Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-11-26
N. {. Convention to
Be Held in Fitzgerald

VI llIC GSOISld COll0T6lCG vi lll6
Methods Episcopal Church will be
held in the First M. E. Church of
this city, December LIST, to 4th,
Bishop William F. Anderson, of
Chattanooga, Tenn, presiding.
The term Methodist" is applied
to eighteen different denominations
in the United States. The chief
difference between the various bod
les lie in name, color, or some mat
tiers of church government. The
Methodist Episcopal Church South
and the Methodist Protestant in
America. Its first Society was Or
ganized in New York City in ;, 1850
For nearly twenty years all the
Methodist societies in America re-
manned attached to the English con-
nection. But after National indie
pendence was over, the church pre-
ferred to be independent also. Ac-
cordingly in 1884 the Methodist
Episcopal Church was organized in
the city Of Baltimore. 1t then
numbered $4,000 members. Today
the parent church alone, which is
the largest protestant denomination
in the United States, enroIls $780,
900 members, and the other seven
teen bodies added make a grand
total of 7,750,000 MethodistS in this
country alone.
The great division in the history
of the church was that which occurr-
ed in 1914 when the Southern Con
ference withdrew beginning the next
year and completing in 1916, the
organization of an independent
church, the Methodist Episcopal
Church South. This. body q now
numbers 1,750,OOO members. i Its
only differences from the Methodist
Episcopal Church are in name and
some matters of government. Both
churches preach the Wesleyan con-
ception of scriptural salvation re-
pentance toward Cod and faith to-
ward our Lord Jesus Christ" recon-
citation with God thereby, and a
change of heart and life, together
with liberty of conscience in receiv-
ing the ordinance of baptism and
the sacrament of the Lords Supper.
To this broad but scriptual founda-
ton, and their unique organization
is due their phenomenal success.
Both churches use the same order
of service, the same catechiSm, and
the same hymnal They have also
working articles Of federation by the
terms of which neither invadeS a
field where the other is located and
is adequate for the work of Metho-
dism. In both bodies there is a
sentiment for reunion, which
when consummated, will doubtless
result in the consolidation of all
white bodies of Methodist into one.
The First M. E. Church in this
city was organized in a tent in Dec
ember, 1895. There existed previ-
ously a society of the M. E. Church
South in the territory, but the large
influx of settler made other churches
so a number organized a
society of the M. E. Church to which
they had previously belonged.
The first building used by the
for worship was erect
ed on North Jackson street between
Central Avenue and ,Ocmulgee in
1896. The edifce in present use
was erected in 1905. The last in
1ebtedness on this building was paid
in 1908, and the last note on the
church was met this year.
The coming session Of conference
will be the first held in this city in
nine years. The morning sessions
will be devoted to business. The
afternoon to cabinet and committee
The evening sessions
will beet greatest importance and
a strong program is being prepared.
the attendance of Confer
ence men will not be large, because
this is one of the smallest confer
ances in numbers though the larg-