Bridgeton pioneer., 1897-02-11
COMING CONFERENCE,
The Program is Announced for the.Cop-
ference Week-Growth of the Mem
bership-The Presiding Bishop.

ference Week-Growth of the Mem
bership-The Presiding Bishop.
TRENTON, Feb. 5-Six weeks from
nextsTuesday night, the sixty first session
OF the New Jersey Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church will convene
in the Central Church of THIS CITY. the
opening sermon to be delivered by Rev.
Il. H. Robinson, of Long Branch. Bishop
warren is announced to preside at this
session of Conference, which will be the
second time that he has presided over the
sessions of the New Jersey Conference,
his first visit being in 1885, when Confer
ence met in the First Church, of New
Brunswick. Since then the following
Bishops have presided at the sessions of
Conference in the order named Bishop
Hurst, 1886, at Commerce Street, Bridge
ton; Bishop Foster, 1887, State Street,
Trenton: Bishop Foss, 1888. Broadway,
Camden; Bishop Bowman, 1889, First
Church, Salem Bishop Goodsell, 1890
First Church, Millville; Bishop Fitzger-
aid, 1891, Greene Street, Trenton; Bishop
Vincent, 1892, First Church, New Bruns-
wick; Bishop Walden, 1893, Mt. Holly {;
Bishop Andrews, 1894, Broadway, Cam
den; Bishop Merrill, 1895, Broad Street,
Burlington Bishop Joyce, 1896, Central
Church, Rridgeton.
The following statistics are of consider
able interest to Methodism at large,
showing the growth of the church with
in the bounds of the New Jersey Confer
ence during the past twenty years. In
lS76-Centennial year-the total member
ship roll was 29,5s5; 1877, l,s35; 1878, 32,-
554; 1879, 33,714; 1880, 81, 800: 1881, "a, ,9lS;
1882. 34,S51; 1888, 35,O2O; 1884, 35,346; 1885,
35,943; 1886, 81 ,432; 1887 1852; 1888, 4O, ,2O9
1889, 40,79S; 1890, 4l.S75; 1891, 4l,9l2; 1892,
43,442; 1893, 1863; 1894, 44,567; 1895, A.
056; 1896, 4S,22S.
The indications at this time, judging
from the great revival spirit which has
prevailed all over the Conference juris-
diction, point to the membership we'll
exceeding $4,000 at the coming session of
Conference. The membership in 1857,
before the Conference was divided, show
ed total of 36, ,697 in the entire State, and
in 1858. with the Newark Conference set
off, the New Jersey Conference had a
membership of 2O,457, thus showing a
total gain in thirty-nine years of about
10000 in the New Jersey Conference.
From present indications the coming
session of the Conference will be very
interesting one, particularly to a large
number of ministers, who expect to be
changed by the Bishop and his cabinet.
Ii now looks as though there would be a
great many changes made in each of the
four districts, notwithstanding the fact
that there are now SO ministers out of a
total OF 233 who are serving their first
term at their present charges. Quite a
number of the larger churches will make
changes at this Conference, and not few
OF the churches are totally in the dark as
to their next pastor.
There are in the entire Conference SO
serving their first year, rs serving their
second year, 80 their third year, l6 their
fourth year, while only will be removed
owing to their having served five years,
the full time limit. They ars divided in
the districts as follows:
Bridgeton District-One year, 30: two
years. Is; three years, g. four years, 4.
Camden District-One year, "a: two
years, 2l; three years, 8; four years, 4
five years, l.
New Brunswick District-One year, 26;
twoy years, 10; threeyears, 13; four years, 2.
Trenton District-One year, 19; two
years, 10; three years, IL; four years, 6;
five years. 2.
OF the Presiding Elders, D. B. Harris,
OF the Camden District, is serving his
fourth year: G. B. Wight, of the Bridge
Ton District, and w. P. G. Strickland, of
the New Brunswick District, are serving
their fifth year, and George Reed, of the
Trenton District, is serving his sixth and
last year.