N.Y. Religious Corporations Law § 321: Change of name of churches and affiliated and subsidiary organizations

§ 321. Change of name of churches and affiliated and subsidiary

organizations. 1. Notwithstanding any provisions of this chapter or of

any general, special or local law, the three denominations formerly

known as the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Protestant Church

and the Methodist Episcopal Church South having united into one under

the name of The Methodist Church, all religious corporations or churches

heretofore authorized to use, or be known by the names "Methodist

Episcopal Church," "Methodist Protestant Church," or "Methodist

Episcopal Church South" and all societies, conferences, boards,

associations, corporations or other organizations directly connected

therewith or subsidiary thereto shall eliminate from their respective

names the word or words "Episcopal," "Protestant" or "South," as the

case may be, and all such churches, corporations and other organizations

shall hereafter be known by such names as changed and amended by this

section.

2. The changes in names provided for by this section shall not in any

respect change the identity of or affect, abate, defeat, alter or annul

any of the rights, privileges, powers, property rights, obligations,

liabilities or duties of any of said churches or corporations aforesaid,

all of which shall remain in full force and effect as though their

respective names had not been so changed.

3. All churches or other corporations using the changed names as

provided in this section shall continue to have and be possessed of all

of the interest, property and rights to which they are or may become

entitled under their former corporate names.

4. The provisions of this section shall be deemed continuous of the

provisions of chapter three hundred twenty-seven of the laws of nineteen

hundred forty, and laws amendatory thereof, and shall be construed to

have been in existence since April tenth, nineteen hundred forty, the

time of the enactment of such chapter.