The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-04-24
CONGR EGAT|ONA[
CHURCH HOLDS
74TH ANNUAL
Reports of COMMITTEES Show
Prosperous Conditions
RECEPTION BEFORE MEETING
Music, Election of Officers for Com
ing Year and Two Addresses
Principle Features.

Pursuant to notice the seventy
seventh annual meeting of the Sec
ond Congregational church of this vii
lage. held forth in the chapel of the
church, Wednesday evening, begin
ming at seven thirty o'clock.
The committee in charge, Mrs. C..
w. Thatcher and Mrs. E. c. Bennett,
had, with the help of numerous rugs,
flags, ferns and flowers, together with
a handsome electric droplight, lent
them by the Twin State Gas & Elec-
trio company, converted the big room
into a veritable drawing room.
The reception committee, which
stood in front of the platform, con-
sisted OF Rev. George S. and Mrs.
Mills, Mrs. C. G. Cole, Mrs. NJ ]. Bel
den, Mrs. Rollin Jenney, II. H. Web
ster and Edward Burgess. Mrs.
Keeseman and f. e. Bottum had
charge of the music. Promptly at
7.3O the Sunday school orchestra be-
gan to play and the people singly and
in groups began TO arrive and come
up to meet the reception committee.
After several selections and it had
reached the hour of s, Rev. George
S. Mills called the people to order and
announced the object of the gather
ing
The audience sang "Blest Be The
Tie That Bids" and the pastor offered
prayer. The church clerk then read
his report, which showed a member
ship in the church of 4S2; 125 non
resident members and ESQ families in
the parish. II had been received in
to membership during the year and
20 had been dismissed. There had
been founteen baptisms and two chill
dren had been presented with Bibles.
The report of the Sunday school
by its secretary, V. c. Edgerton, made
good showing along all lines and
told of new methods used and good
results obtained. The enrolment is
something over 200. The receipts
were above five dollars Sunday. DR..
l.. II. Ross, treasurer, next made his
report and showed that nearly eight
hundred dollars had been given for
benevolencies during the year. The
Guideboard Sunday school was report
ed by the secretary, Burton Harwood
The average attendance was given at
forty-three, the enrolment at eighty
and the collections, s40.7O.
The school purchased sixty new
song books and has paid out in other
ways an amount equal to as much.
making the total disbursements foot
up in the neighborhood of seventy
five dollars.
The Woman's Missionary society
reported through its secretary, Mrs.
Emma l.. Harwood. One hundred and
seventy-five dollars has been raised
for both foreign and home work;
barrel of clothing has been sent to
Douglass academy in Lawndale, N.
c.; gift was sent to the Information
al college at Springfield Mass; regu-
lar reading circle meetings have been
sustained since last autumns the au-
photography of Mary Autin, THE
Promised Land" was read and enjoy
ed; it is hoped that the society will
be able to send delegate to the Mis-
sionary union at Woodstock.
The secretary of the Ladies' Aid
society, Mrs. +. J. Swan, reported a
large number of things that had been
accomplished by that society, such as
distributing flowers to the i'll, helping
along on the church expense and pro-
viding suppers on a number of occa-
sions, notably that of Forefather's
day. Over five hundred dollars had
been raised during the year and about
when the plans of the society are car
ried out It is planning to lay hard
wood floor in the chapel. The report
showed a great substantial amount of
money in the treasury The Senior
endeavor was heard from through its
secretary, Miss Helen Z. Beecher.
Meetings have been held every Sun
day evening Of the year except one;
last summer meetings we're held eve
~ three weeks at the town farm; one
meeting each month has been devoted
to missionary study; the annual mis-
sionary banquet was held in January
and $3.50 taken from the mite boxes
and sent for foreign missions; Oscar
Elwell went as delegate to the state
meeting at Morrisville, Oct. 5th: the
officers of the society are as follows:
President, Leslie 5. Morgan, Vice
president, Oscar Elwell; cor. sect'y,
Elizabeth Stuart; rec. sect'y. Helen
Beecher: treasurer. Florence Hatha-
way. This society will conduct many
of the Sunday evening services during
the absence Of the pastor.
Mrs. James w. Martin sang a solo
at this point and then Mrs. w. b.
Sheldon read her neurology for the
year. speaking of the following mem
bers. who bad passed beyond: DR.. r.
W. Goodall. Mrs. Myron Rawson.
Charles r. Dewey. Hinman s. Brown.
Edward Kelly, John Stuart. Mrs. Sar-
an J. Bishop. Ernest Melhofn and Mrs.
Bertha Elwell
Mr.. EVE Bottum then sang a solo.
after which the election Of officers