The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-05-11
BIG GATHERING
OF METH0DISTS
Ouadrennial Conference Of Church
Opens in Birmingham.
NINE BISHOPS ON HAND
Feature Of Initial Session Was Reading
of Bishops Address Wherein Church
Matters Were Reviewed.

When the venerable Bishop A. w.
Wilson of Baltimore brought down his.
gavel, calling the general conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, to order, in Birmingham, Ala,
Thursday morning, there were but six
absentees. The feature of the day was
the episcopal address, which was read
by Bishop C. B. Galloway.
Immediately upon the conclusion Of
the bishops address, telegram ex~
pressing love and greeting was sent
to J. C. Bergman of Caledonia, Mo,
who is in his 9th year, and who is
the sole survivor Of the Methodist
conference of 1914
DR.. J. w. Heidi Of Atlanta presented
to the conference, through Bishop,
Wilson, a gavel made from the wood
of the tree under which John Wes-
ley, the founder of Methodism, deliv-
cred his first sermon in America, near
Savannah, Ca
Che formal addresses of welcome
to the delegates were delivered at the.
First Methodist church. Governor
Jelks of Alabama made the address
on behalf of the state The Rev. J. r.
Mccoy Of Birmingham spoke as the
representative of the MethoGists of
the state, Alderman J. R. Copeland
spoke for the city of Birmingham and
Rev. S. L. Dobbs of Birmingham for
the Methodists of the Birmingham dis
trict A response in behalf of the
bishops and delegates was made by
Bishop K r. Hendrix of Kansas City.
The roll call revealed the presence
Of nine active bishops. Bishop Fitz-
gerald and Bishop Cranberry were the.
only absentees.
Among those responding to roll
call we're the leading foreign mission
aries in the church, including Dr..
Young J. Allen of Shanghai, China
The Tennessee, South Georgia, North
Alabama and the Texas conferences
had practically complete delegations
present at the opening session.
DR.. j. J. Tigert of Nashville, secre-
tary OF the general conference at it's
two last preceding sessions, was IMAM
imously reelected secretary. After
the adoption of a resolution providing
for the appointment of the fourteen
regular committees, the bishops adj
dress was read to the conference by
Bishop Charles B. Galloway Of Missis.
sippi. 1t was quite lengthy, covering.
the entire operation of the Southern
Methodist church, both at home and
abroad, since the last Quadrennial
conference. The address, among 9TH
or things, contained the following:
'The statistical returns are alto
gether encouraging. The increase in
members during the past four years
was 109.547, as against only 38,085
during the preceding Quadrennium.
We have now 1,164,648 members, L.
O39,735 Sunday school scholars and
120,487 EDworth League members.
Tie receipts of our board for foreign
missions for this Quadrennium we're
S1659941, an increase over the pre-
ceding four years of $645,678. The
collections for church extension were
S372,64930, an increase Of $12,833.68
over the Quadronnium ending in 1902.
During the past year the Womans,
Foreign Missionary Society received
$4,000, and the Woman's Home Mis-
sion Society $1O1,72S. If these
amounts be added to the receipts by
the general and annual conference
boards, we have a sum total for home
md foreign missions during the year
now closing S955,779."