The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-11-15

The eighty-second session Of Che, Virginia
Conference Of the Methodist Church onens
its deliberations in the Broad-Street .church
| OF this city at 8 o'clock this morning. a
}large: number of the ministers and laymen
constituting this body arrived yesterday.
The Conference Is composed OF 1872 min
isters and 30 laymen, making 222 in all.
Besides these larger number than usual of
candidates for admission into the Confer
ence will be in attendance. To these will
be added number Of local preachers COM
ing up for ordination. Several distin-
guished visitors from other Conferences are
expected during the session.
The Virginia Conference occupies the
front rank among the southern Conferences
Of the Methodist Church. Among it's
honored members there are some who have
been engaged in the work OF the ministry
for more than half q century. The Rev.
James McAdden, who is now past eighty
years Of age, is in attendance for the first
time IN several years. He entered what
is called the itinerant ranks more than
sixty years ago, and is to-day an active
and vigorous man, and breaches with
great eloquence and power. The Rev.
George W. Motley has been in the
Conference for more than fifty years.
Rev. Leroy NJ. Lee, D. D., who for SO
long q time was editor OF the Richmond
Christian Advocate, has been member oi
the Conference for nearly fifty years. His
health, which has been feeble for some time,
| is greatly improved, and he still breaches
with unabated intellectual force and effec.
tiveness. A large number Of younger men
occupy high positions in the Conference,
and with the advance in scholarship and
biblical learning in the ministry are show
ing themselves the worthy successors OF the
fathers who have gone before them.
The present session of the Conference will
be presided over by the Rev. Bishop Fl. 81
KaYanaugh, of Kentucky. This is his
second visit to the Virginia Conference
He is now advancing in years, and yet ne Is
vigorous and active, and at times breaches
with an eloquence rarely surpassed in the
pulpit. When young man he was con-
sidered as scarcely inferior to the great
DR.. Bascom, whom Henry Clay considered
tie greatest of living orators. He is genial.
warm-h hearted, and cheerful. Less than a
year ago he returned from the Pacific
coast, where he had spent more than seven
months in active and incessant pulpit la.
bors.
The Conference deliberations are open TO
the public. The first few days are occupied
In mere routine business, but as the session
advances, and the reports OF the various
committees come up for consideration, the
debates grow in interest and the meetings
become more and more interesting to spec
tators.
This is the year for general changes un'
der the four-yearS' limitation OF the pastor.
ate, and on this account is session OF un'
usual interest both to the preachers and to
the pastoral charges. Under this limitation
of the pastorate the Rev. II. G. Cheatham,
pastor of Union-Station Rev. A. G. Bled.
soc, pastor OF Trinity and the Rev. j. +.
Edwards, D. D., pastor OF Centenary
church, will be removed from their pre-
sent charges. As q matter OF course this
fact awakens concern and anxiety rs to
the appointments for another year. Changes
ao also to be made in Lynehburg, Peters
M|fg, Danville, Portsmouth, and Norfolk
The necessary changes may precipitate
others where the four years have not eX'
pired with the present incumbents. The
presence OF so large number OF ministers
| in the city gives animation and life to ou1
streets, and the church-going people are
looking forward to the coming eight or ten
DAYS as q season Of more than ordinary re
| ligious interest.
Rev. R. n. Sledd, D. D., OF Petersburg,
will preach the opening sermon before the
Virginia Conference tonight at half-past
| O'Clock at Broad-Street church. Centenary
church will not be opened for service, as all
the churches will unite in the opening rell'
gious services of the Conference at Broad
| Street. The sermon will be followed by the
communion, administered to the ministers
and members of the Conference.