The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
ANACONDA news.
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE
Remarkable Showing Made by
Anaconda Church.
GROWTH HAS BEEN GREAT
Presiding Elder Van Oredel breaches
Two Powerful Sermons at Conclus-
ion OF Methodist Quarterly Con-
ference for This District.

Last evening the quarterly confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal church
for the Helena district closed. 1t has
been in session at the Methodist Epis-
copal church in this city, the presiding
elder Rev. w. w. Van Orsdel of Hell
ena being in the chair.
The officiary Of the Anaconda church,
as selected by the conference for the
ensuing year, is as follows: Trustees,
w. L. Hoge, T. C. Davidson, A. L. Hol-
ly,'D. r. McRae, w. H. Weaver, ]. II.
Egbert, w. R. Allen, e. E. Lyman, A.
d. Peck
\ Stewards. H. Egbert T. c. David
son, district steward; D. r. McRae A.
l.. Holly, recording steward: w. H.
Weaver, w. c. Smith, H. H. Taylor, j.
d. Mckay, T. E. Blaby, William Dod-
dington. J. H. Strain, Mrs. H. o. Sis
son, Mrs. Mary Lingo.
Local preachers-J. H. Egbert, T. E.
Blaby Milton w. Bird.
Exhorters-J. D. Mckay, H. H. Tay-
Tor. W. s. Montgomery, E. E. Lyman.
Committee on missions-Mrs. Egbart,
Mckay and Holly.
danes Eggleston, Davidson and Egg
bert.
Committee on Sunday schools-D. X.
McRae, Miss Rule and Miss Templeton
On tracts-Mrs. Caps, Fannie White,
Maud Corr
Lingo and U. G. Allen.
Observation-Disclosures Weaver Sis
son and Lyman.
Freedman's aid-Mesdames Walker
Speaker and Finley.
On church records-D. r. McRae, A.
L. Holly, ]. H. Egbert.
Parsonage and furniture-Mesdames
McRae, Mclean, Lingo.
Church music-W. c. Smith, ]. H.
Egbert, John Gregory, Mesdames Sis
son and Rule.
Estimating pastors salary-T. C. Da-
wilson. A. L. Holly J. H. Strain.
In giving his closing report to the
church, Rev. Mr.. Custer the pastor.
gave the following interesting stats-
tics This is the close of his third year
here. During that time the member
ship has grown from a little over 100
to near 400. The actual number taken
into the church during this time is 497.
There are at present in the church 262
people over the age of Is years. Nine
ty-one of these are heads of families.
counting only one in a family. There
are IA members under the age of Is.
and 81 probationers. The first year of
Rev. Busters ministry the riset the
benevolences was from 1904 to $500. The
second year it was $1,470 and this year
it has reached $4,000. The salary was
placed at $1,000 with parsonage fully
furnished.
The presiding elder of the district
said Saturday night that Anaconda
was the chief place in the conference,
not alone because of the fact that its
membership is larger than that of any
other place, being twice that of Helena,
but on account of the fact that it is
thoroughly organized, with II class
leaders and the entire church perfectly
divided out with local preachers and
exhorters who have been developed
during the past two years, and with
seven outside places, including the
county jail, where regular services
have been held and are being held by
local workers, under the direction of
the pastor. Three local preachers and
four exhorters have been licensed dur
ing this time. The church is not only
ahead of all others in the state on ben
evidences, but leads with the best in
the entire Pacific Northwest. One re-
markable feature is the fact that in
three years 212 have been dismissed by
letter and removed to other places.
D. r. McRae was elected delegate to
the annual conference soon to convene
and ]. D. Mckay was elected alternate.
This year the lay delegation goes to
conference ITO elect lay delegate to the
general conference from Montana.
After holding the quarterly confer
ence Rev.W. w. Van Orsdel preach
ed two good sermons yesterday to aI
preciative congregations. His subject
in the morning was THE Blood That
Cleanseth," and he handled it with
grace and to the satisfaction CT the
people present. The old economy was
contrasted with the new, and the types
and figures of the old applied to the
new in order to show what we have
fulfilled in Christ and what the real
meaning of the old is. 1t was shown
that all life comes as a result Of death.
This, when transported to the spiritual
realm, means much to the Christian
who lives in Christ and draws from
Him his sustenance spiritually and
morally.
1.-THE spiritual life we now have
could never have come without Christ
having died, and when we come to the
communion table it should be with a
realization of what it means to do this
in remembrance of Him." said the
preacher. I'VE should be in the right
spirit to partake of the elements be-
fore us. If we repent and then desire
to exalt Christ and come with this
motive, we show forth His death Until
He comes again. 1t is the blood ac-
cepted by faith that cleanseth Many
things have no intrinsic value but are
very valuable to those who possess
them. l have a book mark given me
by a sister now in heaven. 1t is val
ued only because of what it repre-
sents. So it is with the supper of the
Lord. 1t has value to the Christian
because of what it is to him in remem-
brance and of what it represents to
him."
In the evening Rev. Van Orsdel
preached another good sermon He
had been out on one of the surround
ing appointments during the afternoon,