Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-12-15
WANT BEST ONLY
TO FILL PULPIT
OF BIG CHURCH
Congregationalists of Montclair
Have Searched for a Year
for Suitable Minister.

1t was reported at the annual meet
ing of the First Congregational Church
of Montclair last night that a COM
mittee of fifteen had been unable to
find a suitable pastor to succeed the
Rev. DR.. Amory H. Bradford, who is
unable to continue the pastorate, owing
to i'll health. Fifty names of posi-
bilities had been considered and sub
committees had heard ministers preach
but no selection could be made. Frank
A. Ferris. chairman of the committee,
said:
The First Congregational Church Of
Montclair is looked upon both in Eng
land and in this country as the very
centre Of Congregationalism. and We
must have the very best. Our pastor
must be of high mental. religious and
physical ability. No average man will
do, we must have the best and high
est"
The following officers were elected:
Deacons to serve three years, Charles
Converse West. William q. Frost,
Elvord G.. Chamberlain, Walter B..
Hopping; to serve two years in place Of
John B. Pratt, resigned. William Os-
6OOo 4hOl 5dAB " ScTNC JIG ytdi III
place of Mr.. Wyman. Edward Earl;
deaconesses to serve three years, Mrs.
Seth Comstock, Miss Alice A. Bouden:
Sunday school superintendent, the Rev.
Robert Seneca Smith; assistant super
intendent, William S.. Maddox. Para
graph 3, article 4, of rules of the church
was amended to provide that the term
OF service of officers and deacons
a1eDf1J % onr,roI rAao4tzoc chalI hn.fY.
OIL the first Sunday of the January
following.
The report of Charles A. Hutchings,
treasurer, showed receipts during the
year of $40, 22S.50 and disbursements Of
$40, 150.50, leaving a balance of SIS. The
Rev. Robert Seneca Smith, superin-
tendent of the Sunday School, read his
report. which showed a membership of
405 pupils and an average attendance
of 316. The classes. he said. had dis
tributed supply baskets to the poor of
the town at Christmas and had also
dispensed in charity $552. Mr.. Smith
also read the report of the Young Peo-
pies Society, which has a membership
Of 100, between the ages of IA and IS
years. The. average attendance at its
monthly meetings was ffty-fve and
during the last two years seventy-three
of it's members had Joined the church
on confession of faith.
The report of Pilgrim Church. which
Is a mission of the First Church.
showed a membership of seventy-two
and a Sunday School of 100 pupils. The
report of the Woman's Home Mission
airy Society, submitted by Mrs. T. l..
Snyder. its president, showed the
amount raised and paid for home mis-
sions during the year amounted to
$1,243.A. The Woman's Foreign Mis-
sionary Society of the Church, accord
ing to the report of it's president, Mrs.
A. H. Bradford, subscribed 1918 to the
cause of foreign missions during the
year. The report of the Monday Mis-
sionary Society was read by its presi-
dent, Mrs. w. G. Frost. which showed
a membership of 1913. The society has
distributed goods and cash to the
amount of s7S4.S9 during the year.
Thomas H. Taylor. chairman of the
committee on church work, Is his re-
port, showed that the church had a
membership of 1852 and increase dur
ing the year of si%xty-one members.