Communion Service at United Church, 1960s. Rev. Frederick Lloyd is at centre. Elders, L-R, are Clarence Carr , Harold MacLean , W. P . (Bill) Miller, and Ralph Monkley . procure sex, the sin of wrangling, swindling, shifting, and shuffling, church absence and failure of payment of the stipend, and differences between church members. The ses¬ sion decided upon the course of action in dealing with each complaint brought before it and, often, certain elders were chosen to go to the offending person and admonish them. Others were required to stand before the congregation on Sunday to have their punishment read, and some were pub- lically excommunicated on the Sabbath. Other cases were referred to Presbytery for judgement. The office of elder was not for the faint of heart as all eyes were turned on the conduct of the men who held this position of judgement. Many of the elders served for decades with younger men periodically elected to do the active work. It was not until the late 1960s that the Bedeque Charge of the United Church made the move to discontinue the position of lifetime elder. The term was shortened to a period of four years and then to three years. While the change was accepted by the majority, there were others who believed that certain people had been denied their earned position of honour and authority within the church community. The last people to hold the lifetime eldership were, Clarence Carr , Harold MacLean , James (Mac) MacLean, Ralph Monkley , and William (Bill) Miller. Gradually the role of the elder was narrowed to church 85 Leaders of the Church