The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-09-24
Methodists of Eastern Wisconsin
Conference to Hold Next
Session in This City
TWO OTHER CITIES AFTER 1T
No Decision Has as Yet Been Reached
in Regard to the New Superin-
tendent of the District
Stevens Gaining Ground

Kenosha Methodists won great
victory at Neenah on Saturday after,
noon when the Eastern Wisconsin Con,
ference of the church decided to hold
the 1909 session of the conference at
Park avenue church in Kenosha and
the decision of the conference assures
to Kenosha the entertainment of the
greatest gathering of the Methodists
to be held in Wisconsin next year. The
decision came as much as a surprise
to many of the members of the Kenosha
church as it did to the Methodists of
Oshkosh and Milwaukee, who had been
fighting to entertain the conference.
Kenosha had sent an invitation to
the conference, but the matter had
stopped there while large numbers of
the members of the Oshkosh and Nil
Waukee churches were at the conference
seeking to influence the ministers in
favor of one of those cities. When the
final vote of the ministers was taken
Park avenue church, Kenosha, received
So votes, Algoma church Of Oshkosh 46
and Milwaukee Is. At tho Neenah con-
ference there were more than 300 min
listers and lay delegates in attendance
and it is expected that the attendance
at Kenosha next year will be even
larger. The members of the Park
avenue church will at once begin the
work of arranging for the entertain
ment of the big church gathering which
will be held during the third week in
September of next year.
The conference will be in session for
a whole week and it will bring to Ke-
nosha many of the best known men
of Methodism not only from Wisconsin,
but from other states in the nation.
In the rejoicing over the selection Of
Kenosha as the church to entertain the
conference next year, the joy of the
Kenosha church has in measure been
dampened on account of the report
from Neenah that there is a demand for
the election Of the Rev. w. w. Stevens,
pastor of the church to the position
Of superintendent of the Milwaukee
district. This move was started on last
Friday and it is feared by the Keno
sha members. of the church that the
ballot taken this afternoon will result
in Mr.. Stevens being named as superin-
tendent. He is in no way candidate
for the position, but it is declared
that he is the choice of a great number
of the younger ministers of the district
for the Office and they are strongly
urging the bishop to appoint him. The
appointments for the year will not be
announced until late this afternoon or
possibly tomorrow morning. Bishop
Medley and his cabinet have been busily
working on the appointments today,
but it was stated just after noon that
the list had not as yet been completed
and that it would probably be late to-
night before they were ready.
A number of the members of the
local church went to Neenah today to
consult with Bishop Neeley in regard
to the appointment for Park avenue
church in case the bishop decided that
it was advisable to call Mr.. Stevens
for the district work. The conference
will come to a close tonight or tomorrow
and the new ministers will be sent TO
their new pastorates by next Sunday.