The Portland daily press., 1894-04-20
Proceedings Of the Conference at
SkoWhegan.
MANY REVIVALS REPORTED In
PORTLAND DISTRICT.
The Examining Committees Report-Rev.
Ell House Granted Certificate of
WithdrawaI-Meeting of the Mission
ary Societies-The Work of the Church
Extension Society.

Extension society.
Skowhegan, April l9.-In the Methodist
conference this forenoon, the committee on
rules reported, and the report, after sundry
amendments, was adopted. The character
of J. A. Carey, presiding elder Of the Lewis
ton district, was passed and he made his re-
port, after which the characters of the
preachers of the district were passed. He
reported forty charges, all supplied. Three
veteran preachers have died. The year was
marked with revival of interest. There
was less than the usual church building and
repairing One new church was built at
Rumford Falls. There are twenty-seven
Epworth leagues and thirteen Junior
leagues. sFive hundred dollars in missionary
funds was distributed among eleven
charges. Educational interest has in
creased.
The character of Presiding Elder G.. R.
Palmer of Portland district was passed and
that of the preachers of the district. E. L.
House requested certificate of withdrawal
to unite with the Congregational denomina-
tion, and also F. W. Smell. Both were
granted Mr.. Palmer made his report for
the Portland district. Revivals at Berwick,
Biddeford Pool, Cornish, Kezar Falls, South
Sanford and Saco were reported. The dis
trict has twenty-nine Epworth leagues, four
Christian Endeavor societies, with 1916
members, sixteen Junior leagues and one
Junior Endeavor society, with a member
ship of 1641. Various improvements in
church property were noted Two members
of the conference in the district died during
the year, Joseph Colby and Kinsman Atkin-
son.
The examining committees reported and
W. P. Lord and William Wood were con-
tinued on trial. G.. f. Millard, E. A.
Porter, A. K. Bryant, Robert Laughton, HI.
A. Peare, W. B. Dukeshire were advanced
to the fourth year. B. d. Pickett, W. Fl.
Gowen and G. /. Lowe were elected elders.
E. G. Strout was released from further
study. Examining committees were ap-
pointed for the ensuing year.
Visi itors from other conferences and
Manley S. Hand spoke in the interest of the
Board of Church Exte nsion. DIR. Daniel
Steel of Boston University, Theological
branch, DR.. j. s. Breckenridge of the
Methodist Episcopal hospital, Brooklyn, n.
Y, and DR.. Hamilton of the Freedmen s.
Aid Society, addressed the conference.
IuIS aIb6fuOOu WdS largely u0NObtu W tH6
anniversary exercises of the Women's Home
Missionary society and the Women's Foreign
Missionary society. Mrs. M. S. Hughes of
Portland, presided at the former, and Rev.
DR.. G. A. Gallagher of Kent's Hill Semi
nary, gave an able address explanatory of
the great work of the society in the West
and South among the Indians and Mormons
and in the slums of large cities, showing
the methods and agencies employed. Miss
Mary S. Danforth, returned missionary
from Japan, gave an address in behalf of
the foreign society with thrilling account
of the experience of herself and associates
in their work in that country, Mrs. l. G..
Ross of South Portland, presided and made
brief and earest remarks. The audience was
large.
The Methodist Church Extension society
was represented this evening by Rev. DR..
Manley S. Hand of Philadelphia, in an ad-
dress giving statistics and facts relating to
the society work in the United Estates.
During twenty-eight years nearly five
million dollars has been received and dis
bursed. The permanent fund is $S6S, 900 for
use by loans, and 9125 churches have been
aided in erecting edifices. There are urgent
calls now for S175,000.