely what had been en-
bodied in the report made by his COM
mittee to the session of the church, he
admitted hat one of the main features
of the proposed consolidation scheme,
absolutely dependent on the concur
renee of the High Street n South
Park churches, of course, was the
founding of an institutional work some
what like that of the Y. NJ. c. A. and
the Y. w. c. A. in the High Street
Church, and, perhaps. in the Third
Church. This work, it is understood
from general conditions, would be sup
ported mainly by part of the income
from the endowment fund and proper
ties of the Third Church, which of late
years has become a considerable factor
in church finances, amounting, it is
said, to $3.50 a year.
Understand" said Mr.. Huntington,
this matter as far as it has been con-
sidered, has been considered formally
only by the session of the Third Church.
and is as yet in no way connected with
the extension work of the extension
committee of the Presbytery. They, of
course. know of it, but M formal ac-
ton has been taken by them.
eff we did decide to consolidate, and
that, of course, is yet undecided, the
united churches would be able to father
a work of this kind, and to be of great
aid to the extension committee of the
Presbytery. Furthermore, it is to be
clearly understood that the printed
matter to be issued by the session
within a short time is not to be con-
sidered as a definite proposition to be
put up to the people. 1t is to give the
congregation a chance to see clearly
how matters stand. and, as it were.
to feel the pulse of the church"
That the pulse of the church will
reveal a rather complex and turbid con-
dltion in the congregation is accepted as
a certainty by many members Of the
church session and the church itself.
The Rev. DR.. Robert Scott lnglis,
when seer by a reporter for the STAR
on the matter, explained that inasmuch
as he considered the position of the
minister OF the church such as not to
permit a positive stand IN any govern
ing matters, he could not give any
statement for publication.
When a congregational meeting for
the consideration of the final PROPOSE
ton will be called is yet to be de-
cided. 1t is felt that the sessions of
the High Street and the South Park
churches, which, it is understood, are
considering the matter in more or less
formal ways. will first have to be re-
ceived.
The consolidation plans are numerous
and have not yet been worked out in
detail. The one plan which is expected
to be the main issue ~contemplates the
merging of the South Park Church and
the Third Church under the name of
the Third Church, and the organization
of the High street church as a pseudo
mission of the two combined churches.
Whether the Third Church congrega-
ton would continue to meet in the
Broad street building in the face of the
growing discomfort on the part of the
First Presbyterian Church because of