§ 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.