Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-22
THE VIRGINIA CONFERENCE.
Il HUNDRED DELEGATES,
1im1nary Meeting Held Mt Broad

/ The Woman's Foreign Missionary SO
ciety of the Virginia Conference, Meth
! odst Episcopal Church, South, began IT
| annual conference at the Broad-Stree
Methodist church last night. It will hole
two meetings daily and evening exer
! ciScs until and including Friday. Aoou
one hundred delegates are expected, bu
| considerably fewer than that numbe'
| were present last night.
The opening meeting was merely devo
tional and preliminary to the business SEES
sions, which will begin this morning at
o'clock and continue until noon. About
fifty delegates were present last night
! and with others attending. the churcf
| was about half filed.
| The services were opened with singing
| by the choir. and congregation of tile
hymn 'In the Cross of Christ I Glory.
| followed by prayer made by Rev. W. B.
| Beauchamp. the pastor of the church.
Then the choir sang another hymn, Soft
ly Now the Light of Day after which
Rev. r. NJ. Maxey offered prayer.
a paper. entitled Gods I WILL" was
read by Mrs. H. c. Cheatham. It was
in the nature OF an address, and was
characterized by. devotional spirit and
y
Mrs. W. c. Ivey, Of Lynchburg. the
president. gave the announcements, and
! urged delegates who have not been as
signed to homes to report and be assign
ed. More than sufficient homes had Of
fered to entertain delegates.
BEGIN THIS MORNING
The conference will begin its business
sessions at "A. NJ. to-day, the. programme
occupying the time until noon at which
basement of the church, by the ladies'
of the various Methodist congrega tons
in the city. At the forenoon session to-
day, an address of welcome, will be made
by one of the local ministers. and this
will be responded to by one Of the dele
gates.
The regular order Of business, reports
Shore District will then be taken up.
and continued each day until all have
been heard from.
Miss Ella Coffey, missionary to China,
will speak at noon Thursday. giving an
account of her work and that of her CO.
laboreres in the Oriental field, its difficult
ties. dangers. pleasures and achieve
Of this society. and it was at session
of one of it's conferences at this very
church some years ago that she resolved
to devote her life to this work.
DAILY AFTERNOON SESSIONS.
Afternoon sessions will be held daily
at 2:3o, continuing until about O'Clock
P. NJ In the evening. religious services
and addresses by well-known speakers
will be listened to.
Badges with the initial letters Of the
organization on white ribbons We're dis
tributed to the delegates.
Besides Miss Cofey. Mrs. Colyer. wife
of the missionary to Korea, who is sup
ported in the field by the Epworth League.
is in the city. attending the convention,
and IS expected to make an address at
one of the sessions. She is a guest of
Rev. John Harmon and wife
A VENERABLE DELEGATE.
Among the delegates in attendance Is
Mrs. Edwards. Brown, of Lynchburg, 4
lady more than so years old, wife Of a
prominent lawyer of the Hill City. She
and her venerab BILE husband some years
ago celebrated their golden wedding. Both
have for more than half a century been
active and prominent in all branches of
church work Mrs. Brown is perhaps as
widely and well-known a any member
of the denomination in Virginia, and is
revered as much as the bishops.
Mrs. w. G.. Ivey. of Lynchburg. the
president of the society. and Mrs Cheat
ham. the widow of a beloved Methodist
preacher, are among the other well-known |
ladies present at the conference.