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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECOND PERIOD—1774-1800 Ch.4—Mr. Otterbein called to Baltimore Ch.5—The Otterbein Church in Baltimore Ch.6—The Movement Toward a Separate Church Organization Ch.7—The First and Second Conferences THIRD PERIOD—1800-1815 Ch.10—The Conferences of 1801-1814 Ch.12—The Departure of the Leaders FOURTH PERIOD—1815-1837 Ch.13—The First General Conference—1815 Ch.14—The General Conferences of 1817-1833 FIFTH PERIOD—1837-1885 Ch.15—The General Conferences of 1837 and 1841 Ch.16—The General Conferences of 1845 and 1849 Ch.17—The General Conferences of 1853-1861 Ch.18—The General Conferences of 1865-1881 SIXTH PERIOD—1885-1897 Ch.19—The Nineteenth General Conference—1885 Ch.21—The Twentieth General Conference—1889 Ch.23—The Twenty-First General Conference—1893
PART II DEPARTMENTS OF CHURCH WORK Ch.1—The United Brethren Publishing House Ch.2—The Home, Frontier, and Foreign Missionary Society and Its Work Ch.3—The Church-Erection Society Ch.4—The Woman's Missionary Association Ch.9—The Young People's Christian Union Ch.10—The Board of Trustees of the Church
PART III THE ANNUAL CONFERENCES Ch.1—A Group of Early Conferences Ch.2—Other Conferences Organized from 1835 to 1853 Ch.3—Conferences Organized Since 1853
PART IV HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES Appendices Index
NOTICE OF ATTRIBUTION Work originally published in 1897. Scanned, proofed and minor spelling corrections by the United Brethren Historical Center. Electronic edition ©2006 United Brethren Historical Center Suggested Citation:
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History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ by Daniel Berger |
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CHAPTER III THE CHURCH-ERECTION SOCIETY I. ORGANIZATION p.454 From the organization of the Home, Frontier, and Foreign Missionary Society by the General Conference of 1853 four quadrenniums were to elapse before another most important movement was projected—that of the creation of the Church-Erection Society. By the agencies of the Missionary Society very considerable sums of money were gathered, and missionaries were sent to the frontier and home fields to gather whom they could into the fold of the Church. Hundreds and even thousands who thus heard the word and were converted were gathered into local organizations, only to be lost again to the Church because they were unable without aid from elsewhere to build for themselves houses of worship. In many instances, especially in the mission conferences of the frontiers, these homeless societies after some years entirely disappeared. Too weak in numbers and resources to build for themselves houses of worship and attract others to their fold, the disintegrating process set in. Their membership diminished, either by removals or by members seeking relationship in other more favored denominations, and thus the work which had begun with apparently so bright promise was in time largely dissipated. Many of the ministers and people lamented this condition of things, but were powerless to provide a remedy in the absence of any organized method of furnishing the needed aid. Appeals by private p.455 letters or through the columns of the Religious Telescope usually resulted in but little fruit, and personal visits by ministers to the older conferences for the purpose of soliciting were expensive and unsatisfactory. In the General Conference of May, 1869, at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a proposition was made looking to the organization of a society whose work should lie alongside that of the Missionary Society, its office being to assist in the building of houses of worship for those who, through the labors of the missionaries, were brought into the Church. The proposition received the favorable attention of the conference, and was referred to a committee consisting of Revs. L. S. Chittenden, M. Bulger, J. M. Bishop, I. K. Statton, and M. Ambrose. The committee formulated a plan for the organization of a society, and submitted a report to the conference. The report, upon further discussion, was adopted. The organization was to be called the Church-Erection Society of the United Brethren in Christ. It was not deemed advisable at this time to elect a separate board of management, and the interests of the new organization were committed to the Missionary Board and its corresponding secretary and treasurer to be cared for and brought into active life. II. PROGRESS AND WORK. With no separate agency to push this new work, and the officers and board of the Missionary Society having quite enough to do and never quite enough money for the work for which they were chiefly responsible, the collection of funds for the Church-Erection Society did not reach any considerable proportions. Nevertheless, in the first quadrennium the sum of $1,215.30 was placed to its credit, and four loans aggregating $1,000 were made to as many new church-building enterprises. And p.456 so the society had a beginning, and something more than a name to live. At the General Conference succeeding, that of May, 1873, held at Dayton, Ohio, a constitution was adopted for its government, and the collections during the four years following amounted to $8,401.23, and twenty new church-houses were erected with aid from its treasury. In the General Conference of 1881 the question of securing greater efficiency to the work of the society was again considered, and action was taken which provided for assessments to be made by the annual conferences upon all their various charges. The object of this was not only to secure larger collections for the treasury, but also to inspire a more general interest throughout the denomination. The General Conference of 1885, held at Fostoria, Ohio, took another forward step, in creating a separate board of management who should have charge of this special interest. The board was to consist of five persons, who were to serve for terms of four years, and the presiding bishops of the Church and the corresponding secretary and treasurer of the society were to be ex officio members. But no special secretary and treasurer were as yet elected, the duties of these offices being still committed to the general officers of the Missionary Society. With the growing cares of the secretary and treasurer of the Missionary Society, it was becoming apparent that, if the work of the Church-Erection Society should have proper attention, at least one general officer who should devote all his time to its interests must be provided. Accordingly, the General Conference of 1889, at York, Pennsylvania, elected Rev. J. Hill, of the Erie Conference, to the office of corresponding secretary. Mr. Hill entered upon his duties with an earnest purpose to succeed. But the Church, under the former method of procedure, had in large degree come to look upon the p.457 church-erection movement as not possessing very great importance. It was now twenty years since the society had been organized, and no efficient means had as yet been provided to bring its work and its needs to the attention of the people. The Missionary Society was in the field, its work was ably represented by men who were especially set to do that work, the people had been educated to respond nobly to its calls, and generous sums came annually into its treasury. It was fairly before the people, and its work prospered accordingly. For the Church-Erection Society little was asked, and little was obtained. But the form of education which the people had received in regard to its work was the most harmful feature of the situation. Mr. Hill, in consequence, obtained so inconsiderable encouragement in the way of contributions to the treasury of the society that he believed he was not justified in accepting the salary which the General Conference had provided, and at the end of a year pressed his resignation of his office. The board, believing it inexpedient to fill the vacancy, recommitted the work to the officers of the Missionary Society. The General Conference of 1893, held in Dayton, Ohio, again elected a general secretary, the choice this time falling upon Rev. C. I. B. Brane, of the Maryland Conference. Mr. Brane brought his fine abilities to the work of soliciting, but did not meet with the success he had hoped to gain, the same inertia as regarded giving largely for this interest being almost everywhere encountered. He accordingly, at the end of a year's service, followed the example of Mr. Hill, not wishing to accept a salary for work which he felt was not yielding sufficient results. The board of management, however, felt that they ought to continue the experiment, and, if possible, bring this important interest thoroughly to the attention of the p.458 people, in the hope also that larger contributions might yet be secured. They accordingly, at their annual session of May, 1895, elected to the vacancy Rev. William M. Weekley, of the Rock River Conference. Mr. Weekley entered upon his work in October following. He is an able and earnest advocate of his cause, and, notwithstanding the difficulties he has had to meet, has attained encouraging success.
At first sight this history of the work of the society might
suggest the thought of failure. But nothing could be more untrue than this.
With all the discouragements under which the society has proceeded, it has
gathered into its treasury a sum now amounting to forty-two thousand dollars.
Most of this money has been loaned again and again, until the aggregate of
loans made has reached the considerable sum of ninety thousand dollars. In
all up to the present two hundred and sixty-five churches have been aided.
And all this has been accomplished with almost no expense to the Church. The work of this society is one of the greatest importance to the future growth of the Church, and it is to be earnestly hoped that the popular conception of this fact will be in time so far advanced that contributions to its treasury may fairly correspond to those which are gathered for the uses of the Missionary Society. |
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