DUKE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Treasure%qom 
 
 Benehan Cameron 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/minutesofproceed01epis 
 
MINUTES 
 
 PROCEEDINGS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CLERGY AND LAY DELEGATES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCHES 
 OF NORTH-CAROLINA, 
 
 CONVENED BY APPOINTMENT, THIS 24tH DAY OP 
 APRIL, 1817, 
 
 IN CHRIST'S CHURCH 
 
 IN THE TOWN OP NEWBEBN. 
 
 ^ 
 
 FAYETTEYILLE : 
 
 rUTNTED AT THE OBSEBYEIl OFTICE, 
 
 \ 
 
I 
 
q !/ 7 ^> 
 
 MIKUTES, &c. 
 
 Present— the Rev. Bethel Ju«M, Rector of St. John's 
 Church, Fayetteville ; the Rev. J. Curtis Clay, Rec- 
 tor of Christ's Church, Newbern ; the Rev. Adam 
 Emple, Rector of St. James' Church, Wilmin,^ton ; 
 John Stanley and John S. West, Esquires, Delegates 
 from Christ's Church, Newbern ; John Winslow, 
 Esq. Delegate from St. John's Church, Fayetteville j 
 Josiah Collins, jun. Esq. Representative from St. Paul's 
 Church, Edenton ; John R, London and MarsdenL 
 Campbell, Esq's. Delegates from St. James' Churchy 
 Wilmington. 
 
 On motion, the Rev. Mr. Judd was appointed 
 Chairman, and the Rev. Mr. Empie, Secretary. 
 
 On motion. Resolved, that the Rev. Mr. Clay be re- 
 quested to perform divine service, and the Rev. Mr. 
 Judd to deliver a Sermon this forenoon. 
 
 On motion. Resolved, that the Rev. Mr. Judd, the 
 Rev. Mr. Clay, and the Rev. Mr Empie, together 
 with Mr. John Stanley and Mr. John R. London, be 
 appointed a committee, to draw up and present to 
 this meeting, a Constitution of the Protestant Epis- 
 copal Church of this State. 
 
 Adjourned until one o'clock. 
 
 Divine service having been performed, the Clergy 
 and Lay Delegates convened according to adjourn- 
 ment, the committee presented the following 
 
 Article 1, The Protestant Episcopal Church in 
 this State, accedes to, recognizes and ado])ts the ge- 
 neral Constitution of the Prott;s\int Episcopal Church 
 of the United States, aad acknowledges its authority 
 accordingly. 
 
 CONSriTUTIQN. 
 
 P 1 <60 G 0 
 
4 
 
 2. There shall be an annual convention of this 
 Church, on the second Thursday after Easter, at such 
 place as shall be fixed by each preceding conven- 
 tion. 
 
 3. The convention shall be composed of such re- 
 gularly ordained ministers as are settled in this State 
 — such as are employed as professors or instructors 
 of youth in incorporated seminaries — of such as are 
 missionaries of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and 
 of one or more Lay Delegates, for each Church, cho- 
 sen by the Vestry or Congregation thereof. 
 
 4. Every convention shall be opened with prayer 
 and a sermon ; and the preacher shall be nominated 
 by the ecclesiastical authority of the church. 
 
 5. A president shall be annually appointed, who 
 shall preside in all meetings of the convention, ex- 
 cept when a Bishop shall be present, who shall, ex 
 officio, be president of said convention. 
 
 6. A secretary shall be annually chosen, whose 
 duty it shall be to keep a record of the proceedings, 
 and to give due notice to each minister and vestry, 
 of the time and place of the next meeting of the con- 
 vention. 
 
 7. A standing committee shall be annually chosen, 
 of not less than three or more than seven persons, 
 who shall have pov/er to admit candidates for the 
 ministry ; and until a Bishop shall have been appoint- 
 ed, to examine tlte testimonials of foreign clergymen, 
 to call special meeting-s of the convention, and to 
 transact all such other business as they arc empow- 
 ered to do by the constitution and canons of the ge- 
 neral convention. 
 
 8. In all matters which shall come before the con- 
 vention, the clergy and laity shall deliberate in one 
 body ; and in voting, the clergy shall vote by indivi- 
 
5 
 
 duals, and the laity by congregations : but if in any 
 case it be required by two votes, the two orders 
 shall vote separately, and a concurrence shall be ne- 
 cessary to constitute a decision. 
 
 9. The election of a Bishop of this diocese shall 
 be made in convention in the following- manner : The 
 order of the clergy shall nominate and appoint, by 
 ballot, some fit and qualified clergyman for that office 
 — and if this appointment be approved of by the lay 
 order, he shall be declared duly elected. In the a- 
 hove mentioned nomination and appointment, a ma- 
 jority of each order shall determine the choice ; pro- 
 vided that two thirds of all the clerg-y intitled to 
 votes be present, and two thirds of all the congrega- 
 tions intitledto votes be represented, otherwise two 
 tliirds of the votes of each order shall be necessary 
 to determine the choice. 
 
 10, This constitution maybe altered or amended 
 by a concurrent vote of two thirds of the attending 
 members, at any annual meeting of the convention, 
 
 [Signed] BETHEL JUDD, 
 
 Rector of St. John's Church, Fayeiieville. 
 
 ADA^.I EMPIE, 
 Rector of St. James'' CJnirch, iVUmington. 
 
 J. CURTIS CLAY, 
 Rector of Chrifi'g Church, J\*e-ivbern, 
 JOHX WINSLOW, 
 Lay Delegate from St. John's Church, Fayetternlle. 
 
 MAR5DEX CA^JPBELL, 
 JOHX R. LOXDOX, 
 Lay Delegates from St. James* Church, Wilmington. 
 
 .TOIIX STAXLY, 
 Jf)!fX S. WEST, 
 Lay Delegates from Chr-ist's CJiurch, JK'e-L^bem. 
 
 JOS I AH COLLINS, Jutt. 
 Representative from Si. PauVs Chjirch, Edentvri, 
 The preceding constitution having been unani- 
 raously adopted and signed, the Rev. Mr, Judd was 
 
1 
 
 duly elected President, and the Rev. Mr. Em pie. Se- 
 cretary, for the ensuing year. The following- gen- 
 tlemen were chosen, also, to compose the standing 
 committee — of the clergy, the Rev. Mr. Judd, Mr. 
 Cluy and Mr. Empie ; and of the laity, Messrs. John 
 S. West of Newbern, John Winslow of Fayetteville, 
 John B. Blount of Edenton, and Marsden Campbell 
 of Wilmington. 
 
 On motion, Resolved, That a copy of the Constitu- 
 tion now adopted, together with the proceedings of 
 this Convention, be, by the Secretary, certified to the 
 General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church of the United States, with a request, that, a- 
 greeably to the fifth article of the Constitution, the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church, in this State, may be 
 recognized and admitted to representation. 
 
 Resolved, That the right Rev. R. C. Moore, the 
 Bishop of Virginia, be invited to visit and perform 
 the Episcopal offices in this State, agreeably to the 
 20th canon of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the 
 United States. 
 
 Resolved, That the President of the Convention 
 present this invitation to the right Rev. Bishop 
 Moore, together with a copy of the Constitution and 
 proceedings of the Convention. 
 
 Resolved, 'Y\vjii\\\e Rev. Mr. Judd and Mr. Moses 
 Jarvis of Newbern be appointed Delegates to the 
 ensuing general Convention of the Protestant Epis-. 
 copal Ciuirch of the United States. 
 
 Resolved, That the next annual Convention be hol- 
 den at Fayetteville. 
 
 Adjourned until 4 o'clock. 
 
 !NTet pursuant to adjournment. The preceding 
 minutes were read and approved. 
 
On motion, Resolved^ that the Secretary cause 200 
 copies of the Constitution to be printed, and that he 
 distribute the same, equally, among- the congrega- 
 tions here represented. 
 
 Resolved, That it is expedient that the rectors of 
 the several Churches cause an annual collection, in 
 their respective Churches, for the support of a Mis- 
 sionary in this State ; and that the same be a fund 
 subject to tlie order of the Convention. 
 
 Resolved, That the llev. Mr. Clay be a committee to 
 select or to draw up such canons as he may deem 
 most expedient, and to report the same to the next 
 convention. 
 
 (Signed) BETHEL JUDD, 
 
 President of the Convention, 
 
 Attested, 
 Adam E^isiBf Secretary,