Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1911-11-09

promotion comes oft times not because
of the character, qualifications, or
preaching ability Of a minister; nor
of the successful management of his
local church affairs, the number Of
conversions of accession at his church
or the spread Of the Redeemer's
Kingdom, but the amount of money
Taised for district superintendent
and conference benevolences.
We do not find time at our annual
conferences for even a sentence or
two from our pastors submitting their
reports, as to conversions or acces-
sions or the spiritual condition OF
their respective changes.
MY financial record wNl prevent
those who know it, from critising
me adversely for the foregoing utter
ances. | believe 1 am speaking the
truth when l assert that We are
losing spiritual power. Do not let
our contributions be less. Nay, rather
increase them; but do not lose spirit
ual power.
Having written thus, what are my
conclusions as to our colored men,
bership?
Let us never for a moment harbor
the thought or entertain the sugges-
ton, whether from within or without
the church, of individually or collect
/! lively withdrawing from the church.
l admire the spirit of those free
Negroes in New York and Philadcl-
phia and elsewhere in the North who
nearly 100 years ago resented the
sights to which in some instances
they were subjected, and went out
and formed the two Negro Methodist
denominations. They have accomp-
lished some things for the race aud
that brought recognition OF Negro
manhood and Negro Ecclesiastics that
We did not and could not.
They have given the Negro standing
and recognition in the Ecumenical
/ conference and other ecclesiastical
bodies that our church has not yet
made it possible for us to give. II
they do not feel that ii is
no time which for them to :etu n
to US, We shall have no contention
about it. We wish to remind them
however that we are not in the Metho-
dist Episcopal church but are an i'll
tegral part of the Methodist Episcopal
church; the church of Black Harry,
the Negro slave, a preacher OF the
gospel, revivling in eloquence and
oratorical powers, Asbury one of the
most eloquent of ali,-the church OF
the free Negro, John Stewart, who had
visions and heard voices as truly as
did John on Patmos Isle; and who
was the first home missionary the
church produced. Andrew, who held
slaves, and Soule and others of less
prominence, rent the church almost
in twain on account of the Negro some
seventy years ago but she remained
| firm and true.
Today some in the church, with
proper spirit, and others with spirit
far from Christlike, are pleading for
reunion with the churches south, but
the terms required by some who
claim to speak for that church excite
on the part of the self respecting
membership OF our great church, a
feeling of mingled sorrow and in
dignation. The public criticism Of the
supposed acts of one or more of the
members Of our committee on Fedora
tion by some of our colored ministe S
| is to be deplored. | may be ignorant
of the wish or feeling OF majority
of the membership of our great church
but | am not ignorant of the spirit of
the Christ, whose church we claim
to be; and "in Jesus Chrict there is
neither Greek nor Jew. circumcision
nor uncircumcision, boundncrfree but
Christ is all and in all
To me it is unthinkable that any
mnmhnr of this committee would have