The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-19
1t Will Be Held at Waseca on
September 18th.
Rev. Cowgirl May Not Be Re-
turned to kankat0.
Bishop Hamilton will Preside
Over Gathering.
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
DR.. F. B. Cowgirl, pastor of the Cen
tenary Methodist Episcopal churcR Rev.
Peter Clare, presiding elder of Manka-
to district of the Methodist Episcopal
church; and Rev. G. w. Koser, pastor of
the Belgrade Avenue Methodist Episco-
pal church of North AIankato all viii
go to Waseca on Tuesday, Sept. q, to
attend the fifteenth annual session of
the Minnesota conference, which will be
opened on Wednesday morning, Sept. %,
in the Methodist church of that city.
What is known as the Minnesota con-
ference does not include the entire state,
as it did prior to 1894, but takes in st.
Paul and an the Methodist churches in
the state south of that point. The re-
mainder of the state, including Mime
apolis is comprised in the Minnesota
Northern conference.
This session was to have been held
week earlier, but Bishop Hamilton has
just sent around word that the opening
day will be the twenty eighth.
The coming session at Waseca will be
attended by hundred and seventy five
pastors. There are in the conference
just hundred. and sixty-one fully
ordained Methodist ministers, but there
is always a number under probation,
and these also usually attend the con-
ference.
On the day preceding the conference
meeting, candidates for the Methodist
ministry will be tested by a board of
twenty examiners There are twenty
five such candidates, who will appear for
final examination, having completed
their four years of probation. Those
candidates, who have been in col
lege are given credit for the subjects
that they had successfully studied there.
The conference will be called to order
at nine o'clock Wednesday morning in
the church by Bishop j. w. Hamilton
of San Francisco, CAL, who will preside
during the entire session. The recording
secretary, statistical secretary and
treasurer and their assistants are all
elected by the conference for the ensu-
ing year; Rev. c. w. Morse of Edger-
ton, Mimi, is statistical secretary; and
Rev. G. H. Quigley of Wells, Mimi, is
treasurer, all of these officers having
been elected at last years conference.
The chief duties of the secretaries are
involved in the production of the annual
year book of the conference, a hand
book of information that is placed in
the hands of every Methodist minister
within the conference limits.
Reports are made by all the pastors
concerning the progress of their
churches. These reports are made a mat
ter of permanent record and the prob
lens, which are thus brought. to light
are discussed with intence interest by
the entire conclave.
Each morning at $3.50 o'clock will open
NV
the devotional exercises, which will con-
tinue one-half hour. At nine o'clock the
business session is likely to occupy the
rest of the morning. The afternoon is
largely taken up with committee work.
There will also take place what are
known as conference anniversaries.
These consist of the rendering and dis
cussion of reports by the general secre-
taries of the various societies of the
Methodists, the Missionary So
ciety, the Church Extension board,
the Freedman's and Southern Education
society, the Temperance society, the
Women's Home and Foreign Missionary
During the afternoon also the bishop and
and four presiding elders will meet
to arrange the appointment of the pas
tors for the next year. 1t is a unique
feature of the Methodist church that the
term of every pastor expires at the end
of the year for which he was appointed
1t then becomes necessary to reappoint
all the pastors. Some pastors are re-
appointed to their former charge. Many
of them are shifted about 1t is an ad-
mirable system by which almost with
out exception every pastor obtains pull
pit and every pulpit obtains a pastor.
Some years ago the Methodist church
used to have hard and fast rule that
no pastor should remain in charge of one
pulpit more than two successive wears.
This limit was later extended to three
and still later to five years. Four years
ago it was removed entirely; so there is
now no rule, save that of time honored
custom to prevent pastor from remain
ing in the same pulpit for life time
Thus, DIR. Cowgirl may be. returned to
Mankato; or it may be that in accord
ance with the custom of changing pas
tors from time to time, his excellent
services will be called into requisition
elsewhere.
There is scarcely ever a surplus of
pastors. The presiding elders are care
full to keep the number of churches and
pastors even. No candidate for the
Methodist ministry is encouraged to en-