CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 October 1908, Page 7

CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

CONGRESS ,AT LIVERPOOL. (BT TELEG It Al'li —PUESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) London, October 21. The Congregational Union Congress has opened at Liverpool. The Rev, Ralph Wardlaw Thompson is chairman. There is a great gathering of delegates. . , The Rev. R. Wardlaw Thompson, D.D. (Glasgow),was foreign secictury of the London Missionary Society for 27 years. He 'is a great missionary expert, and has visited, on bohalf of his society, India, China, Madagascar, the South Seas, New Guinea, and South Africa. He is author of tho "Life of Griffith John." When he was appointed chairmaii-elect of the Congregational Union (1003-0) of England and 'Wales, it was understood that during his year of office Congregationalists proposed to organise a great missionary propaganda, including a large missionary exhibition. Tho Congregational Union of England and Wales holds two assemblies every year, in May and October, the former in London and the latter in some town in the provinces. The union was formed in 1831 and was incorporated in 1902. Neither the assemblies nor the county unions have any legislative authority over the churches, but the county unions annually return the names of ministers and churches to tho Union of England and Wales, so that they, and not tho National Union, are responsible for the recognition or non-recog-nition of persons claiming to be, Congregational ministers. Under the constitution adopted in 1901, the Council of tho Congregational Union 'of England and Wales, consisting of about 325 members, elected by the county unions on a proportional basis, is elected by the county unions, and this makes the union in effect a federation of county unions as well as of individual churches. In the Congregational ohurches the minister and other officors are elected by the vote of the moinbors, and new members are admitted by direct vote of tho church.