Evening star., 1900-07-14

~ ASoSl oASoA = month, usually SUHuoJ
evenings after the regular church service.
After organization the several working
committees shall assume direct RESPONSE
bility for the development of work along
from the chairman shall be given at the
meetings of the union. Other committees
will be provided as the union may direct.
The obligation for membership in the
mems union should be as follows:
Desiring to becbme a member OF the
mems union Tor Christian work in the
church assume the obligation and agree to
engage actively in the work
1T were well If every pastor would as
sign to each Of his. deacons a certain dis
tr1ct IN city or town over which to have su-
pervision, and a certain number OF the
church members with whom to become ac-
quainted and respecting whom, as occasion
may require, to make reports
by this means the church roll can be
kept In good order and added to as from
time to time the record is made of changes
in the residences of members and of the
removal of any Baptists into any districts
Identified with your church. And then this
The present condition of affairs in China
renders more than usually interesting the
annual annual report Of the Woman's Fereign Mis-
sionary Society of the NJ. f. Church. in
winch SO many persons in this city are in
terested- This report, which has just been
printed and a copy of which has been re-
ceived here, states that: 1.-The work at home
is represented by the following statistics:
Auxiliary societies, 5,OO6; members 127 .455;
Young Womens societies, 6Oo; members,
II ,s61 chldrens bands, 667: members, 49,
?3S; total organizations, 6,375 with a mem
bership of l66, I59. There are eighty-six an
nual conference secretaries and 2SS district
secretaries. The total receipts during the
last four years were S1,2SS, $50, an increase
of S144, 1877.
The minutes of the last annual Baltimore
conference of the Methodist Episcopal
(,hurcn. which n
and with which all the churches of the de-
nomination in this vicinity are associated,
have just been issued. Among other inter-
esting matters mentioned therein is a list
or those who have died since the organiZa-
tion of the conference more than a hun
dred years ago,
The list is begun with the name of Benton
Riggin and ends with that of Ezekiel Rich
ardson, and contains 800 names. OF these
men four-Beverly Waugh Robert R. Rob-
erts, John Emory and Enoch George-be-
came bishops of the church. In point of
service the name of Joshua Wells stands at
the ead of the list. He preached the
gospel during continuous period of seven
ty-three years, and was almost 100 years
old when he died. Eli Nicholson, whose
record as minister covered a space of but
three years, was the youngest the list,
ne having commenced preaching at the age
OF nineteen and dying at the age OF twenty
two.
The minutes show further that the living
membership of the conference comprises
last year, presided over by 1875 minister's
whose average salary, including house rent
or OF us us equivalent. was. for thirteen months.
$1,073. The number Of church members re-
ported, is 1856, decrease of $40 as com
pared with the previous twelve months,
though, as stated. there were 1886 reported
from from the year before from which to in
crease the membership.
The falling off, distributed among the diff
Ierent districts composing the conference, is
as as follows: Baltimore, Il: East Baltimore,
iol west baltimore, 269; Frederick 261.
In Washington district alone was there an
increase, and this amounted to 323 members
During the last five years there has been
an aggregate of 2o,2I9 probationers re-
ported There have during that period been
but 1,36S names added to the membership
rolls of the church.
There was a loss during the year of four
Sunday schools. and a decrease of 967 in
the number Of scholars. There were 265I
members of the Sunday schools converted
an increase of nearly 700. OF the more
man mar t5,ooo scholars in the Sunday school
less than 1900 were church members or
probationers. About one-half of the mem
pers OF the church in the Baltimore confer
ence eli are engaged in Sunday school work
eight less than for the previous conference
year. During the preceding twelve months
Sn.l6l was paid on old Indebtedness, leav-
ing the present Indebtedness on church
property S3lOl64, -,,-str. .buted among the
several districts, as follows: Washington
s"- 49, FREDERICK, $3l. .lO6; West Baltimore,
os'o5: East Baltimore, $36,92,, and Balti-
The annual gathering of the Presbyterians
OF the District of Columbia, Maryland, Vir-
slnia. West Virginia and the Cumberland
valley of Pennsylvania will be held at Pen
Mar July 81. The principal address will
be delivered by Rev. Dr. William McKib-
OF ON ,6a 6a olncinnati Ohio. The social feature
Inc monthly meeting of the Workers
Union of the Central Union Mission was
aela aelfld tuesday evening last. An address was
vermont Avenue Christian Church
1t is understood that a number Of tho
friends of the late Robert Rennert, in this
city, will tomorrow attend the dedication of
the chapel erected by his wife in his mem,
ory at Buena Vista Springs, near Pen-Mar,
ND The ceremonies will be conducted by
ai;ap bishop shanahan of Harrisburg, Pa The
edifice has a seating capacity Of 300 and
cost $4,000, Independent of the yestments
which were also given by Mrs. Rennert.
The chapel will be permanently attached to
St Andrews Parish, and will be used ex-
for Catholic worship
The Metropolitan Bible class, one of the
Bible classes of the Metropolitan NJ =.
young peoples Bible class in the Methodist
churches of Washington. Though organ
ized only comparatively short time ago,
1t has attained large and growing mem
scholars ready to join this, the most popu-
lar class in Dr. Frank NJ. BristoPs church.
Mr.. Harry c. Oberholser, the teacher of
the class. has been absent from the city for
some time on business for the Agricultural
Department, but is expected to return dur
ing the latter part of the present month
when he will resume his duties as teacher
During the absence OF the teacher the
class has been conducted as a normal class
different members of it, assigned by its
secretary, taking the leadership and teach
ing the lesson for the Sunday assigned,
This method of providing during the alb
sence of the regular teacher has produced
most favorable results. it is said, and in
stead of having the class dwindle away and
lose its members through lack of interest
on their part, the normal idea has appealed
strongly to the great majority of the mem
bers. and has even brought in those who
might not have been reached by the ordi-
nary routine of Sunday school work
The Vermont Avenue Christian Church
will, as usual, continue all it's services dur
ing the summer. The pastor will take no
extended vacation. Recently the church has
been in part refrescoed and lighted through
out by electricity, and furnishes very
pleasant auditorium in the warm season.
The pastor is delivering a special course of
sermons Sunday evenings, which are at
tracing large audiences. This has been a