Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-04-25
NO. I'll.

49, ~ -
AN ACT RELATING TO THE
OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION
OF CERTAIN CHURCH PROP
ERTY.
1t IS hereby enacted by the General
Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Section I. All property of any kind
belonging to or held in trust for any
Baptist church, Baptist church and So
ciey or Baptist society, organized under
the laws OF this state. which has become
or shall become extinct by death of all
its members or otherwise, and which has
been or shall be at any time affiliated
with the Vermont Baptist State Conven-
ton, religious corporation created by
the General Assembly Of this state in
1851, and engaged in religious mission
airy work and in fostering weak Bap-
list churches in this state or connected
with any Baptist church affiliated with
said Vermont Baptist State Convention,
shall vest in and become the property
of said Vermont Baptist State Conven-
ton
Sec. ?. Any Baptist church, Baptist
church and society or Baptist society
in this state, affiliated with the Vermont
Baptist State Convention aforesaid,
which has ceased or failed to maintain
religious worship or services, or to use
the property for religious worship or
services, for the space of two consecu-
tive years Immediately prior thereto, or
whose membership has so diminished in
numbers or in financial strength as to
render it impossible or impracticable for
such church, church and society or So
ciety, to maintain religious worship or
services, or to protect its property from
exposure to waste and dilapidation, or to
fulfill the purpose for which it was incor-
porated, may, by an order of the court
of chancery, be declared extinct or dis
solved, ard the property of such church,
church and society or society, or prop
erty which may be held in trust for such
church, church and society or society, be
transferred to and the title and posses
sion thereof vested in, said Vermont
Baptist State Convention
The avails of said property so trans
ferred shall be held in trust and added
to the permanent fund of said Conven-
ton and the income thereof employed
for its usual work until a local Baptist
church is again organized in the same
neighborhood, when the income shall be
used to aid such local church as needed.
Sec 3. Any application for such an
order and disposition of property may
be made by any member or officer of the
said Vermont Baptist State Convention
when duly authorized thereto by the
board of trustees or the executive COM
mittee of the board of trustees of said
Vermont Baptist State Convention, or
by any member of such church, church
and society or society, upon a verified
petition setting forth the facts author
izing such order and dispositiol of prop
.erty. Upon the presentation Of such
petition to the court of chancery, such
court may proceed in a summary manner,
after such notice as the court may pre-
scribe, to inquire into the merits of such
application and if, upon examination by
the court it shall appear that the max
ing Of the order and disposition of the
property applied for is necessary or
proper for any of the causes mentioned
in section two Of this act, such court
shall make a final order, declaring such
church, church and society or society, OK
tinct, or dissolying the same, and trans
ferring any property, and the title and
possession thereof, which may belong to
such church, church and society or So
ciety, or held in trust for such church,
church and society or society, and vest
the same in the said Vermont Baptist
State Convention, il being the intention
and purpose of this act to preserve to
the Baptist denomination Of this state,
as represented by the Vermont Baptist
State Convention, for religious uses all
property owned by or held in trust for
any such church, church and society or
society But no such order of transfer
shall be made If objected TO by five or
more members of such church, church
and society or society. This act shall
not affect reversionary interests of any
person or persons, in said property, or
any valid legal liens of creditors thereon.
Sec. l. This act shall take effect from
its passage, and all acts and parts of
acts inconsistent herewith arc hereby re-
Dealed