Evening journal., 1902-03-24
BIG SUNDAY
AT CONFERENCE
Continued From First Page.

Junior Chapters. with a total member
ship Of 1909.
There was given for beneyolences the
following amounts: Missions, $23,6S2i ]
Church Extension, $3.50; Sunday
schools, 1858; tracts, s343; Freedman's
Aid, 1888 Conference Academy, S26,-
4S9 Children's Day Fund. $493; Biblel
Society, $464; WOman's Foreign Mis-
sionary Society, $2.455; Womans Home
Missionary Society. s20S0; Domestic
Missions, s759; hospital, $2ll; Confer
ence Claimants, s6133; Episcopal
Fund, s1,474.
Number of prObatiOns, Asp, which
is an increase of S09 over last year.
Full members. 1850; local preach
ems. 109: deaths, 494; children hap
tized, 2.l63; adults baptized, POI; mum
Der of churches in the Conference, 387;
valued at 81 1913. 900; 147 parsonages,
valued at S275, $50. There was paid on
improvements $50 .239; paid on old in
debtedness. $l7,S95, leaving a present
Indebtedness on the church property
amounting to SS7,0O2.
There has been paid for pastoral
support, Sl230S2; for house rent, $20,-
1893; for presiding elders, STATS; for
bishops, s1.4S4; making a total of
S151 ,2O6 for ministerial support; paid
for sections, lights, etc, $35, $50, and
for Sunday school expenses, Sl5,43S.
The above report Is one of the most
favorable ever read before the VIII
mingtOn Annual Conference the
most commendable part Of it being
the handsome sum raised toward the
Conference Academy debt This insti-
tuition is now on a safe footing, and
a special service will be arranged at
the next Conference as a jubilee SER
vice.
At the morning session over S70(
was raised to provide scholarships in
the academy for deserving students
There were some S25 subscriptions
among which were the Laurel BpwOrth
League, A. S. Mowbray, Herbert N
Fell and r. Burgette Short.
At the Church Extension annivtr-
sary the Rev. DR.. Hurd failed to rap-
pear, and the Rev. w. l.. S. Murray
ID. d., OF Wilmington, delivered the
address. In part. he said:
Church Extension has aided las
churches It has helped to build
churches in every State and Territory
Twelve thousand churches in this
country represent the number aided
while Methodlsm has built One-thrd
of all churches erected in the Unted
States. Church Extension has raised
S. 600 000 and has more than a hill
lion In permanent loan fund wbch
we are now offering the churches f6T
five per cent II has been said of this
fund il is like Tennyson's brook. il
goes on forever Seven hund'ed
churches have been aided by Frontier
Fund by persons giving $3.50 to ah in
the erection of a church. This scarce-
~ ever fails to induce the most abaI,
doned to undertake the building OF
= church. Then we have a Mountain
Fund, where 500 will secure the build
ing of a church in the mountains G
the South land. s~
The Church, Extension Society fol
, lows the flag. The map Of Christian
y dom is not what il was when the oil
Independence bell first rang out it
peals of liberty. IL is wider in bOtl
hemispheres. II will grow wider still
Christ will not fail. Grace is free
Faith will triumph. The kingdoms o
this world shall become the Kingdom
of God and OF our Christ We arr
planting the church in Porto Rico, il
Alaska, and in the Philippines On,
of the, converts Of st. Paurs Church
. Wilmington, Del, helped to organic
, the first Methodist society in the Phil
ippines. Some have Thought Method
ism Was on the decline. What do tn
figures say? When Church Extension
was organized in 1865 we had 1000l
churches, we have now 27,000; then z,
600 ministers, now $4,000; then 923,00
members, now 5000 600; then 1906
Sunday schools, now $4,000; then 600,
600 members in Sunday schools, nON
3,50O0OO; then $SOOO0OO0 in churcl
property, now S147 100000. Dyin
out? No: not when we are buildin,
three churches a day. No; not whe
we are asked to aid in building two
day"