Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-28
A CONVENTION OF BISHOPS.
Proposed Union Of Two Bodies Of the
Methodist Church.

t0e
Methodist Church.
The bishops of the African Methodist Episco-
pal Church and African Methodist Episcopal
Zion Church convened yesterday at the Colored
Metropolitan Church, on n street, for the pur-
pose of carrying out the wishes Of their gen.
eral conferences, held last May in Pittsburg and
Philadelphia respectively, which bodies resolved
to unite and become one body, provided plat
form or articles of agreement could be drafted
and submitted to the annual conferences and
the several churches of both connections.
The bishops of the A. NJ. E. z. Church pres
ent were I. 1. Moore, ID. J. W. Hood, ID.
J. P. Thompson, D. D.; T. H. Lomax, DID,; C.
G. Petty, ID; @. Il. Harris, DID,; ]. C. Chm
ton, DID, and II. Walters, ID, and Of the A.
NJ. z. Church there were present: ID. A. Payne,
ID, LII. D.; A. W. wayInan, DID,; L. NJ. D..
Ward. D; D.: J: N. Brown, ID, DEL; H. VI.
Turner, DID. LID; W. J. Gaines, D. o.; B.
". Arnett, DID,; D. L. Tanner, DID; A. Grant,
ID; B. F. Lee, DID,; M. d. Salters, d. D.,
and J. A. Handy, DID.
The meeting was called to order by Bishop
Waymsh of Baltimore, and on his motion
Bishop Hood of North Carolina led in devo-
tional exercises. On motion of Bishop Harris
Bishop Payne was elected to preside over the
conference. Addresses were delivered by
Bishops Petty, Tanner, Grant, Turner and
Waters and committee of three bishops from
each church was appointed to draft articles Of
agreement for organic union.
Several hours were spent in an expression Of
opinion by the bishops on the object Of the
meeting, and the meeting at length adjourned
until IL clock this morning. Bishop Turner
of Georgia, the African emigration agitator, is
of the opinion that the salvation of millions in
the land Of their ancestry depends upon the
proposed union. The union is generally admit
ted to be desirable, although many technical
points would require protracted attention to
make the two churches one organicaly.
ToDAY's PROCEEDINGS.
Today's session was mainly devoted to the
discussion of the report Of the following COM
mittee, appointed to formulate the basis Of the
union between the two bodies: Bishop J. W.
Hood chairman; D. F. Lee. secretary; B. Z.
Tanner, C. G. Petty, J. A. Handy and G. r.
Harris.
The report, as finally adopted, recommended
that the name Of the united churches
should be 1.-The African and Zion Meth
odist Episcopal Church, that in arti-
cles Of rulings it should hold to
the twenty-five articles, with the general rules,
&c. as presented originally by John Wesley;
that in all that pertains to its common Metho-
d dish it should remain as at present;
relegated for settlement to the united
general conferences of the two churches; that
these propositions be submitted to all
members il full conference for consideration
and that a majority of all around
conferences and three fourths of the
quarterly conferences and societies con-
curing, the two churches shall be declared
united according to the provisions and under
the title given above, the matter to be discussed
by the different bodies Of the two churches on
and after August 1. 1892, and voted upon by
them as maybe provided by each of them.
On motion Of Bishop Walters it was resolved
that hereafter a systematic exchange of pupils
and such other intercourse be made as will
bring the people of the two churches into closer
communion and fellowship.
The meeting then proceeded to the discus
sion of an address which it was proposed 10
make to the members Of their respective
churches.