The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-03
BOTH PASTORS OF
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCHES RESIGN

love and appreciation Of their focks.
The committee includes:
H. D. Simonds, Mrs. J. D. Ludlum,
Mrs. w. J. Nichols, representig the
First church; DR.. Henry Blodget, S.
NJ. Hawley, w. S. Lacy, representing
the First Church society; L. T. War
ner, Mrs. John c. Curtis. Mrs. c: N.
WOrthen, representing the Second
church; s. G. Shaw, B. D. Pierce, Jr:,
w. a. Smith, representing the Second
Church society, all duly organized
with L. T. Warner as chairman and
W. S. Lacy as secretary.
The following are the findings of the
committee:
1ect to a mortgage of $4,000, the prop
erty located on Bank, Broad, and
John streets, extending 1872 feet (more
or 1ess) on Bank street, 126 feet
(more or 1ess) on Broad street, and
ISL feet inches (more or 1ess) on
John street, except that the West IS
feet (more or less) of this property is
held subject to condition that makes
it's sale at the present time out of the,
question. The First Church also owns
the parsonage at 208 Golden Hill
street.
The Second Church owns free and
clear, and can give a good title to, the
chapel stand, located on Court street,
Gilbert street, and Broad street, ex-
tending 100 feet (nore or Iess) on
Gilbert street, and 120 feet (more or
1ess) on Court street and Broad street.
The two churches hold funds given
or bequeathed for various church pur-
poses to a total value Of about $685.
586, yielding a present yearly income
available for present church purposes
of about $2,Se5. The income from all
of these funds may be used for the
purposes of the United Church, as
a to nh
The membership of the two churches
is scattered all over the city, the dis
tribution of membership for each
church being substantially similar,
and the center being somewhere in
the area bounded by Main and State
The combined membership consists of
937 residents and 1877 residents.
There is a very real place for a. CEN
trally located congregational church
in Bridgeport, as in all New England
cities, to seat approximately LOCO peo-
pie, and to be served by a parish
house holding adequate rooms for the
school and the social needs of
the members and community, and for
the especial use of the young people
Such a parish house should contain
rooms, recreation rooms, kit
chen, etc.
There is ample room on the present
property Of the First church to erect
such a church and parish house. Such
a church and parish house can be
erected for approximately $500, 0o0
The ministers of the two churches
who have so who1e-heartedIy worked
for the union of the churches under
the plan here proposed and without
whose cooperation and advice such
union could not have been successful,
have signided to the committee their
willingness to resign from their pas
torates. SO that the union may be fully
effected upon the basis proposed
The detail in the possession of the
committee is available for permanent
record. \
The committee recommends as fol-
lows:
The two churches shall unite to
create in the heart of the city one
church. equipped to serve the COM
rnunity and the Kingdom of God in
the ministering spirit of Jesus Christ
It shall be the ideal Of such church
to draw people together in that min
fstering spirit; it shall be its aim to
devote itself in constructive Christian
ways to the real welfare of the city,
especially the children and young,
people; it shah be it's first el1deavor
through the work of it's leaders and
members and through the instrument
atty of a thoroughly adequate parish
house, to deepen the community foun-
dations of Christian character and to
widen the reach of Christian irf1u-
ence. This high plane Of social SER
vice and spiritual vision has been the
only basis of union contemplated from
the beginning. Much labor in can
wasting all the facts makes it per-
fect1y apparent that such a high ideal
can now be made a reality.
The name shall be "The United |
CONGREGATIONAL Church of Bridge
port, Conn"
The United Church shall proceed
to clear the entire lot owned by the
Bank streets, and shall erect thereon
a new church and parish house of sub
stantia1 character.
< The second church and the land oc- |
cupied by it shall be sold and the
proceeds applied to the cost of the |
new church buildings.
The balance of the cost shall be
borne by a mortgage of such an |
amount that the interest thereon will |
not exceed the income from endow- |
ment funds, and by a cash payment
to be about $125, 900. To- |
ward this amount the committee re-
ports subscriptions to an aggregate /
a amount of $82,250. 1t is believed that I
the rest of the amount can be raised
among other members. pewholders
and attendants of the two churches
subscriptions may be payable in four
lnsta1nents: July 15, 1915; January
Is, 1917, July Is, 1917; January Is,
1918.
The First Ecclesiastical Society and |
the Second Ecclesiastical Society shall
remain in existence as long az may
be deemed necessary to receive GER
tain funds payable to them, and to
pay these funds to the United Church.
All property, both real and personal
hat can now be transferred, shah be
by the societies to a
United Ecclesiastical society to be
formed. The United Church shall be
The pastors. deacons, and other Of
icers of both churches shall resign
and new officers and a new board of
eight deacons shall be elected by the
United Church, this board of deacons
20 consist of, in the first instance,