The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-08-13

tude to our Divine Master.
Accordingly the last General Confer
ence resolved as follows:
"The Centenary of Methodism in Amer
lea shall be celebrated by all our Church.
es and people with devout thanksgiving
by special religious services and liberal
thank offerings" @ ~.eH 80
We therefore present for your consid'
Grafton al Il adoption the following res
olutions:
Resolred, l,t, That next to the bless
ing of God in the spiritual enlargement
of the Church, the establishment OF a
Conference Educational Fund is the most
immediate and pressing want OF our
Church in West Virginia 80
I'd. That in our opinion the Church
within our bouuds during the present
year, may and ought to raise at least
| 100000, as financial basis for the adj
vanced education of the youth of our
families and friends. ar1
Sd. That subscription books be procur!
ed from New York in sufficient numbers
for the preachers to supply all the circuits,
stations and societies; and that they be
c,refully preserved, and at the next ses-
siou of our Conferen 70, all the accounts,
| whether more or less, subscribed and
paid, with the names and residence of
the several donors, be transferred into a
permanent record, to embrace also what
| ever donations and bequests may be sub
| sequently made for the same object.i-o
4th, That we earnestly export our peo-
ple and especially our brethren in the
ministry, that whatever other enter
prises they may have on hand, to contin-
| lie to give the necessary attention TO this
matter from this to the close of the cen
! tenary year, 80 as to secure at least
something fran all our members and
friends, hoping that while the rich will
give according to their ability, the less
| favored in point of worldly goods will
| feel that their contributions, though not
so large, are none the less acceptable and
| necessary, aad that the aggregate may
constitute Citing monument OF our
gratitude to God for His great goodness
| to us, and tower of strength for His
cause in the future.
9Th, That the Presiding Elders be and
| they are hereby instructed to appoint,
by a vote of majority Of the first Omar
terly Conference of each charge, com
mittee of not less than five, to be called
the Centenary Committee Of whom the
Preacher in charge shall be Chairman,
whose duty it shall be to procure and
circulate centenary Intelligence, to pro
cure speakers and hold or cause to be
held centenary meetings, to procure sub
scriptioDs and donations, and secure as
far as possible the great end. of the cen
teuary celebration.
9th, That the amount raised by each
preacher from his charge he reported at
the Annual Conference, at the same time
he reports his missionary contributions,
and the whole be published in the an
nual minutes
ADDRESS OF THE COMMITTEE,
To the Members and rTtcras Of the AIcthod
ist Episcopal Church lrHhm the bounds Of
the Vest Girginid annual Conference:
At meeting Of members of the Cen
tenary committees, Presiding Elders, and
friends Of our cause, held in Parkors
burg, August Sth, 1866, the following
address was prepared ana ordered TO be
submitted to your earnest and prayer ful
confederation.
The piety and wisdom of our last Gen
eral Conference, in response TO n desire
| widely felt, thought it heiitting that tho
year which completes the centenary of
Methodism in America should in all oUr
| borders be celebrated by special religions
services and liberal thank offerings, both
| as an expression of our gratitude for the
| past and as q means Of increased spiritu
alty and usefulness in the future. Our
| Church and people in all our Conferen ces
| from Maine 10 California are already
working earnestly and systematically
| for this end God has blessed them, and
| in return they arc to good purpose en-
ouiring What shall / render unto the
| Lord for all his benefits p IN our own
bounds we regret the almost Cutiro alb
scnce of effort in the direction indicated
by the General Conference We know,
dear brethren, what may be said to jus.
| tify this inaction. Much Of orr terrific
~ has been laid waste by war, many of
our people and friends have been drspOil
| cd of churches, dwellings aHd UthCr
property Some are engaged in speci al
and much needed efforts to build aud
improve churches and parsonagcs in
connection with their own societies. But
nothing of this general work comes with.
i'm the pale Of the special centenary effort
as designated by the General Conference,
| and the local committee appointed, and
whose action has been sanctioned by
your Annual Conference. Some of our
people are doing but little of this, and
should therefore moro largely aid in the
centenary movement. Nor Will those
who are doing most say that because the
doctor must be paid or new coat pro
cured we are therefore excused from do
ing what we can for the centenary en-
teTprise, and yet this plea would be about
as good as to say that We are absolyed
because q new house must be built or an
old one repaired.
Two objects are presented to us-the
general which embraces the whole con
nection, and the Local which embraces a
single Conference only AS to the con
nectional objects you have been advised
through the papers, and by those tC
whose immediate supervision they have
been entrusted. Whilst we will rejoice
at what may be done in this direction VT
most earnestly invite your attention to
the one object which your Local Commit
tee and Conference have designated as
the exclusive object of our home efforts
The General Conference indicated two
of these, Education aud Church Exten
sion. The latter does not embrace what
our people may do to enlarge or sustain
the work in their own Societies. 1t com
nrehends as we understand it OHly WItdt u