The San Francisco call., 1913-07-21
REV. 4. ". PALMER
OFFER RED CHURCH
First Congregational Votes
Almost Unanimously for
Popular Pastor

OAKLAND, July 20.--An immediate
call will be sent by the First Con-
grega tional church to Rev A. w.
Palmer, pastor of the Plymouth Con-
gregational church. who is now tour
ing Europe. The action of the pastor
committee of the First church in unani-
mously recommending the sending OF
the call to Palmer was put to vote
of the entire congregation this morn
ing after the church service and In
dorsed, almost unanimously.
There were 201 votes cast out OF
which ITS voted to issue the call and
Is voted against the committees rec q
ommendation. To the call will be at
tached a salary consideration of $4,000
per annum. There was little opposi-
tion to the action of the pastor COM
mittee, the oral argument of one mem
Der of the congregation, j. w. Phillips.
that calling Palmer to the church
would work against the Plymouth
church in drawing a number OF that
congregation to follow their pastor.
was overcome when it was stated that
Palmer was to leave the church and
both churches were unanimous in
keeping him for Oakland.
1t was admitted by Chairman c. Z.
Merritt of the pastor committee who
occupied the chair. that the call to
Mr.. Palmer would probably mean
eventually the question of the con-
solidation of the two churches. When
asked what the call conveyed as to
the relations of the two churches in
the future, he said
The call to Rev Mr.. Palmer does
entail the future consideration of the
consolidation of the First and Plymouth
churches. But the call is not COM
mil orf of 10 oh
That must be done by the unanimous
consent of both churches, and is con-
sideration for the future"
The question of consolidation is also
admitted as a possibility by the of
ficers of the Plymouth church Ar
thur Arlett, chairman of the board of
trustees of the church, said this morn
ing that the congregation was
cognizant of the meaning of the call.
He said:
1--WE realize that the call to Mr.
Palmer by the First church viii mean
the eventual consolidation of the
churches but this matter can not he
taken up until after Mr.. Palmer has
accepted the call and has gotten here.
when the officials of the two churches
must confer on the question of future
policy
In the discussion of the situation
before the vote, warm praise was given
Il.
the First church. and his work here.
his popularity and civic reputation
and his work in his Sunday
school, which is the largest in
northern California, was brought
out, and a strong factor was presented
| in a message from the former popular
| pastor of the church, Rev. Charles X.
| Brown, who wrote that he knew OF
no other pastor who would fill the
| pulpit as Palmer would. and hoped
| that the call would be issued.
| It was agreed that the acceptance
of the call by Mr.. Palmer will be fol-
lowed by a general conference ON the
future policy of the church, including
the anna lgamation with Plymouth
church and the subject of the down
town church, which has been vexing
the congregation for several years. 1t
is thought that the acceptance Will be
followed by the consolidation and the
possible erection of large union
church in the district covered by
Plymouth church.