Maritime Christian Missionary Society

Early History

By organization is meant, as in other provinces, the formation of an association for the purpose of preaching and the founding of churches in the three provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The method was to create a board of responsible brethren who would through its executives direct the work and raise the funds necessary to support it. The origin in the Maritimes (above) occurred at Milton, N.S. in 1885 (Christian Banner). The date was 25th June. A representative gathering, including some from P.E.I., formed an agreement (1) to meet annually in either N.S. or N.B., or P.E.I. for preaching and missionary business; (2) that the next meeting be at Douglas (W. Gore) on the first Monday in July, 1856; (3) that the meeting be called a Branch of the North-Eastern Co-operation; (4) that the meeting acknowledges the aid extended through the A.C.M.S. through the presence of its secretary, and its extension was also solicited; (5) that John McDonald and Donald Crawford be engaged as evangelists for the ensuing year; (6) that evangelists be directed to collect for the society where it may be deemed expedient. A board of seven brethren were chosen, the following being officers: Wm. Murray, president; Levi Minard, secretary; Allen Minard, treasurer. 

Thus was launched what the Maritimes for many decades have called their "Annual". The next few annual gatherings were held necessarily at W. Gore, 1856, Newport 1857, Milton 1859 . . . in 1865 at St. John, N.B.--the first in New Brunswick. So the work went on by a series of successes, and possibly failures. W. H. Harding records that in the days when the evangelists were promised no fixed sum, the work prospered more. By 1879, 6 churches had [201] a membership of 100 or more. In 1882, the Annual reached Halifax, and this was regarded as a triumph. In Sept., 1902, at Port Williams, N.S., the "Maritime Christian Missionary Society" was formed and later a government charter was recorded "for the purpose of promoting and supporting Christian missions throughout the Dominion of Canada and other countries." The singers were Geo. F. Barnes, James S. Flaglor, and E. C. Bowers. This organization still functions and holds an annual "Convention" in the summer for reports, fellowship and preaching. In its time all the churches of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia have been helped by the efforts of the Brotherhood in finance and other ways. 

      The promoters of the Maritime Society through the years have done great and loyal service. It is not possible to designate by an annual list of all who bore office and thus served particularly. Records reveal that in 1899 L. A. Miles, George F. Barnes and James W. Barnes were active promoters. These gave a very long service; the last, James W. Barnes, is the veteran survivor at writing. The following were officers in one or another departments: W. A. Barnes, J. F. Floyd, James S. Flaglor, (many years), E. C. Ford, R. E. Stevenson, O. B. Emery, C. E. Armstrong, W. H. Harding, L. F. Sanford, J. W. Derby, O. Wallace, F. L. Wallace, W. J. Johnston, H. E. Wagner, E. M. MacDougall, Ralph W. Pugh, and Robert E. Shaw. 

(History needed between 1900 - 1940. Please email info@restorationhistory.ca if you can assist.)

It was finally decided (1938?) that the PEI churches would rejoin the MCMS, while still holding their own annual convention, in addition to the Maritime Convention. See below document regarding this change:

Trouble in the Ranks

In the mid to late 1940’s, the question began to be raised about whether the All-Canada Committee, which the MCMS was affiliated with, was becoming too liberal and failing to perform their intended function. Specifically, many took issue with the increasing endorsement of what was called “open-membership”. This issue came to a head at the PEI meeting of the MCMS in 1948, which was held in New Glasgow (Click here to read minutes of the 1948 meeting).

Early in the meeting, an item of new business was put forward by R.W. Beck. Taking the floor, he read the following declaration: 

Mr. Chairman and Brethren: 

Development in the life and acti­vities of the All-Canada Committee lay upon us, the undersigned, the necessity of publicly declaring our disassociation from that organi­zation.

Because the All Canada Committee countenances modernism and open membership and thus denies the Deity of Jesus and repu­diates His terms for admission into His Church, we are opposed to that organization; and because the All Canada Committee sponsors and supports speakers who do not hold to the religion of Christ and is itself a substi­tution for New Testament teaching and precedent. 

We hereby publicly declare our desire and intention to remain unidentified with the All Canada Committee and affirm that we do not subscribe to its activities. We make known our objection to the All-Canada Committee's claim that it represents us. We wish it known that we shall be known as Christians only, members of Christ's Church. 

Signed: 

Norman MacLeod, Louis Herring, Clarence Nicolle, Horace White, Wallace MacKay, Robert Beck, Wilfred MacDonald, Edward Sellick, Preston Beck 

Following this declaration, a lengthy and heated debate ensued between all parties present. The details of this can be read in the minutes of the meeting. By the end of the meeting, no formal decision had been made regarding the acceptance or dismissal of the declaration by those present. However, a motion was made by Malcolm (Mac) Beck for the elders of the churches to arrange a time in the future to meet to discuss the declaration. The motion was put to a vote by the chairman and carried by an oral vote. There was only one contrary vote, by a Mr. Higdon. 

In September of 1948, Robert Shaw (At the time preacher at Milton Christian Church in Nova Scotia), wrote a letter to Malcolm Beck regarding PEI Convention meeting, and the resolution made. Below is an except of his letter: 

As I recall it, the intention of the Island session was that the nine elders should meet with representatives of the All Canada committee and endeavor to arrive at an understanding. However the resolution may have been worded, I am certain that the convention felt it was voting for the suggestions earlier made in this regard. The resolution ought to be interpreted in the light of the whole discussion. If my observation is worth anything, I would say that what the convention least desired was for the dissatisfied elders to go any further in spreading their viewpoint abroad without let or hindrence. The session was openly hostile. Would it not create an abnormal situation for these people whose position was so successfully challenged once to go on to another smaller meeting where there might be none with the necessary information to withstand them? Then, too, as you explained at the session these men "made the declaration on personal grounds only - that is - did not claim to represent their churches. Finally, what could such a session as you mentioned hope to accomplish? The nine might win some converts who would have no means of checking the truth of the allegations, o(f) they might be sharply rebuffed 

(Robert Shaw, letter to Malcolm Beck, September 23 1948 )

In Malcolm Beck's reply to Robert Shaw, dated November 19th, 1948, he began with a discussion of basic concepts or beliefs which he held. Since they are key to his view and the future direction of the issue in the Maritimes, they are important to state and should be carefully considered:  

(1) That Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Head of the Church and has all authority.

(2) That the Bible is a divinely inspired book written by divinely inspired men, and as such the only source of any authority on which we as Christians have any right to draw. That it contains a correct and true account of the life and works of Christ and His apostles. That in it god has placed all which he is His divine wisdom deems necessary for us to know regarding the salvation of souls, Christian living, organization, maintenance, and spread of His Church on earth.

(3) That in the Bible and only in the Bible can we find a group of principles on which men can finaJly agree as a basis of Christian Unity, and as a corollary no additions or depletions to those principles clearly stated in the New Testament can be entertained.

( 4) That without such unity of thought effective union of the Christian world is not possible.

(5) That the Church of Christ as I envisage it is the Church of Christ, a congregation of souls in Him. I say this not in a manner of condescension re-other congregations, but on the basis that members of this Church can be assured that they have followed the plan of salvation as laid down in the teachings of Christ and His apostles and therefore can have quiet confidence that they have entered Christ's body on earth. This then done, none can consider such a position to be a presumptuous one. Where the other congregations stand under such a concept I do not know. I do know, however, that in order to classify them, one has to use other authorities than the Bible, and thus we are provided with no authoritative basis on which to base any opinions, for opinions they are.

The letter then deals with three main headings. The three are (1) Organizations in General. (2) Organizations in the Church. (3) The All-Canada Committee. 

The heart of point number one can be seen in the statement, "organizations of any kind have one glaring weakness, and that is that one man or a small group of men are liable to assume control of the organization itself and thus make control by the people they claim to represent an even more remote possibility than ever." The heart of point two is expressed by the question, "Is it not then a logical deduction that any church organization other than that provided for in the New Testament is unscriptural." 

The major position of the letter, however, deals with the last point, discussing the All-Canada Committee. In the discussion Mr. Beck states seven main points:

(1) The ACC Interferes with Local Church Autonomy

(2) The ACC Tampers with the Plan of Salvation

(3) The ACC is not Democratic

(4) The ACC is "Modernistic"

(5) The ACC has Failed Its Original Objective

(6) The ACC is Uneconomical

(7) The ACC is related to the UCMS and the World Council of Churches

Further correspondence has not been preserved, and so one can only speculate as to what was written in the two to three years that followed. The net result, however, was the scheduling of a formal debate. 

During the Maritime Convention of the MCMS (Held at Central Christian Church in Charlottetown, PEI that year), an invitation was extended to Mr. O.W. McCully, General Secretary of the All-Canada Committee, to meet Malcolm Beck and Norman MacLeod in an open debate regarding the following propositions: 

1. That the All-Canada Committee is not based on a scriptural foundation.

2. That the All-Canada Committee is inexpedient as respects the cause of Christ in Canada and as it affects our contribution to this cause throughout the world.

3. That the All-Canada Committee has brought forth as one of its fruits erroneous teaching creeping into the Churches of Christ in Canada.

4. That the All-Canada Committee has abandoned the plea for Christian Unity based only on the Scripture.

After the request had been given to Mr. McCully, considerable discussion on the matter took place. Finally, Mr. McCully agreed to participate in the debate against Mr. Mac­leod and Dr. Beck. Mr. John Bergman, who was also present during the discussion, offered to support Mr. McCully. 

It was agreed by the participants that each side would have twenty minutes for discussion on each proposition with the leading speaker having a five-minute rebuttal on each propo­sition. It was later agreed that, in deference to his age, Mr. Macleod should be allowed to speak for thirty minutes. The debate would be held at Central Christian Church in Charlottetown, PEI.

Prior to the opening of the debate, McCully and Bergman agreed that proposition No.1 was not refutable and conceded the proposition. The debate was recorded and later transcribed. Each speaker then had an opportunity to edit the transcription of his remarks as to grammatical construction, clarification and com­pletion of thoughts, etc. (Click here to read the transcription of the 1951 debate)

While the debate was thorough, it can be conceded that it did not achieve any significant changes in the opinions or beliefs of anyone present. However, the debate had made clear that there was indeed a significant rift within the movement. From this point, the rift would only continue to grow. 

Continued Work (1950's)

While attention must be paid to the rift that had been growing within the MCMS, it is also important to note other events that were happening at the time within the society. Despite the challenges taking place, this was a very active time in the history of the organization. Some of that activity is detailed in the paragraphs that follow. 

In October of 1952, Mr. Roy Johnson of South Range was appointed as Secretary - Evangelist for the MCMS. He set about organizing evangelistic services throughout the Maritime churches, including West Gore, Westport, Burtts Corner, various churches on PEI, and both of the congregations in Saint John at the time.

On March 20th, 1953, a Ministers Conference and Seminar was organized at the North Street Christian Church in Halifax. Bed and breakfast was pre arranged, and travel expenses were covered. Mr. Roy Johnson organized the program. 

On August 27th - 28th, 1953, Weymouth Christian Church hosted the annual MCMS Convention. This was the 100th annual convention of the society, with D.R. MacDonald (President) presiding. At this meeting, it was announced that a "very attractive assembly ground in South Range" had been acquired from Mr. Roy Johnson, for the sum of one dollar, to be used for the purpose of a camp. 

In 1954, the annual convention was held at Central Street Christian Church in Summerside, PEI. The theme of the convention was "Fellowship". On October 31st, 1954, Roy Johnson resigned as Secretary - Evangelist of the MCMS.

In 1955, Mr. H. Bruce Stainton was engaged as the new Secretary Evangelist for the MCMS. The 1955 convention was held at the Coburg Street Christian Church in Saint John, NB, with the theme "Continuing Steadfastly." 

During this period, the MCMS was also quite active in assisting local churches with financial struggles. In October 1955, for example, there are records of the MCMS providing financial assistance to the churches in Back Bay and L'etete, to assist with salaries for their ministers.

In 1956, the annual convention was held at the North Street Christian Church in Halifax, N.S. In attendance were two special guests: Dr. Wm. T. Pearcey of the Board of Church Extension, and Dr. Riley B. Montgomery, President of the International Convention of the Disciples of Christ. This convention was notable for other reasons as well, as the convention voted to provide $1000 towards the work being done to plant a new church in Dartmouth, N.S. (See Wyndholme Christian Church). This money was to be raised through special gifts from the member churches.  Also in 1956, the MCMS sponsored a Ministers Conference on Christian Education, led by Dr. George Oliver Taylor. 

On October 9th, 1956, the Dartmouth church planting group made the decision to purchase 5 lots in the Wyndholme subdivision, for the purpose of building a church. The All-Canada Committee approved a grant of $9000 for the purchase. While the All-Canada did not actually have this money yet, they believed that the money would come in through the long-range fund. Part of this would come from the $1000 approved by the MCMS at the convention that summer.

In November 1956, at a board meeting of the MCMS, a committee was struck to investigate the possibility of a new church plant in Fredericton, NB. Committee Members were Murray Spencer, Medford Conley, Roy Brewer, Burton Jones, H.B. Stainton. While a church was not ultimately planted through the MCMS, it would not be the end of the discussion on the topic of a church in Fredericton, NB. Many years later, P.A.C.E. (Partners in Atlantic Canada Evangelism) would finally take the plunge, planting what is now the Fredericton Christian Church.

Around this time, some controversy was stirred up at the North Street Christian Church, when a visiting O.W. McCully (Chair of the All-Canada Committee) made a statement that he felt that immersion had been overemphasized in the churches of Christ, and that sprinkling should possibly be considered as a valid means of baptism. Word of this spread eventually spread throughout the other Maritime churches, which only increased the tension that was already growing in the movement.

In March of 1957, the MCMS moved their office location. Until that point, their office had been at 7 Major Street in Dartmouth. They moved office locations to 52 Pleasant Street, also in Dartmouth. 

That summer, the annual convention was held at the New Glasgow Christian Church in New Glasgow, P.E.I. Theme: That the world may know. Guest speakers for the event were Allin Sharp, a missionary with the United Christian Missionary Society in Paraguay; Fred Sawyer, from the Department of Men's work in Indianapolis; Clara Blacklock, Interim C.W.F. Secretary for Canada, and Mr. Oliver McCully, General Secretary of the All-Canada Committee. 

On September 4th, 1957, H. Bruce Stainton (Secretary-Evangelist of the MCMS) passed away in the hospital in Halifax, N.S. The funeral was held on Friday, September 6th at 2 pm, in the North Street Christian Church, and was interred in Dartmouth. Mr. O.W. McCully sent out the following statement to the churches: "Bruce Stainton was one of our strong leaders in Canada. His unselfish devotion, faithful and able leadership will be a challenge to all who have known him. May we be worthy of the great contribution which he has made to Christ and the Church". 

In 1959, the MCMS held it's annual convention at the newly built Wyndholme Christian Church. The guest speaker was Dr. Howard E. Short, editor of the Christian Evangelist. Also present was Alice Porter, missionary to India; and Roland Huff, the assistant general secretary of Unified Promotion, speaking about the Decade of Decision.

 Deepening Divide (1960 - 1965)

As the churches entered the 1960's, many were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the All-Canada Committee, the United Christian Missionary Society, and by association, the Maritime Christian Missionary Society. For some time already, there had been discussion on restructuring the churches into a more formal movement or group in the United States, with a commission being struck by the International Convention of Christian Churches to study the topic of restructure. 

These conversations south of the border began to fuel discussion amongst the churches in Canada as well. The March 1964 edition of the Canadian Disciple had this to say about restructure: 

"The question is asked, Why Restructure? And the answer is given, "To achieve a more adequate organizational expression of the wholeness of the church congregationally, and the unity of the Christian churches as a community of communities."

Kenneth T. Norris also wrote an article on the topic for the Maritime Messenger, titled "The Road Back":

"Historically the conventions of the brotherhood have been mass conventions of individuals with no authority to speak for the churches or to the churches. But this lack of authority to speak for the Christian churches has been a matter of embarrassment for years to the executive secretaries who have been meeting in denominational caucus. They needed a "more adequate organizational expression." Hence the necessity of developing delegate conventions with authority from the churches to speak for the churches. 

In the May 20th, 1962 edition of the Douglas Avenue Christian Newsletter, the following was detailed regarding the formation of a new committee within the MCMS: 

Maritime Board Report

It was decided that a Committee on the Ministry for the Maritimes be set up for the following purposes: 

(1) to assist ministers and congregations in ministerial placement; 

(2) to assist congregations in determining qualifications and other pre-ordinat­ion matters; 

(3) to assist, when needed, both congregations and ministers to solve grievances, etc. 

It was suggested that the above committee consist of three ministers, one from each province, and two laymen. This committee is to be appointed at the Maritime Convention through the regular nominating committee. It was decided to send the following recommendation regarding Canadian restructure to the executive committee of the All-Canada Committee for consider­ation at the Planning Conference meeting in Ontario next month: 

"Because of the emphasis within the International Convention at the present time resulting in a Committee on Brotherhood Restructure, we feel that our Canad­ian Brotherhood needs to give some consideration as to ways and means of a more effective administration. For this reason we would like to present the following recommendation:

While we feel that our present national organization, the All-Canada Committee, has served the purpose for which it was organized, we recommend that possibilities be explored for the eventual creation of three separate administration areas for our Canadian work, replacing the present national structure. Provision for a continuing fellowship on a national basis should be maintained through a Canadian Convention, for the following reasons:

(1) The inability of one secretary to adequately serve the Canadian Churches

(2) The inability of the national organization to effectively implement programs on a national basis

(3) The desirability of a more direct relationship with Brotherhood agencies

(4) The seeming lack of confidence on the part of many congregations to cooperate in the present Canadian   administration

We further recommend that the Chairman of the Committee to explore the above recommendation be from the Maritimes, with equal representation from each of the three area's."

The Maritime Convention that year (1962) was held from September 13 - 16th at the Douglas Avenue Christian Church (Click here for meeting minutes). It was during this meeting that O.W. McCully (Chair of the All-Canada Committee) made a statement that once again stirred up a controversy. But this time, it would not blow over:

On Saturday during the business session, a discussion was held concerning the fate of the West Gore Church. It was stated that the church could only carry on for a short time as all of its present members were older people. The convention was told that if the members were to all pass on without doing anything, that nobody would be able to do anything with the property, because no one would have the authority to do so. It was then suggested that the congregation let the Maritime Christian Missionary Society take responsibility for holding the deed to the property. 

O.W. McCully then made a statement agreeing with this suggestion, saying, "After all, the Maritime Convention is the high court of our church in the Maritimes." He then hastily amended his statement by saying, "If there is a high court". However, the damage had been done. 

While there is no record of the response to these comments at the meeting, the issue of the church deed began to grow throughout the Maritimes. While the discussion regarding the deed to the West Gore church would continue on well into the following years, the fear that this caused planted seeds and rumours amongst the other churches. Many feared that such a move would set a precedent, allowing the MCMS, or even the All-Canada, to seize the deed to their churches. The fear and rumour that arose from this discussion about the church deed would play a large role in many churches leaving the Disciples following their restructure in 1968. 

In February of 1963, a ministers conference was held in Summerside, PEI. D.L. Howlett, the host minister, presided over the three day conference. A special service was held for the public, at which Russell Carr was guest speaker. 

On November 16th, 1963, a board meeting of the MCMS was held in Truro, N.S (Click here for minutes). There are a few notable items discussed during this meeting: First, there was a report that legal steps were in progress regarding the transfer of the deed for West Gore to the MCMS. Second, the committee on the ministry that had formed in 1962 was preparing a report for an ordination procedure for ministers in the churches. Third, there is a reference to a disagreement between the MCMS and the Back Bay Church. While the context is not clear, the minutes seem to indicate that the MCMS had tried to stipulate to the church in Back Bay who they would hire as a minister. Fourth, the meeting concluded with a heated discussion regarding the recent appointment of Elmer Stainton to the All-Canada Committee. 

This brief insight into the inner workings of the MCMS at this time reveals a few things: First, the society was moving forward with taking on the deed of a local church. This would only continue to fuel speculation amongst the other churches. Second, the society was trying to take on a more leading role in the decisions of the local church, especially regarding ministerial credentials and selection. Third, even within the board of the society, there was widespread disagreement as to the current happenings, and what the future would hole. 

In August of 1964, the 111th annual MCMS convention was held at New Glasgow Christian Church, PEI. The theme was Unity and Truth. General Secretary of the All-Canada, O.W. McCully, was present. The missionary speaker was Dr. L. Neal Testerman (Missionary to the Republic of Congo), the Bible Study leader was Cecil D. Fletcher (Minister of Douglas Avenue Christian Church at the time), and the Convention speaker was Byron F. Howlett, who was making a move to the Wyndholme Christian Church in the near future. 

On November 22nd of 1964, a fundraising letter was sent out to the churches by the MCMS. In the letter, they shared that the society had been providing financial assistance to the Westport church and the Wyndholme church in the amount of $110 per month. There is also reference to the work being done in Garnett Settlement at the time. Douglas Avenue had been sponsoring this work for some time, and they were considering the purchase of a former school house in the area. The MCMS was offering to pay $500 towards the down payment for this property. 

Separate Paths (1966 - 1969)

In 1966, the 113th annual convention of the Maritime Christian Missionary Society was held at Johnson Christian Park in South Range, N.S. This meeting would prove to be the beginning of the end for a united movement within the Maritime churches. 

The first issue to arise in the meeting was a resolution made by the church at West Gore. The legal proceedings had concluded, and they had formally submitted the request to the convention for the MCMS to accept the deed to their church property, with the understanding that the congregation would have the full use of the property as long as it needed. 

A motion was made by W.E. Cosman, and seconded by Mrs. Reid Gibbons, that the convention go on record as accepting the deed from the West Gore church, and that a letter of acknowledgment be sent to the deacons of the church to assure them of the continued support of the Society. The motion was carried. 

Following this motion, a lengthy discussion was held on the topic of open membership. (At a special board meeting of the MCMS held on June 11th in Truro, a motion had been made that elders of the churches should discuss the topic of open membership at the annual convention). 

What follows is a quote from the meeting minuted regarding this discussion: 

"Some felt that the Society had no right to interfere in the local autonomy of the church because of this matter. Others declared that accepting this policy would be so contrary to the Word of God that interference would be justified. B.F. Howlett outlined the events leading up to the acceptance of Open Membership by the Dartmouth Congregation and stressed that the members had studied the problem thoroughly before making their decision. He asked for the tolerance and understanding of the Society. Some stated that the action of the Dartmouth congregation had not taken into consideration the probably response of the Society, and that many churches would be lost from the fellowship if such a policy were tolerated."

Following these statements, a motion was made by Kenneth Wills (The newly appointed general secretary of the All-Canada Committee) that the meeting be adjourned until the next business session of the convention on Saturday. 

At the Saturday business session, the following resolution was moved and approved by the Convention:

"Inasmuch as there are sharp differences on the question of Open Membership and the purpose of baptism as it is related to Church membership, and no compromise is probable that will enable the disagreeing parties to maintain their integrity; 

And inasmuch as the principle of local autonomy is practiced and cherished by all our people and each congregation is responsible for its own affairs, regardless of whether its policies are based on wise or foolish decisions; 

And inasmuch as the Convention exists for fellowship of individual Christians and has no authority over the Churches; 

Be it resolved that we maintain our fellowship and honour the principle of local autonomy by respecting the right of each congregation to formulate its own policy of membership; 

And that we encourage every member of our fellowship to contend earnestly for the faith as he feels led by the Holy Spirit that through our sharing of different views and out of our controversy we may all come to a greater understanding of God's truth."

For many present, this was not nearly a firm enough stance. The autonomy of the local church had always been a hallmark of the Restoration Movement up to this point. And yet there was a clear feeling by some that in the face of some topics and beliefs (such as open membership), a clear and firm stance must be taken. 

When faced with this issue, the MCMS resolved in favour of respecting the local autonomy of the church, regardless of the controversial nature of the topic at hand. While it is not known which churches did so, the February 1968 edition of the Douglas Avenue Christian Newsletter states that representatives from two of the churches walked out of the meeting following this resolution, as they believed that the MCMS had a responsibility to take a definite stance against open membership, and had failed.

One more item is of note from this meeting: A motion was made by B.F. Howlett and seconded D.L Howlett that a committee of three be appointed to investigate the matter of incorporation, and the status of the Maritime Christian Missionary Society, and report to the next board meeting. The motion carried. The committee was formed, and called "The Committee for the Investigation of the Constitution and Charter Papers of the Maritime Christian Missionary Society". Members appointed were as follows: W.E. Cosman, Mr. Derby, and Edgar McDormand. 

This move is very illuminating in the history of the MCMS. While the Society was not willing to take a definitive stance on matters it considered to be of local autonomy, the organization was at the same time focused on reorganizing it's structure to establish itself more firmly. The topic of restructure had been ongoing within the churches since at least 1960. Additionally, the MCMS had become more bold in the 1960's in regards to ministerial appointments at churches it was supporting, and in exploring options to define what requirements were needed for ordination within the churches.

It must be remembered that as all of this was taking place on a local scale, the discussion on restructuring into a denomination was still ongoing on the larger national / international stage, both in the United States and in Canada. The All-Canada Convention in 1963 had been restructured, and was held as the first delegate based convention in the country. Every congregation was expected to send delegates to the convention, who would have full voting rights. Decisions made by the convention were treated as binding on the local congregation. Many believed that this was too far, and took away the autonomy of the local church. 

This movement towards restructure was reaching its conclusion by 1967. At the St. Louis assembly of the International Convention of the Churches of Christ, a paper entitled A Provisional Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was presented to the assembly. The provisional design was approved for the restructure of the movement, with a final acceptance and adoption to be held by a vote at the 1968 International Convention in Kansas City. 

All of these factors should be considered as context in understanding the fear and distrust that was growing amongst the churches during this period. Many did not approve of the proposed reorganization, believing that churches would lose their right to autonomous decision making. There was a lot of change going on not just locally, but nationally and internationally as well. 

With the topics of open membership and restructure still dividing the churches, the rumours surrounded the deed to West Gore fuelling speculation amidst the churches, and a dissatisfaction with the beliefs and practices of the All-Canada Committee festering (which the MCMS was associated with), the stage was set for the final act.

At the annual meeting of the MCMS in Summerside, PEI, so much dissatisfaction was expressed by those present with the leadership of the MCMS and Board, that a special meeting was called to be held on February 7th, 1968, at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Truro N.S. Each church was asked to sent two representatives to discuss the issues at hand. 

The details of this meeting are contained in the February 1968 edition of the Douglas Avenue Christian Newsletter:

We Are No Longer Alone!

"The meeting was chaired by Harry Lewis of Weymouth, N. S. who was appointed at last year's Convention as chairman of the MCMS and Board, and who only accepted this office for the one purpose of once and for all resolving this problem that has vexed the Christian Churches of the Maritimes - to continue or not to continue relationships with the All-Canada Committee and the United Christian Missionary Society with their liberal beliefs and practices that are a departure from Biblical Christianity and original "Christian Church" doctrine and practice, one of which is "open membership." 

At last Saturday's meeting, magnificently chaired by Harry Lewis, who refused to allow the meeting to be side-tracked from the two main issues of All-Canada and "open membership" the following motion was presented and moved by Gifford Lewis of Weymouth and seconded whole-heartedly and immediately by our pastor that: 

"The Maritime Christian Missionary Society continue to serve in the capacity for which it was constituted there being no change in its name or constitution, and that due to recent trends observed and experienced within the All-Canada Movement and its mentor the United Christian Missionary Society, relations be immediately severed with these groups, and that, the churches of the MCMS have no affiliation with churches that practices "open membership." 

This motion, after much discussion, was defeated by a vote of 13 for and 18 against with the chairman abstaining. Included in the 18 contrary votes were 5 votes from P. E. I. telephoned in. Immediately upon the counting of the standing vote the chairman, Harry Lewis, resigned and those in favour of the motion withdrew from the meeting, it being clearly understood by those present that a division among us over the two issues named has in fact taken place and it was no longer possible for both opinions to exist within one fellowship in that the positions held were mutually exclusive. 

As matters now stand the MCMS and Board have become the projection of the All-Canada Committee and UCMS in the Maritimes with all the properties thereof including Johnston Christian Park and the invested sums held by the MCMS. The churches that now find themselves outside of and no longer a part of the MCMS are: Douglas Avenue, Garnett Settlement, Weymouth, South Range, Southville, and possibly, Westport and Tiverton. These churches are going to fellowship together in the things of Christ."

The churches that left the MCMS (whether immediately or in the years to follow), became known as the independent Christian Churches / Churches of Christ (Instrumental). 

Stewart Lewis (son of Harry Lewis), had the following to say about the fallout from this final parting of ways: 

"Few people will ever know the heartache these meetings brought to my father and mother. At the meeting in Truro there were some who wanted to stand firm and cause the ones who had changed direction to leave the MCMS. Since the motion which was defeated some felt that even in a court of law the ones remaining true to the original purpose would have been victors. This issue came up when at least one person stated that "we will fight this to the highest court if we need to." 

I know that my father for one was fed up with the whole issue. I know as well that he did not know that the five telephoned in votes were not as indicated by the person who was spokesman on the phone, later indications have revealed that the five travelling together were not consulted on how they would have voted. Besides all this, however, the final straw had been broken, the situation now saw the majority of the Maritime congregations now no longer a part of the MCMS." 

Shortly after this meeting, Merle Zimmerman, Justin Marshall and Cecil Fletcher began making plans for a new fellowship to fill the gap that was left for the churches that withdrew from the MCMS. This eventually became what is now known as the Maritime Christian Fellowship.

A few months after this meeting, the provisional design for the Christian Church (Disciples) was adopted by the International Convention in Kansas City, creating a denominational structure. The churches that remained in the MCMS became a part of the Christian Church (Disciples). 

As part of the restructure, most of the functions of the MCMS was reorganized and expanded into the current Maritime Area Board (Disciples). The Maritime Area Board is overseen by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada, which replaced the All-Canada Committee. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada is one of the 31 regional churches of the Christian Church (Disciple of Christ) denomination. 

This restructure is when the rumours about the church deed transfer in West Gore began to come back to the forefront. Many churches who had not immediately left the MCMS did not agree with the direction that had been taken by the Disciples restructure, and were now fearful that if they disagreed with, or later chose to withdraw from, the newly founded denomination, the Maritime Area Board would seize the deed to their churches. 

While this was not true (Maritime churches would continue to withdraw without any legal challenge until as recently as 1994), the rumour had festered for many years. As a result, many churches hastily called a congregational meeting to remove themselves from association with the Disciples, and to distance themselves legally as much as possible. This was reflected most prominently in the changing of church names. Many churches formerly known as Christian Church took on the name Church of Christ instead, to distance themselves from the the Christian Church (Disciples).

While the MCMS still legally exists, for the sake of consistency and simplicity, all MCMS history from the date of the Disciples restructure will be added to the Maritime Area Board page.