Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-11-18
A Great Conference.
IN Ecumeniical GATHERING of
Nethodists an London nert
year the topics aohieh
ag1U be dIscussed-
tie appotaoame'st
Of De/eyates to
the old city,
4o.td church

An Ecumenical Conference of
the Methodist Epis cepal Church
and its branches viii meet in Ions
don i'll september, 1881. This Com
terence has been ralked Of in the
churches nf the denomination for
several wears, hnt no decided action
WAS taken nn'il last MAY, when, at
| the General Conference of the
M.thoIist Episcopal Church in
Cincinnati, a Llan was draw, up
and agreed To 10y the representative
of the NJ. thod'ss Episcopal Church
ana the different branch-s in the
United States. The denomination
numbers over 4U0O,OOO of actual
c,,n niHnican.s and a Me holds,
p,.pai:tlion of abunt IS 0O0.OoO.
Europe and this country, and they
will all be represented in the Com
terence. The members "f the
Conference will number 400, one
halt OF whom will re,,r, sent Brit
ish and Continental McthnIism,
and one half the churches in the
United States and Canada. As
early as possible the Conference
Will lie composed of lay and cleri-
Gle delegates equally. Tie 200
delegates from the United States
w:ll be assigned tn the churches as
follows: The Methodist Episcopal
Caurch, So delegates; Methodist
Epic pal Church South, 3S; Afri-
can Methods, Episcopal Church,
u; Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, 10; Tie Colnred Methodist
E t,isc"l,al Church OF America, +;
the Evanycl'c | Association, 6; the
Um II Am,er.can Methodist Epis
cop..l Church, 2; the Union Amcri-
can Prot. slant Church, =; the
Methodist Prote-tant Cnu,ch, 6;
the American Wesleyan Church,
i; he Free MethmIlrt Church, g;
the Independant Methodist Church,
=; the Congregation Methodist
Chm ci,, 2; the Methodist Church
Of Canada, u; the Mcthodisf Epis-
coI,al Churcl f Canada, 4; the
Primitive Methodist Cnnrch in the
Un,ted States and Canada, 2; the
Blnle christian, 2; the british Meth
"dist Episcopal Church, 2. The
re,naini' z SIX members are left to
lie distributed by the western sec
,ion If he Gen raj Executive Com
nittre. T:ie assignments of dele
gates to the European and Contin-
ual churches have no: vet been
made. The delegates Will be nam
ell by the Conferences as they meet
beiu cen this time AID next July.
Iue Conference will not meet for
legislative purposes, for it will have
II" auth 'rity 10 leS,slate. 1t is no.
for dnctliIal Controversies. for
Methoui>m las no ductrinal diff
erenceS. 1t is not for an attenipi
10 ilarmonize the various pulitlc,
aud uslyes "t the several branches
of the one great Methodist family,
for Merhodis,n lids always st,ieen
t"r UNITY rather than unitnrn,ity
1t is n"f, III Il w.'rld. for corlsoli,a-
tion, but for corporation 1t Is
to devise such lne;lIIs for prosecu-
ting our Ii me and foreign work as
will result in the greatest economy
and tflclency. to promote tratern'-
~, to Increase the moral and evan
gellcal power OF IL common Meth
oi:sm,an 10 secure the,nore speedy
conversion of the world. 1t has
: been suggested that the proper top.
ics tn Consider are those Respecting
P'perv, Paga,,ism, Pauperism,
Sceptisrn, intenperance and Kin
dred Vices, the Relation of Meth.