Second Church (Boston, Mass.) Records, 1650-1970 » VI. Records of church clubs and organizations, 1719–1955 » D. Boston Quarterly Charity Lecture, 1719–1914  

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A collaborative effort of several Boston churches (including the Second Church, First Church, Old South Church, New South Church, and Arlington Street Church), the lectures or sermons raised funds to benefit the poor. Cotton Mather gave the first recorded lecture in 1720. By 1860, one lecture was given each year, but was still called the Quarterly Charity Lecture. The funds raised at each lecture were divided among the affiliated churches, and the churches donated the proceeds to various charitable causes and organizations. Records include three volumes of records of minutes, lecture summaries, and accounts, as well as loose correspondence and reports.