Midland Churches: A History of the Congregations on - General ...

Altar cloth (red)
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,, ,, (purple) donors, Friends, per minister, 1894.
,, ,, (white)
The yews and poplar trees were planted by <strong>the</strong> author at Christmas, 1889.
After a ministry from March, 1875, to December, 1876, at Greenend
Baptist Chapel, and from January, 1877, to December, 1879, here, <strong>the</strong>
founder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> congregation saw fit to remove to Kidderminster, at <strong>the</strong>
call <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> New Meeting society <strong>the</strong>re.
His successor was <strong>the</strong> late F. Sydney Morris, who, at <strong>the</strong> close <strong>of</strong> his
year's ministry here, became ethical lecturer to <strong>the</strong> congregation ~v<strong>of</strong>shipping
in St. Saviourgate Presbyterian Church, York, which position he held until
his death in 1893. Here, in <strong>the</strong> city <strong>of</strong> York, Morris, who was <strong>the</strong> son
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rev. John NIorris, a Congregational minister in London, took an
active part in forwarding <strong>the</strong> cause <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Liberal party, and in later years
prominently identified himsejf with labour questions. At <strong>the</strong> General Election
in 1892, he contested <strong>the</strong> Ludlow Division <strong>of</strong> Shropshire, in <strong>the</strong> Gladstonian
interest, when his opponent, Mr. R. J. Pdl"l'ore, a Liberal Unionist,
defeated him by a majority <strong>of</strong> 2,146 votes. His pulpit discourses were
marked by great originality <strong>of</strong> thought and power <strong>of</strong> expression, and <strong>the</strong>
same characteristics were evident in his deliveries on <strong>the</strong> political platform,
where he became a very popular figure as lecturer to <strong>the</strong> National Liberal
Federation. He was <strong>the</strong> author <strong>of</strong> a little volume entitled Agnosticis~~z aad
Dogf~zaz'isnl. He wrote-
It is easier to maintain a creed than to cultivate a moral character, easier
to spread a creed by means <strong>of</strong> persecution than to reform a community
by means <strong>of</strong> wholesale legislation, and <strong>the</strong> exercise <strong>of</strong> beneficial influences.
And Morris chose for himself what he judged <strong>the</strong> more difficult task, and
while he cared too little to make his own views prevail, devoted himself to
what he believed <strong>the</strong> cause <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people. He was, in accordance with
his owl1 desire, cremated. I-le celebrated <strong>the</strong> first marriage ceremony in
<strong>the</strong> church and signed <strong>the</strong> first entry in <strong>the</strong> marriage register.
The <strong>Midland</strong> Christian Union has made a yearly grant to this church,
as also did <strong>the</strong> British and Foreign Unitarian Association in a lesser degree,
but, in 1894, <strong>the</strong> council <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> congregation was able to take <strong>the</strong> gratifying
step embodied in this resolution :-
That <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Saviour, in seeing its way to raise by increased con-
gregational <strong>of</strong>fertory <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> grant made to it by <strong>the</strong> B. & F.U.A.,