CONSTITUTION Of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the state of ARTICLE I. The various Churches in Vermont shall be considered as united in one Convention in subordination to the General Convention of the United States. ART. II. The said Convention shall meet annually on the fourth Wednesday in June, at such place as shall be appointed! at a previous meeting; and all Clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church, residing in this state, shall be entitled to seats in Convention; and Lay Delegates from the several Churches in this State shall be entitled to seats in the said Convention, in the following proportion, to wit: Each Church shall have the privilege of sending at least one member; if it consists of ten or more communicants, then it may send two members, and for every twenty-five communicants, excepting the numbers above specified, the said Churches shall be entitled to one additional member. ART. III. The Convention shall deliberate and act in one @body; but shall vote in distinct orders, when any member shall call for such a division on any one question; and in such Erase a concurrence of a majority of both orders shall be necessary to constitute a vote. ART. IV. A President, Secretary and Standing Committee shall be chosen at every annual meeting of the Convention; and when there is to be a session of the General Convention within the ensuing year, the requisite delegation shall be appointed to represent this State in that body; also as long as this State shall belong to the Eastern Diocese, a delegation shall be appointed to attend each Diocesan Convention at the next preceding annual Convention, or at some meeting speci ally warned for that purpose. Provided, however, that no person shall be a member of the Standing Committee, or shall represent this State in the General or Diocesan Convention, unless he be a regular Communicant in the Church. Provid ed, also, that when the Bishop of the Diocese shall be present in Convention, he shall, ex-officio, be President. The Convention may from time to time, if deemed expedient, appoint a prudential Committee to superintend the prudential concerns of the Church. ART. V. If at any time a Bishop is to be elected by this Convention, the Secretary, by order of the President or Standing Committee, shall write to the Minister or one of the Wardens of each Church, at least six weeks before the election is to take place, and give notice of the time and place appointed for such election, and request, that delegates may attend the Convention for the purpose; and in every such election, the Convention shall vote in distinct orders-the Clerical order shall make a nomination by ballot, and a majority of the Lay Delegates shall approve the appointment, before the person shall be considered elected. ART. VI. No alteration shall be made in this Constitution except in annual Convention; nor unless proposed and reduced to writing at a previous Convention. 1 ART. VII. The Bishop or Standing Committee shall have power to call a special Convention, by giving six weeks previous notice to the Minister or one of the Wardens of each particular Church. C ABSTRACT Of the Journal of the Convention held at Shelburn on the 28th day of June, A. D. 1820. Rev. Abraham Bronson, President; Josiah Dunham, Esq. Secretary, and Rev. Joel Clap, Assistant Secretary. Parochial reports were presented from eleven Churches; namely, Manchester, Arlington, Sandgate, Sheldon, Fairfield, St. Albans, Berkshire, Montgomery, Shelburn, Windsor and Guilford. Baptisms 99-Deaths 35-whole number of Communicants 391. Resolved, That a committee be appointed to revise the Constitution : The following gentlemen were chosen-Rev. Abraham Bronson, Rev. Stephen Beach, Mr. Daniel Henshaw and Dorastus Wooster, Esq. A revised Constitution was reported and adopted as above. The Committee appointed for the purpose of devising means to defray the expense of prosecuting the suit for the recovery of the "Society Lands" so called, in this State, report; That the several Episcopal Churches and Societies in this tate be called on to raise each the sums herein after mentioned, as soon as may be, and forward the same to Daniel Chipman, Esq taking his receipt there for. Arlington } Sandgate Manchester Pawlet & Wells $ 20 8 10 10 |