Troubles Of A Detroit Church

TROUBLES OF A DETROIT CHURCH

Aired at a Meeting of Detroit Presbytery

Hard to get work in

Of the Minister of Marine City Church--Meeting of the Detroit Presbytery

   The first session of the Detroit Presbytery was held Monday night at the Persbyterian church. Dr. J. R. Mitchell of Pontiac presiding. After finishing his address for the evening the session was called to order. Twenty-five ministers responded as the roll was called. The next thing in order was to elect a moderator for the coming sessions. Rev. E. P. Clark, of South Lyon, was unanimously elected to the position.

   After his installation two temporary clerks, Rev. Danskin and Rev. C. D. Jacobs were elected.

   Tuesday's session opened at 8:30 o'clock, with devotional services led by Rev. D. J. Sutherland. At 9 o'clock the roll on 11 of the business session showed 20 elders and 35 pastors present.

   Rev. E. H. Vail of Monroe, was then received into the presbytery. A call from the Wyandotte church for Rev. MacDowell was then read, but the matter was deferred until he presents his credentials from the Lackawanna, Pa., presbytery.

   Rev. B. F. Brundage, of Marine City, was exainined for admission to the Detroit presbytery. Mr. Brundage has been preaching in a Congregational church until he accepted the call to the Marine City church. Now he applied for admission to the presbytery. He was given an oral examination before the assembled body in theology and church history and a committee gave him a private examination in other subjects. As Mr. Brundage had not had the usual training of Presbyterian ministers, some of the clergymen of the old school argued that he should not be accepted until he had had further training in Presbyterlan doctrine and especially in some special points on salvation. But after a half hour's discussion in which some of the younger clergy warmly espoused his cause, he was admitted to the presbytery.

   Rev. Mr. Crawford, of the Covenant Church, of Detroit, asked that the relation existing between himself and the church be dissolved. It developed that there was a wide division in the church, some wanting Mr. Crawford to remain and threatening to leave the church if he went. Rev. Mr. Crawford was much affected and broke down in his remarks. He wanted to do what was best for the church and to heal up the differences. One of the elders of the church presented the matter to the presbytery. He stated that the foreign element was so strong in the parish that the old and substantial members of the church were moving away and the church was financially embarrassed. Then too as in every church there were factions and the congregation had voted to allow Rev. Mr. Crawford to resign. The other Detroit ministers stood firmly by Rev. Mr. Crawford and thought he should be allowed to do as he thought best. After a heated discussion it was voted that the matter should be deferred until the November presbytery unless a special seesion was called by a committee which was appointed.

   The factional fight in the church at Pontiac in which it is said Rev. J. R. Mitchell, the pastor, has unwillingly been made the central figure although he took no active pain in it, came up this morning by Mr. Mitchell's returning to the presbytery his call to the Pontiac church. No action was taken on it this morning.

   One of the largest sessions of the Detroit Presbytery for a number of years closed Tuesday evening at 7:30 o'clock the afternoon session opened at 1:30 o'clock, after a fine dinner served at the church by the Presbyterlan ladies.

   The business of the afternoon began with the reviewing of the Marine City and Milan records of sessions. Both are to be sent back for corrections and to be voted upon at the next session.

   One of the most important matters of the session was then brought up and discussed at great length. At the morning session, Dr. J. R. Mitchell of the Pontiac church had requested that they be allowed to return his call to the church. He had been at Pontiac for three years, but had gone as a supply and had never been installed. The matter was referred to a special committee which made its report at the afternoon session. Dr. Scott, of Detroit, was chairman and presented resolutions clearing Dr. Mitchell of any blame whatever in the factional difficulties in his church. The pulpit was declared vacant and the people advised to study the Scriptures and become more Christlike in regard to such matters. The report was adopted, but a number of the ministers who knew the history of the church wanted the matter looked into most carefully and the church shown that the presbytery was to rule. Dr. Pense, of Detroit, went so far as to say that the presbytery should learn "why decent, godly men cannot remain there" as this was the third pastor who had been treated so. It has always been a case of the minority ruling in the Pontiac Church and it is a law of the Presbyterian church that majority shall rule. In the course of the discussion it was insinuated that one of the wealthy church members who is offered to Dr. Mitchell would not give money to the support of the church if his wishes were not acceded to and the people to have the money for the church had been compelled to act against their letter judgment. Dr. Scott and Dr. Morey were in favor of having their resolutions placed upon the records the Pontiac church and also read from the pulpit. This brought forth another heated discussion but the print was finally carried.

   The committee on the organization of a church at Trenton reported, and the church was enrolled. Another heated discussion was percepted by the reading of the report of the Home Missionary board. The membership of the Church at Sheldon has grown so small that it was decided to sell the church property. There were two factions present one in favor of keeping the property and the other for it. Two women represented the latter and put their claims most forcibly before the meeting. The discussion was flnally stopped by a member of the session who knew how to wield parlimentary law more skillfully than the Iaymen of Sheldon and the report of the committee in regard to selling the property was adopted.

   The rest of the time was taken up with the readlng of reports from various committees. At 6:00 o'clock the meeting adjourned but went into session at 6:30 o'clock. In this last session a resolution of thanks was tendered to the members of the Iocal church for their hospitality, the minutes of the meetings were read and corrected and a most successful session of the Detroit Presbytery was closed by roll and a prayer by the moderator. The Presbytery will meet again in November at the Second Avenue church in Detroit, unless a special session is called by the moderator to act upon the case of Rev. Crawford of the Covenant church.