elected immediately. Deacon Board Chairman Wilbur Willis was very defensive of the charges, and when it was suggested one deacon resign he countered, ” If one member leaves, we all leave." There was no question that the procedure to appoint a new deacon had been unusual, but there were no firm rules to guide the Board of Deacons; only long established habits, and the fact that it was different than prior appointments. This upset members who felt that the deacons had broken tradition, and they had; but they certainly had not broken any rules.

A massive void was evident both in the board and the membership. Cooler heads attempted to prevail, although a number of motions, counter motions and amendments were presented - far too many to document here. Each motion and amendment was voted on and the results of each were very close. Before the evening was over, the pastor, clerk, treasurer and all of the deacons had resigned. At first it was suggested that an independent committee of responsible Baptists from other churches and associations resolve the issue, but in the end it was agreed the matter should remain private and that a committee of five church members would decide how to bring in a new slate of deacons. The committee would be Ralph J. Rupert, Mrs. T.G. Ives, Victor Runtz, Newman McLellan (Chairman) and Nelson Robinson. It was a serious time because the fracture within the membership was real, and it already had cost the church its pastor and a number of responsible officers.

On May 12, one month later, the members were again assembled in the sanctuary to address the troubling issue. Chairman McLellan stated that 23 members had been approached about being deacons, but only seven would allow their names to stand for election. The resigned Board of Deacons suggested they would be willing to allow their names to stand, and if the church wanted 10 deacons they would only need a few new names to nominate. After more procedural motions and amendments were discussed, it was decided that a vote would be taken. Until then, the old deacons board agreed to function. The majority agreed, leaving a few rather unhappy management members who had opened the issue in the first place.

This serious confrontation emphasized the need for responsible rules, and a constitutional committee was established to accomplish this. Those responsible for this historic venture would be Sid Burhoe, Vic Runtz, E. MacPhail, Dr. J.A. Clark, Windsor Brehaut, Mrs. Edwin Cook and Donald MacBeath. In the meantime, Pastor Jim Davidson preached his last sermon and left in June of 1954, to fill a pulpit call in Berwick, Nova Scotia; an innocent victim of some untimely negative opinions, which were diplomatically noted at his retirement dinner party. A series of supply preachers filled the Charlottetown pulpit for the next three months. Rev. Harold Mitton assisted in July and former Pastor Arthur Vincent, in August. They were followed by five Special speakers in September, and Rev. Frank Smith, a retired Association Baptist minister, took over full time in October until a new senior pastor could be found.

The deacon’s Pulpit Committee, along with many members, were very impressed with the young Rev. F ”1"" Smith

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