Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-06-09
METHODISTS IN COUNCIL.
The Loudon nis,rict Conference.



LoUDoN, June 5, 1870.
~ The Editors of tie Chronicle:
The District Conference for the
Athens District, Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, met at this place yes
terday, June 4th
Bishop d. :. Dogaett, of Richmond,
Va, is present and presiding.
Rev j. NJ. McTeer is the Presiding
Elder in charge of the District, which
is composed of the following pastoral
charges:
Athens Station, Athens Circuit,
Sweetwater Circuit, Madisonville Cir
cult, Ebenezer Circuit and Tellico Mis-
sion, Loudon Circuit and Tennessee
River Mission, Riceville Circuit and
Decatur Circuit.
Rev. r. II. Parker is Secretary of
the Conference
The District Conference is held an
nually, generally about the middle of
the Conference year in May, June or
! July.
The Bishops attend when they can,
and in the absence of the Bishop the
Presiding Elder is President OF the
| Conference.
/ 1t is the business of these District
/ Conferences to make "a careful inquiry
into all the work of the Church, and
to compare the work on the several
charges.
Yesterday was spent in making in
quiries of the Pastors and lay dele
gates in regard to church work i'm the
Nrt, . s....s a
Church" Missions" :" SUNDAY
Schools and Finances, y have been
appointed, and are expected to report
to-day. The Conference will also elect
delegates to the Annual Conference
from among the laymen.
The inquiries yesterday by the
Bishop evinced a good deal of interest
in the work of the Gospel. Ten
preachers were on the stand on each
subject put in the hands of the COM
mittees.
On the state Of the Church one
preacher had singular way of dis
missing erring members. He called
upon the Church to speak if any one
could say why the accused should not
be expelled. No one appearing in de-
fence, he had expelled them. The
Bishop said that way would not do.
Another who had seen good service,
said in regard to his work, that he was
just on the surface of the revolving
machine. He was preaching in secs
ton where he had no church, no MEM
bership, no salary, and where Meth-
Odist preacher like some wandering
star, meteor or comet, had only APP
peared and preached occasionally.
While on the subject Of Missions it
appeared from one report, that the
people did not like to be in Mission,
yet were so negligent of their pastors
ms not to provide for them, when sent
to them. This is doubtless the
case elseWere. The people want
preaching often, bat do not think
that it costs time and labor to supply
the Gospel to them and theirs and il
they do not provide for the temporal
wants of the ministers, they must
500 cease to carry the Gospel from
mere exhaustion. He must pay the
: expense if the people do not.
On finances, one Steward, speaking
of the plan he used in raising money
for the support of the Gospel, said that
the stingyness of the church members
rather got his "dandern up and he
went to work among outsiders, and
told them what he could not get from
them he would pay himself.
The attendance of delegates is large
Bishop Doggett will preach to-day
: at IL A. NJ. in the Cumberland Presby-
terian Church, and also to- morrow,
suppose.
Loudon is giving the preachers and
delegates a hearty welcome, and has
already won many words of praise.
To-day the various interests of the
Church will be fully discussed by tn,
body, and such recommendation
made as shall seem best.
RAPHAEL.