Evening journal., 1907-03-04
READY FOR THE
M. E. CONFERENCE
Session Will Begin in Smyrna
Church on Wednesday,
March 20
200 PASTORAL CHARGES

Special to The Evening Journal
DOVER, March 4.-The people Of the
peninsuia who are in any way amliat-
ed with or interested in the great
Methodist Church. are now looking to-
ward smyrna, where the session Of the
Wilmington Annual Conference, Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, embrace
ing all the territory of the peninsula,
consisting OF the state Of Delaware
the nine counties Of the Eastern Shore
of Maryland and the two counties OF
the Eastern shore of Virginia, will be
held here this month. 1t will be the
most interesting conference TO Method
lists and to people Of the entire penin-
sula yet he'd.
The conference has expanded not IN
territory but in the value of its prop
ertv. the number of it's members and
the roster Of it's preachers so that the
SMYRNA session this year win have to
accommodate more preachers than has
ever yet attended an annual session,
even more than have attended quad
ronnial lay conference, so far as the
ministers themselves are concerned.
200 Charges.
just 200 pastoral charges are now
embraced in the Wilmington Confer
ence. There are 90 in Maryland, SO in
Delaware and A I'm Virginia. The min
isterial membership Of the conference
consists of 100 men, % OF whom are on
the superannuated and supernumerary
lists. The lay membership Of the con-
ference is 1850 persons, distributed
among 394 congregations
The 394 churches have an estimated
value Of s2.617.600, which, with new
reports OF building operations and ae-
ouisitions this year viii show an in
crease of over 100000, including the
parsonages. OF which there are now
144. with an estimated value Of S26l,-
500. Including the splendid and con-
gtantly-improving Wilmington Con-
ference Academy property at Dover
which has only this year been entirely
freed Of debt, the estimated value Of
real estate held by the conference is
s1.975. 400. valuing the big Methodist
s-hool and surroundings at only S6O,-
OO0. although real estate men have re-
Gently placed a value Of 100000 upon
this property. based on the value OF
the surrounding building lots in the
centre Of Dover where il is situated.
including this property. the real estate
holdings amount TO S1,975,400.
5o,o57 Sunday School Scholars.
There are within the conference, 500
Sunday schools with a membership OF
E0057. During the past year. offerings
were made greater along almost every
departnient than those Of the preced-
ing year, which were as follows:
Maximum charitable and church Of
ferings, s295,179; pastoral support
sf4o. 3o9; building and church improve
ments and parsonages. S3S, 2S7; raised
on old debts s39,945; for Sunda,
schools. s15.27s; for benevolences
S37s.s65.
Asbury Church, Smyrna, which has
frequently before been the scene Of
the annual conferences, has been re.
modelled and almost rebuilt for thk
session. under the supervision OF Pas
tor Robert watt. The program foi
The conference viii be very elaborate
Bishop Joseph L. Berry OF Buffalo, th'
rrr-n with the Christ-llke face as
has been termed and certainly one o
the most lovable OF the bishops an'
4 young man stlil. will preside TIT
preliminary sessions for examination
viii begin on Monday March is
DIT. II. c. Morrison. a celebrates
Methodist evangelist of the west an'
rcnowned Bible expositor, has been Sc
rrred to conduct evangelical meeting
ts a part OF the great business Of tn