The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-07
Session Will Begin WedneS-
 day Morning.
Bishop A. c. Smith of North Caro- lima Will Preside and the Con- X ference Will Continue Un-
 til Next Monday.

The Alabama Conference of the Meth odist Episcopal Church. South. will meet at the Dexter Avenue Church Wednes- day morning at 9 o'clock. It will be in session until the following Monday when appointments of preachers to fill the va- rious charges of the Conference will be announced by Bishop A. Coke Smith of Charlotte. N. c, who will preside over the Conference.
 The Conference will consist of about 200 ministerial delegates and 36 lay delegates -four from each of the nine districts. The Alabama Conference is composed of all churches south of Middle Alabama and churches in Western Florida.
 The visiting delegates will be enter tained in Montgomery homes to which each of them has already been assigned.
 To Examine Young Preachers.
 The advance guard of delegates will begin to arrive in Montgomery tomorrow evening as about fifty preachers are mem- bers of Committees which will meet at 9 o'clock Tuesday morning to begin the examination of young ministers who have been licensed to preach. They are to be examined for admission to the Confer ence and for advancement. The names of seven applicants have been reported.
 There are i've of these examining com mittees. They will meet at Court Street Methodist Church and at Dexter Avenue Methodist Church.
 The opening sermon of the conference will be preached at the Dexter Avenue church Tuesday night at 7:30 o'clock by D.~~
 The Conference proper will be called to order at o'clock Wednesday morning by Bishop Smith, who will come direct to Montgomery from his North Carolina home where he has just concluded the holding of the two Conferences of that State.
 Bishop Smiths Third Conference.
 Bishop Smith is one of the new Bishops of the Methodist Church having been elected to that high station by the Gen. eral Conference in Dallas. Tex, last May. This will be his third attendance upon a Conference as a Bishop. He will reach Montgomery Tuesday evening and while here will be the guest of Mrs. Robert F. Ligon on South Court Street. Bishop Smith has kinsmen in Montgomery.
 The first business of the Conference Wednesday morning will be the roll call of delegates, after which Bishop Smith will deliver his opening address. This will be followed by the reading of com munications from the various general boards and the committees will be nom- mated by the Presiding Elders. of which there are nine.
 But one business session of the Con- ference will be held each day. It is ex- pected that the sessions will begin at a. m. and conclude at D. m. Devotional
 taoll ooh iyhf Dexter Avenue church when some min ister of the Conference will be designat ed to preach
 Ministers to Preach Sunday.
 Sunday the ministers of the Conference will occupy the various church pulpits oi Montgomery. Bishop Smith will preacf at the Dexter Avenue Church at Il a. m and at that time will ordain the deacon' of that church. At 3:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon the Bishop will assisted by four travelling elders, ordain the elders oi the Dexter Avenue Church.
 In tribute to the ministers of the con- ference who have died during the past year, a memorial service will be held Sunday night at 7:30 o'clock at the Dex- ter Avenue Church
 During the conference the name of each minister will be called in open session and he will report upon his work. His charac- ter wiu be closely enquired into. the Bishop asking questions and the Presiding Elders of the districts responding. This work usually occupies several days.
 Boards to Be Elected.
 Ali this conference elections will be held 10 choose members of the Board of Mis- sions, the Board of Education, the Boart of Church Extension, the Epworth League Board, the Joint Board of Finance ant the Examining Boards. The members oi