Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-25
The Annual Conference of the M. E.
Church South.
10 ASSEMBLE HERE WEDNESDAY
Sermons to Be Held in the Mount
Vernon Place Church.
G H NGES IN ULPIT S

Arrangements have been competed by
members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South in Washington for the en-
tertainment Of the $50 delegates to the
one hundred and eleventh annual meeting
of the Baltimore conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South. which will
begin in this city at Mount Vernon Place
Church, Rev. DR.. 1. w. Canter, pastor,
Wednesday, and continue for seven or
eight days.
There are within the bounds of Southern
Methodism thirty-1ve annual conferences,
of which the Baltimore conference is one,
whose membership Of ministers. elders.
Sunday school superintendent, officers.
teachers, scholars, laymen and lay women
aggregate up in the millions.
Here Twenty Years Ago.
The approaching session of the confer
ence is the first since that of 1875. held in
the national capital, and second since the
foundation OF Methodism in the United
States. The presiding officer will be
Bishop John c. CRANBERRY, DID,, of Ash
land. Va, who when a young man, was
engaged in ministerial work here.
The boundaries of the Baltimore confer
ence are large and its Jurisdiction over the
churches connected with it comprises n
very large proportion of the people of
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
For the purpose of more effective govern
ment, the conference is subdivided into
eight districts, each of which is under the
supervision of one of the most prominent
ministers of the body, who is styled a
presiding elder, and they are as follows:
Baltimore district. Rev. DR.. ]. S. Hutchin-
son, presiding elder; East Baltimore dis
trict, Rev. James E. Armstrong, presiding
elder; Washington district Rev. DIR. Rum
sey Smithson, presiding elder; Winchester
district Rev. David Bush, presiding elder;
Rockingham district, Rev. J. S. Gardner.
presiding elder; Roanoke district Rev. e.
F. Ball presiding elder; Lewisburg, Va,
Rev. w. G. Hammond presiding elder, and
Moorefeid district, Rev. G. H. Zimmerman,
presiding elder.
The operation of the four-year rule, under
which ministers continue in their pastor
ates for that period unless there appears
to be to the mind Of the presiding elder
weighty reasons why change should be
made Uhe bishop being the sole arbiter on
such occasions). will obviate the necessity
OF many changes among the leading
churches There are a few of these, how
ever. whose members must expect a new
pastor after the close Of the approaching
conference, as under the operations of the
will then have served the full period al
lotted to them and as the law is ineXor-
able in this particular, they will be as
signed to new charges by Bishop Gran
berry.
There will be no changes in the pastor
ates In Washington, but the following,
having served four years. will go to other
son; Rockville, Md, Rev. L. L. Lloyd: East
Hartford Md. Rev. w. A. Mcdonald; st.
Mary's Nd. Rev. A. B. Sites; Dranesville.
F. Fur; White Post. Va, Rev. S. R.
Snapp; Martinsburg. w. Va, Rev. A. NJ.
Cackley; Charlestown, w. Va, Rev. H. P.
Hamill; Jefferson. w. Va. Rev. A. A. P.
w. F. Harmer: Vinton, Va, Rev. c. H
Buchanan; Lexington. Va, Rev. F. ]. Pref
lyman; Anderson, w. Va, Rev. ]. F. Baggs;
Alvon. W: Va, Rev ]. T. MAXWELL; Cow
ington, w. Va. Rev D. F. Entsler: Mill
ton, Va, Rev. ]. NJ. Eavey: Crab Bottom
". Va, Rev. c. W. Mark: F'lintstone. Md,
Rev. l.. Hammond, and Mcdowell, w. Va
Rev. J. NJ. Hawley.
The term of Presiding Elder Gardner of
the Rockingham district also expires under
the time limit and he will have to give way
to his successor, and Rev. Felix R. Hill.
who until few months ago was pastor of
Trinity Church. Baltimore, when he was
transferred to Kansas City, Mo-, was also
In his fourth year. He was succeeded at
Baltimore by Rev. NJ. B. Chapman of St
Louis, who, at the time of his appointment,
was editor of the St. Louis Christian Ad-
vocate, the leading organ of the NJ. z.
Church In the southwest. Dr. Chapman is
a remarkably able man. is much beloved by
his present congregation and is likely to
continue in his present pastorate for the
full term of four years.
There have been several deaths among
the membership during the past year, the
most noted being the venerable Rev. Dr.
Samuel Rodgers, who was for many years
the leader of the delegation from the Balti-
more conference to the various general con-
ferences Of the NJ. E. Church South, but
who also served the cause as pastor of
some of the most important churches and
for number of years at various intervals
was presiding elder. and who at the time
of his death was editor of the Baltimore
Episcopal Methodist" also Rev. Milton
N. Long of Berkeley Springs, w. Va, and
Rev. David Thomas of Baltimore, Md.
The contributions of members as shown
by the last report (Which will probably be
increased by the reports to be presented,
there having been an accession of over
Methodist Church, by which the Baltimore
conference has also been benefited), were
as follows. viz: Preachers salaries, S1O5,-
800; house rent. s17,S4S; foreign missions.
S10,6 23: domestic missions, $3.50; church
extension, s. 125; education 81 DOB and for
other objects, S6.3S6.
Among the additions to the active min
tstry which will be made during the meet
ing Of the cor ference, will be that Of Judge
Moore of Virginia, who presided at the re-
cent trial of Conductor Goodman, for the
killing of Col. H. c. Parsons. at Natural
Bridge, and who resigned a seat on the
bench to re-enter the ministry. of which
he was formerly member MIR Moore has
already been licensed to preach, and in his
labors has been very successful.
Bishop John Cowper Cranberry D. D.
who, as already stated, will preside, is one
Of the leading men of the denomination,
He was born at Norfolk, Va, December S,
1929. He graduated at Randolph Macon
College, Ashland, Va, at the age of nine
teen years, and during the same year was
admitted to the Virginia conference. He
served as pastor of various charges until
the outbreak of the civil war; when he be-
came chaplain in the army of Northern
Virginia, and served throughout the strug-
gle. He was one of the few chaplains who
fought In the ranks, ard in one of the bat
ties lost eye. He became professor of
moral philosophy in Vanderbilt University,
Nashville. Tenn, in 1875. and In 1882 was
elected to the episcopecy. He has since
then had charge Of the work of the church
in Brazil.
Brief History of Mt. Vernon Place
Church.
The Methodist Episcopal Church South
began its work in Washington in the fif-
ties. Its first building was what is now
the Jewish Synagogue, on Sth street near
I. During the war this building was used
for a government hospital, and afterward
was sold. In the meanwhile the congrega-
ton worshiped on P street near 18th, and
then built an Independent Methodist
Church, NJ street near 10th This was
q