The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1908-10-09

Next Wednesday morning, ctober IA,
will witness the beginning Of the an.
nual conferences of the African Meth.
odist Church in Tennessee The SEES
sion will convene at Winchester, with
Bishop A. B. Parks, D. D., presiding.
This is the youngest of the three con-
.ferences in this state, the Tennessee
Annual Conference, which is forty.
two years old, being the senior body
The second to hold its sessions will
be the Tennessee Conference. which
convenes at Shelbyville, October 81.
Forty-two years ago the Oldest
branch of colored Methodists, known
Jas the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, set up its standard in the
State of Tennessee. The organiza.
ton took place at the home of one of
| the local preachers, who afterwards
became one of the pioneers and lead
ers in the church, living to a ripe old
age. This was Rev. Napoleon L.
Merry. His widow, a second wife, Is
still living at Shelbyville. The Ten.
nessee Conference will hold its forty.
first session in Shelbyville beginning
Wednesday. October %, Bishop H. B.
Parks, D. D., presiding.
There is not a man living today
who was member of the organiza-
ton at its birth. Bishop Parks is the
ninth bishop to serve as presiding Of
ficer, Bishops A. W. Wayman and J.
M. Brown having served twice. Fifteen
different men have acted as secretary
since the organization. Rev. B. A.
]. Nixon, deceased, and DR.. J. A. Jones
served longer than any others. Each
one has served eight years. DR.. Jones
is the present Secretary The lives Of
both Of these men have for number Of
years been intimately associated with
the educational interests of the confer
ence, both having devoted much time
Ito the founding and development Of
| Turner Normal College at Shelbyville
The approaching session of the con-
ference will be attended with much
| interest on account Of this being the
first year Of the new quadrennium and
the presence Of the new bishop. Ri.
Rev. IT B. Parks, D. D., who is ex-
ceedinglv popular. Many will also be
attracted to this conference in order
TO visit Turner College, an institution
founded and supported by the African
MethOdists Of Tennessee. The Afri-
can Methodists seem to take great
pride in this school, giving hundreds
of dollars to its support annually. DR..
]. A. Jones is President of the col
lege, and the growth Of the institu-
tion since his incumbency has been
marvellous. When he took charge
three years ago there was not the
semblance of boarding department
for either teachers or students. All
had to seek lodging where they could
find it out in town. The school was
taught in an old building that was
built and used for a factory during
the war. The college now owns a
twenty-acre tract Of land a part of
which is under cultivation and the
rest used as a campus on which is
situated large frame structure, re-
GENTLY built, which is used as a girls
dormitory. This is at present the
administration building.
The transfer system is az old as
Methodism. BY this system minis
ters Of one conference anywhere in
the entire connection are liable to be
sent from one conference to another
and stationed in important charges
without the least friction or dissatis-
faction, either to them or to the
brethren among whom they are sent.
On account of this system the nearer
conference time approaches the
greater the anxiety on the part of the
members Of the various churches
Nashville churches are very much
concerned as to their pastors for