REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON COMITY, At the last session of the National Council held in Cleveland, Ohio, your committee presented a report covering two subjects, one the acceptance of membership in the "Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America," and the other the approval of an "Act of Union between the Congregational Churches, the Church of the United Brethren and the Methodist Protestant Church." The National Council approved the recommendation as to the Federal Council, and it has been fully organized and is now doing a work for our entire body of Protestant churches of the greatest value. The recommendation made by this committee for the adoption of the proposed "Act of Union " with the United Brethren and the Methodist Protestants was referred to a committee of twenty-eight. Many sessions of that committee were held in the presence of the members of the National Council, and friends and opponents of its adoption were fully heard. That committee presented a unanimous report in which it was said: "The National Council of the Congregational Church of the United States in session in Cleveland, Ohio, October 8-17, 1907, having heard a remarkable volume of testimony from all parts of the country, hereby records its conviction that our churches will go forward to consummate union with the Church of the United Brethren of Christ and the Methodist Protestant Church. "We recognize in the 'Act of Union' adopted by the General Council of the United Churches at Chicago the fundamental principles by which such union must be accomplished. The aim of that act is the desire of our churches. The act provides for a representative Council of the United Churches, combines their benevolent activities, and conserves their vested interests. It makes provision for the gradual amalgamation of their state and local organizations, leaving the people of each locality free to choose their own times and methods for the completion of such unions. It contemplates, as the result of a continued fellowship of worship and work, a blending of the three denominations into one. This is the end to which the Act of Union' looks forward, and these are essential means of its accomplishment. "We recognize that for the accomplishment of this union, each denomination is prepared to modify its administrative powers. Among our ministers and churches there have arisen divergent opinions as to the interpretation of certain clauses and as to the effect of certain provisions in the Act of Union'; while of some details therein proposed important criticisms have been made. We recognize, further, that the other church bodies, when they convene for consideration of the Act of Union,' may likewise find that certain of its features can be improved. We therefore invite the other two denominations to unite with us in referring the Act of Union' to the General Council of the United Churches, to afford opportunity for perfecting the plan of union; the General Council to report its results to the national body of each denomination." It was further recommended by the Committee of TwentyEight that the Committee on Federation, Unity, and Comity be empowered to act in accordance with this proposal, for the consummation of the proposed union, and that in subsequent meetings of the General Council of the United Churches our membership therein be made thoroughly representative by election by the several state bodies. These recommendations were adopted, and three men were chosen to present this action to the two other denominations. This action of the National Council was presented to the national bodies of the two other denominations by personal attendance at their sessions, and they were asked to assent to the further conferences proposed. But we regret to say that their assent was not obtained. So far as we could gather, they had observed the opposition of a certain number of persons in our body, and representatives of the two denominations had attended the sessions of the National Council and heard the debates, and they gathered that the welcome they would receive would not be as hearty and unanimous as they had previously been led to suppose. The Methodist Protestants were the first to meet in 1908. The United Brethren, through their bishops, asked for immediate negotiations for union with them. Also the Methodist Episcopal Church appeared with a strong delegation and appealed for a return of the Methodist Protestant body to a union with them and with the other Methodist denominations. The action of these two bodies was taken, apparently, under the impression conveyed in the press that we had meant to reject the "Act of Union." But it was not at all the understanding of the National Council in Cleveland that it was voting against union in requesting further conferences to amend the "Act of Union," but was opening the way for a more perfect agreement. Indeed, the National Council declared "its conviction that our churches will go forward to consummate union " with the two churches. Yet we cannot complain that, while we hesitated, other bodies, misunderstanding our action, stepped in. Nor could we do anything else than applaud other plans of union if union with our own churches seemed not to be feasible, while we should greatly regret that a plan of union with us, apparently so nearly achieved, should at the last moment fail; for we believe that the principles, if not the history, of these two churches would draw them properly to us. The following is the action taken by the Methodist Protestant General Conference: "The General Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church, assembled in Pittsburg, May 15, 1908, has had three important communications addressed to it on the subject of organic union with other denominations. "The National Council of Congregational Churches, assembled in Cleveland, Ohio, October, 1907, has invited us to join them in sending back to a new commission for revision and amendment the 'Act of Union' adopted by the representatives of the Congregational, United Brethren, and Methodist Protestant churches at Chicago, in March, 1907." The action taken then proceeds to recount the invitation received from the bishops of the United Brethren, expressing the belief that that body is now ready to unite directly with the Methodist Protestants; also an invitation from the Methodist Episcopal Church to join with it in creating a United Methodism. Thereupon the action taken proceeds to express warm sympathy with this desire to unite the Wesleyan hosts in a single Methodist Church of America; and it continues: "We, the General Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church, hereby resolve: "1. That we express our affectionate esteem for the brethren of the Congregational Church and for the deep interest they have shown in the movement for church union; but that we deem it inadvisable at this time to send back the Act of Union' for revision, for the reason principally, which we offer in the assurance that that great church will appreciate, that a call has come to us to duty nearer to us and which we cannot refuse without abandoning our past." The General Conference then responds heartily to the proposal of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and appoints a commission to proceed with negotiations with that church and with the United Brethren, hoping that the latter will join in the movement for the union of all the Wesleyan denominations under what will need no other name than the Methodist Church of America." It will be observed that they are careful to omit the word "Episcopal " from the desired name. 66 The General Conference of the United Brethren, meeting a year after that of the Methodist Protestants, noted its declination to accede to our request for revision of the "Act of Union," and was therefore estopped from immediate action, but appointed a committee for further conference. The report of its Committee on Church Union detailed the history of the triunion movement and the action of our National Council, and continued: "A number of our representatives attended the General Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church, held in Pittsburg, Pa., in May, 1908. They were cordially received and accorded a thoughtful hearing; but in view of the overtures then made by the Methodist Episcopal Church, looking to the joining again of long-severed ties, there was a strong sentiment in favor of such reunion, and no action was taken regarding the plan of union submitted by the Tri-Council. Thus the matter rests at present. "While these two denonimations failed to adopt the Chicago plan of union, and while the negotiations are suspended for the present, nevertheless we regret the halt in these efforts, and stand as ready and anxious as we have ever been to join these sister churches in the most complete union which will best promote the interests of our Master's kingdom and mass the forces of our common Zion against the combined and organized powers of darkness. "We record the fact that this union movement has been a great blessing to our church." The report proceeds to show how this movement has proved itself a blessing, and it recommends action — which was taken appointing "a permanent Committee on Church Union, consisting of fifteen members, including the bishops." Thus the action taken by the United Brethren General Conference was in spirit favorable to the continuance of negotiations with us, while negotiations with the Methodist Protestants are halted until the result shall appear of the proposals made to the Methodist Protestants to join in the effort to create a united Methodism. If we chose to do so, your committee could understand the action of the Methodist Protestants as closing the door to any further conferences with these two denominations. But we do not so wish. We do not believe that the great body of our churches meant thus to reject the proposal for union. On the contrary, the last National Council pledged itself to carry the work on to its consummation. While now considering it, the Methodist Protestant Church is not yet pledged to union with the two great Methodist Episcopal churches, North and South, and other branches of Methodism which cling to their episcopal system, against which the whole history of the Methodist Protestant Church is a protest, and, in a less degree, that of the United Brethren Church. But in the case of the United Brethren there is no declination to proceed toward union on the basis of the Chicago "Act of Union." The failure of both denominations to accede to our request for further revision has been actuated by a measure of denominational pride which has our respect. By this action of theirs they did not mean abruptly to close negotiations, but simply to indicate that under these circumstances and "at this time" the further measure suggested by us did not meet their approval. This their action, then, comes back to us, and it is for us to |