The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-16
CELEBRATES
 CENTENNIAL Epworth League of Court
 Street Church REVIEW OF METHoDlsM HERE First Number of Preachers on Record Was Seventy. achievement. of Pioneers cited a. Wonderful by pr. Thomas M. Owen, Leading Speaker of
 the Celebration.
 
REVIEW OF METHoDISM HERE

Celebrating the tooth anniversary of the planting of the Methodist Episco- pal Church within the bounds of the State of Alabama, the members of the Court Street Methodist Church Epworth League assembled in the basement of the church Sunday night. A review Of the history of the Epworth League since it's organization in Montgomery in 1895. together with a history of Methodfsm within the Montgomery district was indulged in by the speak CTS. while a special program of music was feature of the celebration.
 Dr. Thomas M. Owen, Director or the State Department of Archives and History, was the r1ineipal speaker on the program, taking as his topic, "One Hundred Years of Methodism Within the Montgomery District"
 But previous to pr. Owens address. President Grant. of the League, read a history of the Epworth League with in Montgomery since its foundation in 1895 by pr. w. P. Dickinson. The history of the organization in Mont gomery as read by the president, was printed upon the back of the program, as were the present offfcers of the League and all former presidents.
 Dr. owen said in part:
 Tt would be exceedingly interest," ing to follow the development of the  beginnings of 1908, when Matthew P '. Sturdevant planted the seed In the wilds of the eastern section of the Mississippi territory, but in the brief time at hand I must go at once to a consideration of the particular subject at hand.
 .aThe Montgomery district eonsti- tuted in 1884, with the appointments for 1885, was as follows: Montsom- cry Station. W. H. Hiiliard; Washing ton, E. H. Moore and W. H. McDan- ief; Blount, D. Monaghan; Talladega, D. Barlow: Chambersvilie, P. F., sterhs: Harpersville, W. W. Thomas; Tallapoosa. R. M. Crawson: Wills Creek Mission. Jesse Ellis. The first four were from the old Coosa District, while the others were new. What a spectacle. How 1t thrills the heart to witness the spread of our beloved church under the wise leadership of the pioneer fathers and builders.
 "The first year of the new district appears to have been unusually suc- cessful and with the assignments for 1886 we find that Centerville was transferred from the Tuscaloosa Dis trict. and that TaIlapoosa became q mission. At the end of the next year Wetumpka and Randolph Missions were added to the district and the close of 1887 Selma and Valley Creek were added.
 ..rIot until 1852 do the numI CT of los cal preachers appear. Then we find seventy reported. In 1883 the number had run down to thirty from causes which we can easily understanq. The number from that time forth 6dctuates, never going beyond forty-thrte In 1866 and 1871, while going as low as tweive in 1907. While there may be many sub stantiaI reasons for this decrease, such as changes in our rules far admission, there seems to me change in the spirit of our old form of militant Methodism to a more formal and dignihed eccie- siaSticism.
 "In 1854 when the first reports ap- pear, three charges reported eight Sun day Schools with sixty teachers, 520 pupils and libraries containing 1,45O volumes. The statistics grow fuller as time passes, and show more and more the value of this form of church effort. The largest number of schools reported was in 1890 and 1903, fifty eight each year. However. the mem bership in 1890 was only 3,621 as against 5,S15 in 1903. our largest year. The largest number of teachers ever reported was in 1904, numbering 5S4
 "The achievement of the district in the course of missions is conspicuous, and yet all has not been done that our position ar ] opportunities demand. The dearth of statistics shuts us off from a near view of our early efforts in this behalf About 1851 however, we geJ