Church Pastor Forced Out Amidst Financial Dispute

There is trouble in the Jones Street African M.E. Church of this city, and as a result, the pastor, Rev. Allen Whaley, has resigned in accordance with a request from the board of trustees. Last night Mr. Whaley occupied the pulpit, and the audience was quite large, yet the absence of a number of the prominent church members was noticeable. Rev. Mr. Whaley came here from Boston last fall and took charge of the Jones Street church, which is located about a block east of Madison Street. When the property was purchased and the church built there was a debt incurred which has caused the good people considerable anxiety. Since his connection with the church Mr. Whaley, who is a good organizer, has been quite active in his efforts to place the church on a good financial basis. The course of events, however, took a turn for the worse, and the trustees finally requested his resignation. The trustees inserted a notice in the Post-Intelligencer stating that Rev. Allen Whaley was no longer authorized to collect moneys from the public in the name of the church. When the notice appeared, it caused considerable comment among the colored people of the city. Mr. Whaley spoke with unusual fervor last night, telling the congregation that he had tendered his resignation and probably would not be with the church long.