§ 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.