Church of Our Father – Meeting Minutes Mar 10, 1888 (Collection Notice Needed)

Atlanta, Ga. Mar 10, 1888
Special meeting of the Board of Trustees at Mr. Hodge’s office at 7:30 pm.
Present: Messrs. Hodge, Gude, Winslow and Klingelsmith.

Mr. Gude was chosen Chairman.

Minutes of previous meeting were read and accepted.

It was moved and adopted that Mr. Klingelsmith be requested to give notice to Mr. Brumsted (See Archivist Note below) to announce a collection for next Sunday. This motion was caused by the failure for the past three months of the ministers officiating to give such notice in consequence of which no collection had been taken during that time.

Mr. Hodge reported for the Committee on Music that they had secured the services of Mrs. Werner as soprano for the choir at $5.00 per Sunday, during the last two Sundays in February, but that she had given notice the first of the month that she could no longer sing for less than $10.00 per Sunday. As this was received by the Committee too late to secure the services of any other soprano, they retained her for last Sunday at her advanced price of $10.00 per Sunday.

The report was accepted and the Committee approved in their action.

Moved that the Committee on Music be authorized to secure the service of Mrs. Werner as soprano at an expense not to exceed $25.00 per month. Motion lost.

Moved that Mr. Klingelsmith secure a committee of ladies to call on Mrs. Fisher and urge her attendance at church, in order to lead the singing either in the choir or in the congregation; and that if she could not attend, to notify Mr. Brumsted that no service would be held on account of our inability to secure any singers to lead the singing.

Moved that we adjourn.

<signed>

J.M. Klingelsmith, Secretary

Archivist Note:  Rev. Horace Brumsted had preached at the Church of Our Father per newspaper clipping research on Jan 17, Jan 31, 1886. It could not be confirmed via archival newspaper research that he preached in March. It appears, however, from these meeting minutes that Rev. Brumsted was again preaching in early March 1886.

From a review of contemporary newspaper church notices, Rev. Chaney preached at the church on Jan 3, 1886, but was absence from the pulpit for several months thereafter.

From newspaper research, several ministers preached at the church in the early part of 1886. Rev. Westall on Feb 14; Rev. Wm. P. Tilden preached on Mar 21 and Apr 25 “during Dr. Chaney’s enforced absence.”

The full record of ministers in the pulpit for this period for Rev. Chaney’s absence could not be re-created from a review of archival newspapers.

On May 24, 1886, the newspaper reported that Rev. Chaney was again back in the pulpit after his absence for several months.

Physical Archive: UUCA   Box: 26   Folder: 02 Book: 02 Page: 22 – 23
Citation: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Records, RG 026, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, Atlanta GA