The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-05-17
THE CHURCH IN ITS
RELATI 10 n TO
THE STATE
Address By Auditor H. F. Graham
at Congregational Conference
REPORTS SHOW ZIG CHURCHES
Past Year Has Been One Of Unusual
Success in All Lines of Church
Service.

"The Duty of the Church to the
State" was the subject of an address
delivered this afternoon before the
Vermont Congregational conference
which is holding its 121st annual meet
ing with the local church, by Hon.
Horace F. Graham of Craftsbury, the
present state auditor.
The morning session was largely
given up to the 9Sth annual meeting
Of the Vermont Domestic Missionary
society, the directors report being read
by Rev. G. II. Merrill the secretary OF
the society The secretary reported
receipts for the year of $16,30S.39, with
expenses Of SS,023.70. Legacies and
incomes from friends invested amount.
ed to $7,771.34.
This society employs students and
laymen as missionaries in weaker
churches and last year 46 missionaries
were at work under its direction in AZ
fields in rural Vermont. The addit-
ions TO these mission churches during
the year we're 10 by confession and 43
by letter, a total Of 1853 The net gain
to these churches was 50 which is the
largest gain in 10 years, The society
voted to appoint a committee to confer
with a similar committee from the
Baptist and Methodist churches look
ing toward the employment of an
eyengelist to labor among rural
churches in the state, the financial
part of the work to be distributed
among the three denominations.
Interesting addresses were made
during the session upon various prob
lens of the rural field throughout the
state, by women workers, by those
laboring among foreigners and by pas
tors of weak country churches.
The meeting is notable gathering
in many ways, the most important OF
which being the historical fact that the
first Congregational church in Yer
mont was organized in Old Benning-
ton in 1862, and this is the fourth
time of the gathering of the organiza
tion here. The first session was held
in Bennington in 1857 and OF its mem
bers only one person survives, Rev. G.
W. Boardman OF New Jersey. or the
next session in 1875 only five men are
known to be living, one of whom Rev
c. II Merrill of ST. Johnsbury being
present today. The session last preyi-
GUS to the present was held in the lst
church in 1895.
The central theme of the present
session is:-"The Christian Church
and People and the New Day" Hon
John f. Weeks of Middlebury is the
presiding officer and Rev. w. c. Clark
of Barnet, secretary and among other
distinguished persons present are
Rev. DR.. IL. c, Herring Of Boston, gen
eral secretary of the National Council.
Rev. f. NJ. Sheldon of Boston, Secre-
tary Congregational Education socie-
ty. Rev. DR.. Herman f. Swartz of New
York, Secretary Congregational Home
Missionary society; Hon, Horace f..
Graham, Craftsbury; Rev. \. Wesley
Meld, San Francisco, Cal. agent
American Bible society; Rev. DR.. G. IL.
Merrill, st. Johnsbury, secretary Yer.
mont Domestic Missionary society;
Rev. c. H. Smith, Burlington, field sec
retary Anti.Saloon League; Rev. A. j.
Covell, Boston secretary Board OF
Pastoral supply and Rev. Brewer Eddy
of Boston, representing the American
| noord rf Eoraip1 MicSinns
Fraternal greetings from other de.
nominations were extended at the
opening session by Rev. p. l.. Dow OF
the local Methodist church and Rev.
G. w. Towart of the local Baptist
church. The conference sermon was
preached by Rev. Benz. Swift OF Wood
stock and the celebration of the Lord S
Supper was observed in the afternoon.
The Ladies Aid society of the church
served supper to the delegates in the
dining room of the Masonic temple and
the visitors are lodged in the homes OF
the village.
Not the least of the many interest
ing addresses of the afternoon and
evening was the statistical report, pre-
pared as usual for many years by the
venerable John NJ Comstock of Chel
sea, an extract of which follows: -
| There are in the state PIG Congrega
tional churches, 160 settled pastors
with membership of 22,979 an in
crease over last year of 800. Their,
were added during the year 1861 per
sons but deaths. removals and revised
rolls makes the net increase 500 Th,
amount of money raised for benevo
ence the past year was $Si,02S anC
funds raised for home expense
:, totaled $267,6S4. II has been a yea
of unusual success throughout th
state in all lines Of church service.
The principal evening address wa
, made by DR.. II. G. Herring of Boston
, whose topic was; "The Cheerin
mt