The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-31
Religious....

THE forty ninth annual session Of
the Wyoming Methodist Episco-
pal conference will be held April
u IS. at Owego, n. Y. This is the
fifth session held in this town.
The first session was held in 1861.
Bishop Simpson presided. Rev. $. w.
Weiss was pastor. The second session
in 1866. Bishop Thompson presiding.
Rev. w. b. Westlake was pastor In
1872, owing to the sickness of Bishop
Scott, DR.. George Peck was elected as
presiding officer. the only instance OF
the kind on record in this conference.
The pastor was Rev. William Bixby.
The next session was In 1885. Bishop
Foster presiding. Rev. George For
syth, the present presiding elder of the
Owego church, being pastor The pres.
ent pastor, Rev. M. D. Fuller, is well
known in this region, having for fve
years served the Providence church.
Bishop Foss presided over this con-
ference in 1887 at West Pittston. He
resides in Philadelphia and is consid-
cred strong in executive and preaching
ability. His wife is we'll known here.
as 1t was only last October that she
presided over the sessions of the
DTdHCH UlGctth6 Va thS ci>'a
sionary society in Elm Park church.
The memorial service will be held
for the following members who have
died during the year: A. D. Alexan-
der, Binghamton, N. Y; Philip Bart
/ lett, Astoria N. Y, the father of the
l. conference, having been minister
/ sixty-two years; Joseph Hartweil,
Binghamton, N. Y; ]. w. Hewitt,
Candor, N. Y: j. X. Peck, the archiv-
est of the conference. Kingston, Pa;
J. H. Weston, Vestal, N. Y; James
Schofield, CamptOwn, Pa.
Among the absolute changes where
ministers have filled a five-year term
are 8. G. Simpkins, Peckville; A. w.
Cooper, Hawley; NJ. D. Fuller, Owego:
s. y. Keeney, NIirdon, Pa; c. B.
Henny, Alderson; William Edgar,
Providence, Scranton; Nelson Treble,
Wyoming.
1t is a significant fact in relation to
the itincracy that the average stay
of Methodist minister is of briefer
duration now than under the 3-year
limit. The average length Of pas.
torate based on last years records Is
a fraction under two years. That
there will be many changes not en-
forced by the time limit is certain.
and a problem is offered to the mind
Of the speculative to place nine minis
ers affected by the five-year limit last
Spring. It necessitated changing 1O3
pastors; will the location of the Z this
year call for a general stirring up of
Us?
In his report on his recent visit to
1.-THE Philippines, where he investigated
church conditions, Bishop Potter. of
the Episcopal church, pays high trib-
ute to the work Of Chaplain Pierce,
brother o. Rev. r. F. Y. Pierce. Of the
Penn Avenue Baptist church. The
bishop says:
We must do justice in the Philip
pines or God will have no use for us,
and our presence there will inevitably
rebound to our national dishonor.
1t is a relief TO turn from this aspect
of the religious situation in the Philip
pines to that other presented by the
work Of our representatives there and
TO the abundant tokens of their wisdom
and success. AS vet they are few in
number. but under the most wise and
1 self-sacrificing leadership OF the Rev.
G. c. Pierce, a chaplain of the United
States army. they have laid the four-
dation of a work Of singular foresight
and comprehensiveness.
Mr. Pierce might properly have con-
fined himself to his duties as a regl-
mental chaplain; but from the hegin-
ming he has been the pastor and SER
want of all sorts and conditions of men,
organizing congregation for the citl-
gems of the United States temporarily
resident in or near Manila; another for
the Filipinos. counselling, teaching,
baptizing, ministering as a physician
to their sick and dying. and giving
when otherwise 1t would have been i'm
possible to secure. Christian burial to
their dead. 1t is impossible to exag-
gerate the services of this rare man,
whose heroic and untiring ministries
are a crown of glory to the church
whose son he is, and who has won from
his countrymen in Manila, of all ranks
and callings, and from the island peo-
pie, to whom most surely God has sent
him, universal love and honor
The undersigned desires also to make
mention Of the good work of repre-
sentatives of st. Andrews Brother
hood, in whose rooms the first of your
Signers met very interesting gath
Ing of men and women, many of the
Former heing soldiers in the army of
the United States. in social and in
Formal way, when he was permitted
TO take each one of them by the hand,
bnd, later. briefly to address them.
There is a large place for this work,
but 1t and all other work in the Philip