The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-11-29
THE METHODIST NUNS.
A Deaconesses Home to be Built in New
York for the New Methodist Order

Deaconcsses' Homo to be Built in New
York for the New Methodist Order.
at the recent Quadrennial Conference
of the M. E. Church laws were enacted
providing for the authorization and
church government ofa semi ecc!esiasti.
cal order never before known in this
church, but similar in many essential
particulars to the various benevolent and
religious female orders of the Roman
Catholics It was called the Methodist
Episcopal Order of Deaconesses, and, as
defined in the laws of the Church, the
duties of the Deacouesses are "to minis.
ter to the poor, visit the sick, pray With
the dying, care for the orphan, seek the
wandering, comfort the sorrowing, save
the SHINING, and, relinquishing wholly
all other pursuits, devote themselves in
general way to such forms of Christian
labor as may be suited to their abilities" /"
Every annual Conference in which any
home of this new Order shall be estab.
lished is required by the discipline to
appoint committee of nine of its mem.
bers to look after the home, and see that
everything. done by the sisterhood and
their immediate board of direction is in
accordance with the discipline. This
committee is to consist of members of the
annual Conference exclusively, and is
renewable at every annual Conference.
The more immediate government of each
home is vested in board of direction, of
such numbers and constitution as may be
determined upon by the founders.
The first of these new auxiliaries to the
great religious organization has just been
Instituted by the New York City Church
Extension Missionary Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. at meet.
ing of this society, held at the rooms in
the Book Concern on Friday, the "board
of direction of the Deaconesses' Home
of the Methodist Episcopal Church in
the city of New York" was provided for,
and its members were elected by the
society. The articles of association which
we're promulgated provide that the board
of direction shall consist of three minis.
ters and three layman, to be chosen from
the board of managers of the New York
City Church Extension and Missionary
Society, together with three women mem.
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church
in New York city.
The members of this parent organiza-
ton are the Rev. Bidwell Lane, the Rev,
Charles R. North, the Rev. Merritt Hui.
burd, George McKibben, w. K. Peyton,
Richard Lavery, Mrs. Bowles Colgate,
Mrs. Anderson Fowler, and Mrs. Peter
A. Welch. They will be called upon to
determine the membership of the home
| to devise all necessary rules and regula.
tions; to direct, through the superinten-
dent, the work of the deaconesses to
supervise such property and care for all
such financial and other matters pertain
! ing to the home as may be committed to
them by the Church Extension and Mis-.
sionary Society.
The superintendent is to be woman,
and as her duties are defined they CORE:
spond nearly with those ofthe lady supe.
rior of q convent. The applicants fol
membership in the home, besides being
regular members ofthe Church, must not
be more than 35 nor less than 29 years Of
age, in good health, and must submit to
a probationary trial Of three months OF
more, or less, at the option of the board
of direction. In exceptional cases, at
the discretion of this board, applicants
not more than 81 years old may be ad.
mitted to the home, provided, however
that they shall not be deemed eligible to
probation for, the Office of deaconess
After q satisfactory trial an applicant
may be elected for service on probation
and every such applicant must be duly
recommended by quarterly Conference
and must be not less than % years old
Finally, it is provided that no one shall
be qualified for the Office of deaconess in
the Deaconesses' Home who has not
served on probation for period of moi
less than two years of continuous service
who is not over rs years of age, and whc
has not received regular certificate
from an annual Conference board o,
deaconesses. Membership in this Order
shall not, however, be compulsory
Should any deaconess or probatioDer sc
decide she may relinquish her member
ship at any time. No VOWS are imposed
OF required, only submission to the rules
and regulations of the board of direction
It is contemplated by the founders tt
provide a uniform dress by which The
ladies of the Order may be distinguished
from the ordinary evangelical worker
but what design or color this uniform
will take on is still to be determined
The home in it's incipiency will not b'
very much more than home and head
quarters for the members of the sister
hood. but ifit shall meet with public
favor and prove as effective for benevo.
lent and religious work as is expected
and hoped by the originators, its accom-
modations and scope will be extended
as rapidly as possible to meet all the re-
quirements ofhospital, asylum aud outside
benevolent and religious work.
One of the venerable clergymen who
have been active in the institution of the
Order said to Times reporter yesterday
that the Church had long felt the lack OF
organization and authority among it,
female workers. Asa large and popular
denomination it Was called upon quite
properly to expend as much effort ir
benevolent as in distinctiyely religion!
work, aud there had never been any prov
ision of any properly authenticated and
organized body to look after this work. II
every NJ ethodist community there were
women willing and in every way fitted tt
attend to this work, and the benefits o
which could be made more apparent b,
such organization than when pursued il
the desultory manner that has alway
been the case. The expense of mainten
ance would be no greater than bad beer
tie cost of the benevolent work of tn
Church in years gone by: The ezpendij
lures would be systemized and the wor!
centralized and the workers organized
and every person of intelligence woul'
appreciate the benefits of this"
Another meeting will be soon held, a
which arrangements for the purchase Q
necessary property for the establishment
of this first home OF an order that in tht
expectation of the Church Extension AM
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