Church of Our Father – Meeting Minutes, Oct 12, 1903 (Quarterly Meeting – Rev. Langston Resignation)
Atlanta, Ga., October 12,1903
Regular Quarterly meeting of church was held in church parlors this evening, and was called to order by Chairman John L.Moore, present: Mr. and Mrs. John L. Moore; Mesdmes: Lederle, Foster, Behre, Johnson, Douglas, Beardsley, Watts; Misses Whaley, Beardsley, Martin, Dixon and Miss Behre, and Messrs. Behre, Govan, Douglas, Watts, Walker, Young, Peck, Freeman, St. Amand, Crafts, Harding and Loyd Daniel, in all 27 members present.
Minutes of the previous nuarterly meeting read and approved.
Harding reported attendance at church services during the year averaged about forty. Report of the Treasurer was read, approved and ordered spread on the minutes, and is found following the regular minutes of the meeting.
The Clerk read a letter from Mr. Langston to Mr. Moore as Chairman of Board of Trustees, tendering his resignation as pastor of the church. Mr. Moore made a brief statement of a conversation he had with Mr. Langston after receiving his letter of resignation, in which Mr. Langston spoke with feeling of the loyalty of the members of the parish, giving his reason for tendering his resignation as pastor, was owing to the fact that living in Atlanta was very expensive, that it was necessary for him to retrench, which he thought could be better done in a new field, than could be done in Atlanta.
A full and free discussion of the question was entered into by all present, with the hope that Mr. Langston might be induced to withdraw his resignation It was agreed by all however that fourteen hundred dollars was as much as the church could possibly afford to pay a minister for sometime to come.
Mr. Behre moved that the resignation of Mr. Langston be laid on the table, and that a committee of three be appointed from the church membership and not the Trustees to confer with Mr. Langston, and see if he could not be induced to withdraw his resignation. Mr. Behre’s motion was seconded by Mr. Walker and others.
An amendment was offered by Mr. Douglas to Mr. Behre’s motion instructing the committee appointed to wait on Mr. Langston to express regrets of the entire membership, and hoping that he might reconsider and withdraw his resignation, but at the same time to explain to Mr. Langston that the church when it obligated itself to pay its pastor a salary fourteen hundred dollars a year, was doing all that, it possibly could, considering its membership. Upon a vote the amendment was carried. Mr. Behre was asked by Chairman Moore to frame his motion, separating the laying of Mr. Langston’s resignation on the table and the appointment of the committee, which he did, after which the motions were put, to vote and carried.
Mr. Behre then moved that, a committee of three from the congregation be appointed to confer with the pastor-carried. Mr. (rafts then moved that the following members he appointed on the committee: Mr. Hamilton Doug] as. Mrs. Geo. W. Johnson and Mrs. Anna M. Lederle, motion put to vote and carried.
There being no further business, meeting adjourned.
Report of the Treasurer of the Church of Our Father, covering period From Jan 1st, 1903 to October 12th, 1903
| Receipts | Amount |
| Jan 1st Amount on Hand (Home of the Incurables fund) | 14.50 |
| To Sunday collections | $193.31 |
| J.G. St. Amand | $20.00 |
| Miss Sarah G. Whaley | $25.00 |
| A.F. Walker | $12.50 |
| Ralph H. Brown | $15.00 |
| John L. Moore | $56.25 |
| Geo. H. Crafts | $25.00 |
| J.S. Russell | $25.00 |
| Woman’s Alliance | $75.00 |
| C.H. Behre | $7.50 |
| American U. Association | $300.00 |
| Elinor S. Langston | $37.50 |
| C.A. Langston | $18.75 |
| Miss Hattie Martin | $5.00 |
| Hamilton Douglas | $25.00 |
| Mrs. Alfredo Barili | $10.00 |
| Mrs. Metta V. Foster | $5.00 |
| Special Collection A.U.A. | $58.76 |
| Sanborn Lecture | $12.50 |
| J.C. Peck | $25.00 |
| Miss Emily Yates | $5.00 |
| Sales of Books (Dr. Slicer) | $15.00 |
| Lucie B. Additon | $3.00 |
| Julius R. Watts | $25.00 |
| Mrs. A.M. Lederle | $10.50 |
| J.E. Harding | $10.00 |
| Angie Harding | $5.00 |
| Disbursements | Amount |
| Rev. C.A. Langston on salary account | $791.75 |
| Mrs. A.M. Lederle as organist | $53.00 |
| Mrs. John L. Moore for Home of Incurables | $20.00 |
| A.U.A. annual contribution | $50.00 |
| By expense account for gas, coal, lights, music, etc. | $53.36 |
| Janitor | $62.25 |
| Disbursements | $1,030.36 |
| Rev. C. A. Langston | |
| By Salary from Jan 1st, 1903 to October 15, 1903 – Credit | $1,108.33 |
| To sundry payments made | $791.75 |
| Amount due Rev. C.A. Langston to October 15, 1903 | $316.58 |
Respectfully Submitted,
<signed>
J.G. St. Amand
Atlanta, Ga., October 12, 1903
Physical Archive: UUCA Box: 25 Folder: 04 Book: 01 Pages: 235 – 238
Citation: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Records, RG 026, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, Atlanta GA