Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-11-30
Virginia DIethOdists.


At yesterdays session of the Virginia
Methodist Conference in Danville tho
minute question No. 20 was reopened
and the presiding elder and preachers
of the Eastern Shore district passed in
examination of character and reported
gratifying progress in the church work
of the district. The action of the con.
ference in refusing deacon's orders To
w. J. Williams was reconsidered. and
such orders were granted him.
The order of the day being called for
DR.. Ray, chairman of committee on
memorials to the General Conference
submitted lengthy report, which
created great deal Of discussion.
The following memorials were adopt.
ed That the General Conference shall
be composed of delegate to every -
members that paragraph 1870, answer
8, of Discipline, be slightly amended
that the right to perform marriage and
communion service be conferred upon
all preachers in charge when in the
Judgment of conference they are
worthy; that the conditions of admis.
sion to church membership be made
more stringent; that all applications
for admission to conference shall in fu.
ture be considered in committee instead
of in open conference.
The following memorial created
lengthy discussion That the General
Conference order the Virginia Confer
ence divided into North Virginia and
South Virginia Conferences and the
following lines be observed From the
Blue Ridge mountains to Hampton
Roads, along the line of James river:
thence up Elizabeth river by the south
ern branch to the Albemarle and CheS.
apeake canal; thence through the said
canal; thence along the North Landing
river to Currituck sound; thence to the
Atlantic ocean, to Old Currituck inlet,
and that said division be made at the
conference of 1894.
The most interesting, earnest and
animated debate of the conference SEES
sion was on this subject, which debate
was not concluded when conference at
$50 adjourned to o'clock. In answer
to minute question the following STA
tistics were given Number of local
preachers in the conference, no; church
members, 81 500; increase past year,
2,O91; infant baptisms, 1,627:adult bap.
tisms, 3, 531; number of Sunday schools,
799: officers and teachers, S,203; schol.
ars, CHOP: amount collected for super
annuates and for widows and orphans
of deceased ministers, 81 ,052.&S: for
domestic missions, $10,7S5.2l; for for.
eign missions, $lG,6Sl.6S: paid for
church extension, 1902; number Of
church edifices, 754: value of same,
1,7S4 800, number Of parsOnages, l&l;
value of same $24S,250.
The first afternoon session the con
ference has yet held commenced
promptly at 3 o'clock and discussion
on the division memorial was resumed.
The debate was kept up during the
entire afternoon, and ut o'clock a re-
corded vote was taken and the memoir
ial was defeated. The clerical MAORI
ty against it was very small, but the
laymen were against division by
large majority.
Conference held third session last
night to transact routine business.
J. B. Laurens, A. NJ. Hall, ]. a. Rid
dick. J. J. Edwards, r. n. Crooks, John
Mcdonald, w. A. Robinson, II. 7. Ba-
con, F. ], Boggs, w. a. Croker, j. i.
Dey, d. p. Wills, j. r. Waggoner, 7.
p. Wise, J. i. Brannin, L. J. Dayton,
T.. p. Wilson, r. M. Beckham, f. NJ.
Jordon, ID. NJ. Wallace. l.. l.. Reed, J.
Manning and John L. Clark were plac-
ed on the superannuated list.
Supernumeraries-J. w. Bleds0c,
w. II. Camper, w. H. Early.
Charlottesville was selected as the
next place of meeting.