Free Church of Scotland. SPECIAL REPORT OF THE SUSTENTATION FUND COMMITTEE WITH REGARD TO SCHEDULES PASSING COMMITTEE DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS FOR THE MODERATION OF CALLS. MAY 1867. At a Special Meeting of the SUSTENTATION FUND COMMITTEE, held on 15th April 1867, the following Report of a Sub-Committee appointed to consider said matter was approved of, and directed to be transmitted to the General Assembly :— In the course of the ten years from May 1855 to May 1865, 283 Congregations passed the Committee on Schedules transmitted by the Presbyteries of the respective bounds. Of these, 234 are on the platform of the Equal Dividend, and 49 are Church Extension Charges. Of those on the Equal Dividend platform, 140 implemented or exceeded the sum promised or agreed to by the Committee for the year ending 15th May 1866, the amount of the excess being £3421, 19s. 1d.; and 82 fell short of the sum promised or agreed to by the Committee, by the sum of £1460, 12s. 8d., as compared with the amount of their contributions for said year ending 15th May 1866. Of those Congregations which thus fell short, 37 showed an increase on the nine months ending with 15th February last, compared with the corresponding period of last year of £266, 3s. 11d.; and 43 showed a decrease on the nine months of this year, compared with the corresponding period of last year of £220, 17s. 11d. The remaining 12 on the platform of the Equal Dividend are large Congregations, 6 of which contribute at and above £500, where no stipulation was made by the Committee, but where the sum to be contributed was left in the hands of the Office-bearers and Congregations. Of the 49 charges which are not on the platform of the Equal Dividend, 25 implemented or exceeded the sum promised or adjusted with the Committee for the year ending 15th May 1866, by the sum of £387, 17s. 4d., and 24 fell short of the sum promised or adjusted with the Committee for said year, by the sum of £574, 13s. 7d. The Sub-Committee have added the accompanying Appendices, for the purpose of showing the details of what is stated above. The Appendix No. I. is a Presbyterial Abstract of the Appendices II. III. and IV., and the Appendix No. V. is a Presbyterial Abstract of the Appendices VI. and VII. The Presbyterial Abstracts show the Congregations in each Presbytery, the number of such which have passed the Committee during the foresaid period of ten years, the number which have come up to, or exceeded the amount promised or adjusted with the Committee, for the year ending 15th May 1866, and the amount of such excess; and the number falling short of the sum promised or adjusted with the Committee for said year, and the amount of such shortcoming. The Sub-Committee have only further to report, that they transmitted a communication to each of the Congregations, whose contributions at the 15th May 1866 show any shortcoming on the sum promised or adjusted. They also, in terms of the instructions of the Committee, sent a communication to the corresponding members of Presbyteries, with a note annexed showing the Congregations in each Presbytery which had passed the Committee, the sums which had been promised or agreed to, the amount contributed for the year to 15th May 1866, and the sums they had fallen short. The Sub-Committee requested replies to the communications addressed to the Congregations. A number of replies have been received, but the Sub-Committee regret to state that, in their opinion, with very few exceptions, these replies do not appear to justify the position which these Congregations occupy. In name and by authority of Sub-Committee, H. HANDYSIDE. APPENDIX I. PRESBYTERIAL ABSTRACT OF CONGREGATIONS on the PLATFORM OF THE EQUAL DIVIDEND, showing the number of Ministerial Charges, as at 15th May 1865; the number which have passed the Committee for Ten Years preceding that date; the number which have implemented or exceeded the sum promised or adjusted with the Committee, comparing with it the Contributions for the year ending 15th May 1866, and the amount of such Excess; also the number which have failed to implement the amount promised or adjusted with the Committee, comparing with it the amount of Contributions for said year, and the amount of the Shortcoming. |