The Portland daily press., 1889-10-24
THE CUMBERLAND CONFERENCE.
The One Hundred and Forty-Second
Session at corham: .
interesting Account of tnesProceed-
ines-Next Meeting at state Street
Church.

ings-Next Meeting at State Street
Church.
The Cumberland Conference of Congrega-
tional Churchs held yesterday its one hund
red and forty-second meeting with the
church in Gorham.
Under the old regime the meetings of this
conference continued two days and the most
of the county meeting through the State,
still have two days session. Within few
years Cumberland made the innovation,
thought at the time rather dangerous change
of one day and evening with three meetings
year. The annual meeting of the organi-
cation is 10 June. but the other sessions ney.
er fail to attract a good attendance. Yester-
day, fine weather and good roads, with the
leisure now beginning for an agricultural pop
uation, brought together fine audience
both day and evening.
AT the opening business session. Deacon
+. d. Winslow Of Second Parish. Portland.
was chosen moderator. The important Of
nee OF scribe, filed by election at the annual
meeting. Is now held by Rev. E. M. Cousins
OF Cumberland Mills.
The Introductory devotional service was
conducted by Deacon p. C. Pinkham Of
Portland
In the regular order of exercises the open
ing discussion brought before the conference
the question, "What work is making the
loudest demand upon our churches at this
season of the year?" Rev. f. T. Bayley ad-
dressed the meeting, prefacing his remarks
by saying that the church is here In the
world f0r nj .
business" as essentially as does any human
organization. We need at this season to call
together our churches scattered during the
summer. They should be summoned to spec
ial prayer aud to marshal anew all the avail
able forces of the church for active opera
tiOns.
Rev. B. p. Snow thought IL would be we'll
at the opening of the autumn, after the va
cation, to issue an urgent invitation to the
membership of our churches to come togeth-
er aud with prayer aud wisdom, earnestly
to consider the field open for operations and
give downright thought to ways in which
work will effect most.
Rev. Z. M. Cousins believed that In
spirit of complete conservation and should
ask what the Great Head of the church
would have us do. There are special lines
of work no doubt of It for the activities of
the church, and first of all there is a local
demand for absolute willingness to 60 into
the field of labor. The moderator said there
should at this season in a spe clal roll call in
our churches that one may know when every
soldier in the company or regiment is aud
whether or not they are ready and equipped
as they should be, and all ready for action.
The principal part in the discussion was
borne by Rev. E. p. Wilson, who arrived on
the train about IL o'clock. He spoke with
force and interest of the condition of Chris
| tan success and insisted that as the year
opens we are loudly called upon to place our
| selves In Immediate connection with the
| great source of power. II Is only when we
| are endowed with power from on high that
| the work Of the church can be accomplished.
He made the point with fulIness of illustra-
| tration and with earnest and eloquent argu-
ment that at this season the churches should
sanctify themselves by prayer by hew
measure of our possibilities and a fresh
awakening to the meaning OF the promises
and obligations OF Ovr covenant No demand
could be louder than this.
The topic. SHOULD the churches Of this
| conference employ an evangelist at large?"
| was opened by Dea. Richard Abbott, of
Portland. He considered the general ques-
ton whether HE churches of the conference
wonlddo1well to employ evangelists, and
took with much earnestneSS of conviction
the position that evangelists are !. an agency
that has. approved itself in the churches, aud
we need the work, just that work,
Of tho evangeiists. There is a large amount
of money Invested in our churches We
pay out much to the regular ministry, we do
something through the church members, but
the yearly report of our conference shows
very few conversions. If we, therefore, are
to bring in those who should come into our
churches, we need something more to be
| done. That something believed t J be the
work of the professional evangelist. This
| line of effort was shown to be widely, well
nigh universally successful. and work so
blessed y Just what we In this conference
Rev. X. j. Kyle of Windham held it to be
inexDedient for the churches to call 10 this
foreign assistance. the results of which are
by no means always desirable, aud in some
instances are positively harmful.
Mr.. G. A. Woodbury. of Woodfords admit
ted the need OF this evangelistic effort, but
insisted that we have the workers for it now
In the ministry and laity of our churches.
and II we will avail ourselves OF this home
force we shall see marked and signally sue
cessful results. The value of the werk of
wise, professional evangelists was by Rev.
| S. X. Perkins considered so great that he
advocated earnestly the employment of such
workers.
Forcible remarks were made by Rev. E. M.
| Cousins, who was certain an evangelist at
large, employed by the churches Of this
| county would be great power for good.
Rev. n. w. Lane of New Mexico spoke very
Interestingly of evangelistic work of the
| newer portions of our country, and said that
there ali ministers must be evangeIsts This
kind of work he pronounced the especial
need of the older sections, like New Eng
land.
In the afternoon session q prayer service
OF much interest and tenderness was LED by
Rev. S. K; Perkins Of Portland. In the abb
sence OF Rev. S. s. Matthews, the cause of
the New West Education Commission was
presented by Miss E. III. Dntton, just reformed
from educational work In Utah under the aus.
pieces of the Commission. She gave telling
and impressive facts showing the low intel
lectual, moral and religious condition Of the
Mormon people, and indicating the urgent
need of instruction and training such as the
Commission aims to give. A foothold for
moral and spiritual advancement in Utah
seems to be gained most easily through edu-
cation, but this intellectual enlightened must
be follows promptly by sound religious in
| struction. In word the need there Is of
full Christian education. The New West
Commission joins to every, week day school
under its care vigorously Sunday worked
school, and public school, and Sunday school
teachers take council together.
A strong plea for aid to struggling church
| at White Oaks, New Mexico, was made Rev.
| n. w. Lane, the pastor. This church will be a
| soma of light to large area, and the efforts
already put forth there show that funds Civ
en- to build and support church there would
be well invested.
"What has the general community right
to expect of the church," was considered in
we'll written paper by Deacon F. ID. Wins
lew.
The church is the medium through which
the blessings of Christ's religion are to reach
the world. The church accepts the trust OF
these mercies and it is solemnly bound to
meet the duties implied in it. The general
community has right to expect the church
to tate.gy fulfil the qSssgpatalsSsRas upTfss s
church is to be active, aggressive, to take
steps. If need be, to change social conditions,
to shape legislation, or to act for the enforce
ment of law. In case these things be needed
to carry out the plans and sweeping reforms
contemplated by the Christian system.
Inc world has right to expect that the
church Of Christ shall be models of what is
Christlike, noble and true, in character and
conduct.
Remarks upon this subject followed by
Rev. E. p. Wilson, Deacon Richard Abbott.
Mr.: G. A. Woodbury.. Rev. A. 81. Wright
and Others.
The conference sermon was delivered by
Rev. e. Z: Bacon of Saccarrappa. The text
n NhA al