The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-28
DOING RIGHT WE'LL
PRESIDING ELDERS REPORT OF
WICHITA DISTRICT.

Rev. ". j. Martindale Gives Statistics OF
the Number of Charges, Societies and
Sunday Schools-Among Them the
Iarpest school West of the Missouri
Paws a Tribute to its Superintendent
Church at Pratt Rebuilt, and Debt at
Benton Paid-What Pastors May Ex-
pect-Infuence of Crop Failures.
The Wichita district is one hundred
and forty miles long and thirty miles
wide. There are twenty-eight PASTORAL
charges and seventy-seven societies.
Tbirty-nine societies worship in our
own churches. Three in churches Of
other denominations, the remaining
thirty-two in school houses. There are
fifty-eight Methodist Sunday schools
and seventeen union Sunday schools.
We have the largest Sunday school west
of the Missouri river at First church,
Wichita. The enrolment is LIE with
an avere ge attendance for the past year
of almost 500. This large attendance is
due in part 10 its wide-a-wake esnthuS-
astic and ma ghetto superintendent, but
largely 10 the systematic and thorough
methods Of pastoral visitation adopted
by the pastor.
There are thirty-seyen EpWortn
leagues and eighteen Junior leagues.
At Kingrnan, a new furnace has been
put in the church and some other i'm
provements made costing in all $40O.
At Augusta, the parsonage has been
enlarged and otherwise improved at a
cost of $3.50.
At Mt. Hope, the parsonage has been
enlarged at an expense Of $175.
At various other places small i'm
provements have been made costing in
ali 1923.
WendIe circuit bought a house, and
moved it onto their lots at Wendie, to be
ready for the pastor soon after confer
ence.
At Pratt, our church was destroyed
by fire few days after the conference
closed last year. The pastor and people
began at once to prepare for rebuilding,
and in the face of diScOuragementS from
crop failures and the financial stress,
they succeeded beyond what could have
been expected. After paying off debt
of $500 against the church that was
burned, they had left from the insur-
once $500; to this they added by sub
with a donation of $500. and a loan of
$500 from the Church Extension Board,
a church valued at $500 was built and
dedicated free of debt, except the loan
from the Extension Board.
An old and troublesome debt on Ben
ton church, Benton charge, amounting
TO $500, has been paid, and also the debt
on the Greenwich church, on the same
charge, Of $3.50. A debt of long stand
ing against the Mt. Vernon church,
Pretty Prairie charge, Of $685., has
been paid. Other small amounts have
been paid by different societies, amount
ing in all to $l45.
The indications are that the pastors
Will be a little better paid than last
year, but in several charges there will be
deficiencies that seem to make it neceS-
sary for US to enlarge some of our
charges to give a reasonable show for
the support of pastor for the coming
year.
Eleven Of the pastors have reported
that they will be able to report their APP
portionment on benevolences full The
reports from the remaining charges in
dicate that they will report from two
thirds down 10 less than one-half of
their apportiOnment. This deficiency is
TO be explained by the fact that on a
part of the district there have been crop
failures for three successive years, and
that Notwithstanding these failures the
appointments to the district have
been increased.
The former year was marked by great
revivalS in the ditrict, resulting in over
two thousand conversions. The work
of the pastors this year has been largely
in taking care of these converts, but the
revival spirit has been present in a
greater or less degree on all the charges
of the district, so that without a single
exception. they are able to report con-
versions. There has been reported in all
$50
The Kngman charge deserves special
mention. There are one hundred fam
lies represented in the church. All but
thirteen of these families have family
prayer. In seven of these families the
husbands are not members of the
church. Only eleven of the one hundred
families do not take a religious paper,
and in four Of these families the hus-
bands are not members Of the church
Il is significant fact that the number
of families that take a religious paper
and that observe family prayers are so
near equal.
W. J. MARTINDALE, p. z.