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XII.

THE CORPORATION FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL

1. The corporate members of the corporation shall consist of fifteen persons, elected by the Council at stated meetings, and of the Moderator and Secretary associated ex officiis with them.

2. The terms for which corporate members are elected shall be six years.

3. The corporate members elected at the meeting of 1910 are divided into two classes of eight and seven respectively. The successors of the class of eight shall be chosen at the meeting of 1913 and of the class of seven at the meeting of 1915. Those so elected shall hold office until their successors are duly elected.

4. The corporation shall have a treasurer. He shall administer his office as the by-laws of the corporation may provide.

5. The corporation shall receive and hold all property, real and personal, of the Council, and all property, real and personal, which may be conveyed to it in trust, or otherwise, for the benefit of Congregational churches or of any Congregational church; and acting for the Council between the meetings of the Council in all business matters not otherwise delegated or reserved, shall do such acts and discharge such trusts as properly belong to such a corporation and are in conformity to the constitution, rules, and instructions of the Council.

6. The corporation may adopt for its government and the management of its affairs standing by-laws and rules not inconsistent with its charter nor with the constitution, bylaws, and rules of the Council.

7. The corporation shall make such reports to the Council as the Council may require.

XIII.

DEVOTIONAL AND OTHER SERVICES

1. In the sessions of the National Council, half an hour every morning shall be given to devotional services, and the daily sessions shall be opened with prayer and closed with prayer or singing. The evening sessions shall ordinarily be

given to meetings of a specially religious rather than of a business character.

2. The Council will seek to promote in its sessions a distinctly spiritual uplift, and to this end will arrange programs for the presentation of messages for the general public attending such gatherings. But the first concern of the Council shall be the transaction of the business of the denomination so far as that shall be intrusted to it by the churches; and the Council will meet in separate or executive session during the delivery of addresses whenever the necessity of the business of the Council may appear to require it.

XIV. TIME LIMITATION

No person shall occupy more than half an hour in reading any paper or report, and no speaker upon any motion or resolution, or upon any paper read, shall occupy more than ten minutes, without the unanimous consent of the Council.

In case of discussion approaching the time limit set for it, the Moderator may announce the limitation of speeches to less than ten minutes, subject to the approval of the Council.

XV. THE PRINTING OF REPORTS

Such reports from commissions and statements from societies or theological seminaries as may be furnished to the Secretary seasonably in advance of the meeting may be printed at the discretion of the Executive Committee, and sent to the members elect, together with the program prepared. Not more than ten minutes shall be given to the presentation of any such report.

XVI.

THE PUBLICATION OF STATISTICS

The Council will continue to make an annual compilation of statistics of the churches, and a list of such ministers as are reported by the several state organizations. The Secretary is directed to present at each stated meeting comprehensive and comparative summaries for the two years preceding.

XVII.

FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BODIES

The Council, as occasion may arise, will hold communication with the general Congregational bodies of other lands, and with the general ecclesiastical organizations of other churches of evangelical faith in our own land, by delegates appointed by the Council or by the Executive Committee.

XVIII. TEMPORARY SUBSTITUTION

A duly enrolled delegate may deputize any alternate duly appointed by the body appointing the delegate to act for him at any session of the Council by special designation applicable to the session in question.

MINUTES

THE sixteenth meeting of the National Council of the Congregational Churches of the United States convened in Center Congregational Church, New Haven, Connecticut, at 2 o'clock, October 20, 1915, with the retiring Moderator, Rev. CHARLES R. BROWN, in the chair.

Rev. FRANK G. SMITH of Missouri and Rev. WALTER H. ROLLINS of Kansas conducted a devotional service.

Hon. HENRY M. BEARDSLEY of Missouri was elected Moderator, Rev. WILLIAM HORACE DAY of California First Assistant Moderator, and Rev. ALFRED LAWLESS of Louisiana Second Assistant Moderator.

On report of the Nominating Committee the following appointments were made:

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Rev. WATSON L. PHILLIPS, Connecticut.

Mr. W. J. VAN PATTEN, Vermont.

Rev. CHARLES N. THORP, Minnesota.

Mr. HENRY T. RICHARDSON, Massachusetts.

Committee on Credentials

Rev. HARRY E. PEABODY, Illinois.

Rev. HUBERT C. HERRING, Massachusetts.

Mr. EDWARD C. PLUMMER, Maine.

Rev. WILLIAM W. RANNEY, Colorado.

Hon. HERBERT KNOX SMITH, Connecticut.

Committee on Greetings

Rev. WASHINGTON GLADDEN, Ohio.

Hon. THOMAS C. MACMILLAN, Illinois.
Rev. NEHEMIAH BOYNTON, New York.

Assistants to the Secretary

Rev. OSCAR EUGENE HARRIS, Ohio.

Rev. FREDERICK D. THAYER, Massachusetts.
Rev. CLIFFORD N. HAND, California.

On recommendation of the Secretary

Voted: That the provisional docket contained in the printed program be approved as indicating the general order of the Council's business, action in modification of the same, or in fixing specific hours for reports or business, to be taken on recommendation of the Business Committee.

Communications were received and referred as follows: On Greetings to Veteran Ministers - Greetings Committee.

From Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America Nominating Committee.

Invitation of Los Angeles Association to the National Council Business Committee.

From the Congregational Union of Canada - Greetings Committee.

From the Congregational Union of Australia Greetings Committee.

Concerning Approval of Evangelists Commission on Evangelism.

Japanese Congregational Churches and Missions on the Pacific Coast — Greetings Committee.

Greetings from South India United Church Greetings Committee.

Memorial from Illinois Conference - Special Committee composed of Messrs. John P. Sanderson, Henry T. Snell, J. Edgar Park, Charles S. Nash, T. M. Bates, Charles E. Jefferson and E. L. Heermance.

On recommendation of the Secretary:

Voted: That the Program Committee be authorized at its discretion to arrange for the presentation of important matters relating to reports of Commissions, such presentation to be confined within briefest practi

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