Church of Our Father – Meeting Minutes, Jul 8, 1901 (Quarterly Meeting – Admission to Church)
July 8th, 1901
The regular quarterly meeting of the Church of Our Father was called to order at 8:25 pm. Present: Mr. & Mrs. Behre, Mr. & Mrs. Crafts, Mr. & Mrs. Moore, Mr. & Mrs. St. Amand, Mr. & Miss Dixon, Mrs. Owen, Mrs. Daniels, Miss Behre, Miss Minnie Abel and Messrs. Langston, Otto Abel, and Lederle. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
Mr. Langston, chairman of the special committee appointed to suggest some form of admission to membership in the church reported as the recommendation of the committee that some simple form of admission be adopted and that this service be optional.
The committee also recommmeded some changes in the form of church service now used. A form of service complied by the Rev. Hauson Pulford (Archivist: Internet search to understand the service book by Rev. Pulford yielded no results. See Archivist Note below.) and now used in a number of Unitarian churches was submitted for consideration, this service including also a confession of faith. Mr. Crafts moved that the same committee be continued in office to give further to these questions and that Mr. Moore be appointed the fifth member of the committee. Carried.
A general discussion was held on the question of reading a confession of faith at each service, the opinion of those present being favorable to such a change.
The Special Committee on Sunday School was granted an extension of time.
The committee on the sale of old material reported progress.
Committee on Library reported progress.
Mr. Langston, who had attended the annual meeting of the A.U.A., as delegate from this church, read his report.
It was moved and seconded that Article IV of the Constitution of the church, relating to the time of meeting of the Board of Trustees, be amended by omitting the clause “on the third Monday of each month.” Carried.
It was moved and seconded that the Pastor and Clerk be appointed a committee to draft suitable resolutions on the death of our fellow trustee and member, Mr. T. Kennedy and that these resolutions be read at the next church service and be inscribed and made a part of these minutes. Carried.
Moved and seconded that Mr. Julius R. Watts be elected a Trustee to fill the vacancy in the Board and to succeed Mr. Kennedy. Carried.
Moved by Mr. Crafts that the Pastor be granted a months vacation. Carried.
Moved tha the church be kept open and that lay services be held during the Pastor’s absence. Carried.
After an informal discussion on the subject of social meeting, the meeting adjourned 9:45 pm.
<signed>
Frank Lederle, Clerk
Physical Archive: UUCA Box: 25 Folder: 04 Book: 01 Pages: 221 – 222
Citation: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Records, RG 026, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, Atlanta GA
Archivist Note: The interest in the service book recommended by Rev. Langston is to understand his ministerial and theological approach at the Atlanta Unitarian church. Later history will reveal that Rev. Langston resigned in 1905 from the Unitarian church to become a minister in the Episcopal church.
Langston twice resigned from the Unitarian church. Oct 1903, he was asked to re-consider and his resignation with warm affections from the church. His May 1905 resignation, however, was treated much differently. In a letter to the A.U.A. dated Oct 16, 1905 the church leadership comments on Rev. Langston’s ministry to the President of the American Unitarian Association stating, “No doubt you are aware that our pulpit has been filled with mediocrity coupled with indolence and indifference for the past five years.”
It would be an interesting topic to understand how “Unitarian” Rev. Langston was during his pastorate at the Atlanta church that continued to struggle during his pastorate with growth and financial matters.