The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-05-12
TIE QUADRENNlAL CONFERENCE,
THE GREAT COUNCIL OF THE METHO.
DIST CHURCH. SOUTH.
Four Bishops and Two Hundred and Fifty Lay
Delegates Assemble in Richmond.


RICHMOND, May 5.-The General Con
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, met to-day in Centenary
Church. Nearly all the delegates were
present. The thirty-eight Conferences,
under the control of the General Confer
ence in the United States, reach from
Maryland to the Republic Of Mexico,
and from Florida to Washington Terri
tory. There are two other Conferences,
one partly in Texas and partly in
Mexico, and the other entirely in Mexi,
co, with headquarters at the City Of
Mexico, making forty Conferences in al
the Southern Methodist Church.
The membership of the Church, ac'
cording to the last report, received only
a few days since, is nearly one million
persons. It has increased to this from,
400, 900 persons in 1865. Besides, there
is mission work among the Indians and
sparsely settled districts of the West, on
the borders and in Mexico, and in Brazil
and China.
The General Conference represents the
Church. 1t employs nearly three hun
drcd missionaries, and expends in the
maintenance of missions and the per-
romance Of mission work some $500, 900
annually. It's church extension board,
with headquarters at Nashville, has been
organized only four years, but in that
time it has expended about $50, 900 and
has assisted $50 churches. The publish
ing operations are conducted at Nash
vile, where the largest printing-house is
situated, and operated by the Church.
1t is interested in a large number Of
educational enterprises, the largest Of
which is Vanderbilt University.
The General Conference is the chief
Legislative body of large Church scat
tered over vast domain. It is, in reali-
tv, the Congress Of the Church, having
supreme power in forming and main
tanning the Church poity. It is COM
possd Of delegates selected by each of
the annual Conferences in proportion to
their membership. The Conference
comprises about $50 members, divided
equally into clerical and lay representa-
tives. Secretary L. @. C. Lamar is a
prominent delegate.
The whole work Of the Church in its
various departments Will be reviewed at
the Conference and plans devised for
future operations. In fact, the whole
pohty is subject to the revision of this
body. The Discipline of the Church
viii be gone over, and any advisable re-
visions made.
4 resolution was made at the last Con-
ference to change the name from the
Methodist Church, South, to the Metho-
dist Church Of America, but was over
whelmingly defeated, and the matter
will probably not be brought up again.
The general drift of feeling seems to be
conservative, and there is not likely to
be any radical change. The relations
with the Northern Church are most cor
dial.
The Conference is charged with the
duty of electing all the general officers,
and will probably elect five new bishops,
who hold their offices for life; three gen
eral secretaries and editors of the vari-
Gus organs of the Church, besides filing
the various boards, the membership Of
all of which will be revised. The bishops
will preside over the Conference in turn,
but are not properly members of that
body. They have no right to vote.
They have the privilege Of the floor,
however, but rarely avail themselves of
it. The secretary of the Conference, an
important officer, is elected after it meets
in regular session and is not necessarily
of that body.
The Conference, which meets only
every four years, will last from twenty
to thirty days. Much interest has been
aroused on account Of the important
business to be transacted The election
of bishops has especially attracted a
great deal of attention, as there are sew
eral candidates for the high honor.
The Conference was called to order by
Bishop H. n. McTyiere, Of Tennessee,
senior bishop Four other bishops Of
the Church were present, to wit: Keen
er, of New Orleans, Wilson, of Mary
land, CRANBERRY, of Missouri, and Har-
grove, of Alabama Besides these there
are about $50 delegates, clerical and lay,
present. The Conference elected the
Rev. Dr.. John S. Martin, of the Balti-
more Conference, secretary, with the
following assistant secretaries. DR.. B. B.
Crawford, of Alabama; Rev. Dr. W. 4.
Gambler, North Georgia Conference, and
Rev. John C. Vincent, Missouri Confer
ence.
The Rev. DR.. \. c. Bledsoe, of Broad
Street Methodist Church, Richmond,
delivered an address of welcome in be-
half of the people of that city, and
Bishop McTyiere responded and in the
name Of the Conference returned hearty
thanks for the welcome from a people SO
provelbial for their hospitality and from
city so rich in historic associations of
Church rs well as of State.
The address of the bishops was read
by Bishop keener. The rapid growth
of the Church in the past hundred years