The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-07
Methodist Conference Of Vir-
ginia Will Sit in Petersburg,
beginning Wednesday.
ELECTION OF SECRETARY
Much Doubt as to Who Will Be
Chosen to Succeed DR..
Whitehead.

Tho Virginia Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. as.
sembles for its one hundred and TWEEN
ty-flfth annual session In the WASH
ington Street Church. in Petersburg,
on "Wednesday next and will continue
in session for about a week. The pre-
siding bishop will be the Rt. Rev.
Charles B. Galloway, ID. D., LII. D., OF
jackson, Miss.
According to the Methodist Episcopal
system, the conference has broad pow
ers OF church Legislation, and absolute
control over the ministers and churches
situated within It's bounds. Discussions
will be held and reports will be made
on finance, missions. education, Sun
day-schools, Epworth Leagues, and
perhaps most important of oil, meth
DDS and opportunities for general eN-
tension of church work In Virginia.
Every minister in tho conference Will
be called before the body. which. be-
sides its legislative functions, sits as
a sort of court OF review. Each pastor
in turn will have his character and
work inquired into and passed upon
by the body at large before lie can
receive an appointment for another
year. Six or eight young men will
apply for admission to the conference
as ministers OF tho Methodist church
in Virginia, and as about an equal
number have died during tho past year.
the number of clcrgymen will remain
about the same.
TO Elect Secretary.
One OF the matters of greatest popu-
lar interest will be the selection OF q
secretary OF the conference to Sue
coed the late Rev. Paul B. Whitehead.
d. D., who served for fifty years, and
whose death creates vacancy which
1t will be difficult to I'LL acceptably.
There is reported to be quite DIFF
ference of opinion among the mem
bers OF the conference as to the So
lection of q successor to Dr.. White
head, and although many of the pull
pit changes have been forecast with
considerable accuracy, 1t is impossible
as yet to name with certainly the fu.
ture secretary. Under ordinary con-
ditions in the conference the ques-
tion would not arise, since the as
sistant secret ary customarlly takes the
place OF his chief. 1t happens that
the present assistant secretary, the
Rev DR.. S. s. Lambeth is superan-
nuated. has retired from nll pastoral
work, and Is quite feeble. There are
many in the conference who express
the view that the venerable DR.. Lam
bet his now unable to assume so tax
ing a position as the st cretaryship of
the conference. and that the work
would be too exacting for one OF his
age.
The Rev. DR.. 3. f.. Lipscomb. the
presiding elder of the Petersburg Dis
trict. is being mentioned by his friends
as one of the men who would make an
efficient and able secretary, and his
name is generally mentioned as the
most suitable man for the place.
The Virginia Conference.
The Virginia Conference as at pres
ent constituted, will consist of 24T
ministers and forty-four lnymen. maxi
ing a total OF 29l, who will be In at
tendance on its sessions. besides sec
retaries and visitors Many of thu
delegates will be entertained at pri-
vate homes, and others will stop at
hotels and boarding houses. Specia!
rates have been obtained fo-
those who show certificates as MEM !
bers of the conference.
There are now only eight or nine
CltleS III Tie Sldte idT6e- ehOuSilgt 10 Gil
terrain the Virginia Conference, and
these generally take 1T in rotation.
The next session will probably be held
in Norfolk
The reports which will be made to
this session OF the conference. and
which will be the basis for much dis
cussion, will show an encouraging
state OF the Methodist Church in Vir-
GINA. The amounts raised during the
year for all church purposes was $780,
200. while the church membership in
the conference is just about 100000,
per member for the past year OF $3.50.
some of which In country dis
i've churches.
Assignment of ministers.
Much interest Is given to the ses-
slons of the Methodist Conference. since |
1t Is there that the bishop announces
the list of pulpit appointments for the
year. Many of those who have
reached the four-year limit and are
due to move, have already learned un-
where their next assignment
will be. but there are many churches
who will not know certainly until the
lists are read just who will be their
minister for the next four years.
Many a minister's wife will wait at
home for tidings from the conference
to indicate where her husbands field
Of labor will be. some having already
packed up their household effects ready
to move Immediately after tho confer
ence adjourns.