Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-23
GENERAL SHAKING UP 5 .epicr.
ED AMONG uPPERs IVA
CONFERENCE pAs oRs.
DISTRICTS OF coNFp eNcE
MAY BE REpus % TO FOUR
Plans to Be Presented Consolidating
MarshaIltown and DEBORAH Districts
With others-ors. Troy, Masee and
Clark to Retire From Ministerial
work-conference Gossip.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Mason City. Sept. 23-The Upper
Iowa annual conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal church will meet in
this city next Wednesday. Sept. 20, for
six days deliberation. On Tuesday
previous to the meeting of the confer
ence proper. all of the young men of
the conference who are undergraduates
Will meet for their annual examina-
tions. which will be in charge of Rev.
b. Curran. OF Cedar Rapids. who is
registrar of the examining board.
The Upper Iowa conference has
grown to be one of the very largest
ministerial bodies in the west and
therefore only the largest churches are
able to entertain in capable way.
Mason City with her 1900 members
Will prove herself equal to the task.
Upward of 400 visitors will be in AT
tendance at the conference 800 Of
which VIII be the Methodist preachers
OF the northeast quarter of Iowa, to-
gether with many of the pastors wives.
The remaining 100 will be the official
visitors to the conference and the lay
men. The local church with its splen-
did membership shows It's appreciation
OF the conference coming to them by
ignoring the Harvard and all other
plans, and happily taking the members
OF the conference into their homes and
royalty entertaining them for the week
Third Time at Mason City.
This makes the third time in tbs
history of Iowa Methodism that the
Mason City church has entertained the
conference The first time was in 1851
when the beloved Bishop Bowman pre-
sided, the second time was in 1898
when Bishop Fowler presided and on
that memorable Sunday moved the
great congregation in a wonderful
manner in his. sermon on the "Resur-
rection OF Jesus" This year the con-
ference will be presided over by Bishop
Joseph F. Berry, who comes much be-
loved by many members OF the confer
ence some of whom took no small part
In electing him the the bishopric
Bishop Berry presides over three on,
OF the four conferences of Iowa this
year and already In the Des Moines
and Northwest conference has proven
his strength as an administrator of
conference affairs. 1t Is confidently ex-
pected that the coming session will be
| very harmonious in it's relation to the
| presiding officer.
| A great program has been arranged
for the week Bishop Berry will leg
ture every day on very timely SUBJECTS
| among which will be "a Minister of
Sunshine and Sense" and THE Min
| listers Chief Peril" Several of the lead
ing men of the church at large will be
| present and deliver addresses, among
them being DR.. r. NJ. Randall of Chi
cago, DIR. Ward Pratt of Philadelphia,
DIR. M. G. B. Mason, the noted and elo-
quent colored preacher of New York
City, and DR.. Edgar Blake, OF Cri-
cago.
Redistricting Being Agitated.
| Considerable agitation is being ex-
perienced relative to the reduction of
the six districts of the conference 20
four. Rev. George B. Crinklaw, Of
Charles City, and Rev. A. T. Bishop, of
Iowa Falls, have both prepared similar
and feasible plans for redistricting
Both plans propose to do away with
the Marshalltown and Decorah dis
districts in the other four The confer
ence is quite evenly divided in the
matter with possibly a small majority
In favor of the change. While 1t Is be-
| lieved that reduction Of the districts
as to number will be brought about in
the near future 1t Is hardly thought
probable that the reduction will take
place at the coming session. The great
| 1ry1,i \, y,
Troy Of the Decorah district Is argu-
ing greatly in the minds of many of the
preachers that there is yet plenty for
a district superintendent to do In caring
for the districts as they now stand, each
district numbering from twenty eight
to thirty-six pastoral charges.
Conference Changes.
Several will step aside from the ac-
tive work of the ministry this fall,
while several will transfer to other
conferences. DR.. George H. Birney,
who. for the past three and one-halt
years. has been the popular pastor at
/ Cedar rails, is scheduled To go 10 tii5:
leading down town church OF Grand
Rapids. Mich. DIR. L. C. Clark, OF Iowa
City, is regretfully released from the
church there to spend year in one OF
the universities of Europe and a three
months tour OF the holy land. Rev
w. H. Donor, of Conrad. seeks milder
climate and becomes pastor OF the
Methodist Episcopal church OF Hous-
! ton, Tex. Rev. l.. c. Gallager, of Steam
boat Rock, tires of the Methodist way
OF doing things and becomes pastor OF
the Congregational church at Green
Mountain. Iowa. Rev. c. e. Baker OF
Low Moor. goes TO Colesville. N. j., and
will be a student In Drew Theological
Seminary. Rev. T. n. Gallagher, OF
East Dubuque, goes to Boston Theolog-
| iical School. Rev. w. NJ Lemen, oil
Clarence, takes up secular work in the
east. and Rev. ]. r. Warren goes Ia
Missouri.
There is great regret thruout the
conference over the enforced stepping
aside OF two Of the strongest preachers
of Iowa Methodism. DIR. II. W. Troy
superintendent of the Decorah district
because OF Illness. must rest for a time
twhile DR.. J. G. Masee. pastor OF the