To the Most Reverend Father in God Thomas Lord Archbishop of Canterbury &c. President and the Rest of the Right Reverend Right Honorable and worthy members of the Society for Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and for Promoting Christian Knowledge at home.
Most Reverend Father and Honorable worthy Gentlemen
Wee the Churchwardens & Vestry Men of the Parish of St. Thomas in the Province of North Carolina Having taken into our consideration the deplorable state of our Parish for these four years past; for want of a goodly Minister amongst us to Preach the Holy Gospel & Baptize our children and administer the Holy Sacrament to such good christians as is desirable of it, and to instruct Youth and sett a good example to the people in general, which want we think it our indisputable duty to use all possible means to gett a good Minister as soon as possible we could to supply us, we being well assured we never can expect the blessing of God Almighty upon us without using the means contained for obtaining the same.
Wee therefore as soon as possible the state of our Parish would permit after the death of our late Parson the Revd John Gazia applied ourselves to his Excellency Gabriel Johnston our Govr & ordinary of this Province for his advice and assistance in what measure we should supply our want in getting a good Minister. His Excellent with great willingness imidiately gave us the assurance of the assistance in his power accordingly wrote to his Lordship the Bishop of London on our behalf which gave us great hopes of being supplied with a goodly Minister in a short time But to our great misfortune and grief about six months ago His Excellent advised us that he had no account from his Lordship the Bishop of London & likewise advised us to apply any other way we could think most proper to get our want supplied—And indeed worthy Sirs wee could not think of any way so likely for success as applying ourselves to your Honble Society, the very name and charactr of which gives us very great hopes of success & of having a goodly Minister sent to us by your assistance which now greatly is wanted here, and be the greatest blessing we could at present enjoy under God.
The encouragement that is in our power at present to give a good Minister is Fifty pound proclamation Money as by Law of this Province Established, & a good Glebe containing 300 acres of good Land, a Dwelling House & Kitching in good repair, on the said Glebe and
Twenty pound Sterling Money as a present when arrived at the Parish Church of St. Thomas. This Gentlemen with your assistance & the prospect of doing great good to many Souls we hope will be a sufficient motive to move some good man to come to us. and as our Parish is daily increasing wee hope in short time to be able to add something to the yearly stipend, thus Gentlemen having laid our case before you, wee heartily begg God's blessing and your kind assistance upon our endeavours which will lay a lasting obligation upon the whole Parish, and particularly upon