The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1911-09-07
GOTH SESSION
N. {. CONFERENCE
Convenes in First Church Fairfield
Tomorrow. ..
BISHOP CRANSTON PRtSIDES.
Program Calls For Papers and Dis
eussion of Many Topics That Per-
= tain to the Various interests
.. . of the Great Church.

Fairfield, Sept 4.-Special: The
sixty-eighth annual session of the
Iowa Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church convenes in the
First NJ E. church of Fairfield We'd
nesday, September 6, 1911, with Bish-
op Earl Cranston, d D., LII. D., of
Washington, D. c., presiding.
The last time this church entertain.
ed the Conference was in September,
1894, at which time Bishop Charles
Fowler presided. The other Confer.
ence officers were as follows; Secre-
tary, c. L. Stafford, then President of
|. w. u; Statistical Secretary, F. w.
Adams, recently deceased Treasurer,
c. w. Shepherd, also deceased. The
pastor of the church was Il, L..
Schreiner who died last May, and the
church membership was reported to
consist of % probationers and 468
members. At that time the Confer
ence roll contained the names of 1873
ministers, "a of whom were probation
ers. Several of the members were
men of negro blood, there being at
that time attached to this Conference
what was known as the Iowa District
consisting of a number of churches
whose membership was of African de-
scent. OF the 1873 men then enrolled,
135 were appointed by Bishop Fowler
to pastoral work and Of the number so
appointed there are yet but 81 men in
the pastorate in the Iowa Conference
which. shows how rapidly the person
mel of the Conference changes.
Pastor Thomas Osborn is serving
the Fairfield church the second time,
his first pastorate being from 1903 to
1908. The church is one of the strong
est and most progressive in the Con
ference, having a membership num-
bering close to 800 of which a large
percentage is men.
The officers of the Conference for
some years past have been: Secre-
tary, j. w. Potter; Statistical Secre-
tary, George Blagg; Treasurer, T. S.
Pool. The District Superintendent
and their years of service are as fol
lows: Burlington District, C. l.. Ten
nant, one ytar; Muscatine District, j.
A. Boatman, four years; Oskaloosa
District, c. l.. Stafford, three years;
Ottumwa District, H. N. Smith, six
years.
In 1894 the church membership in
the Conference exclusive of those in
the colored churches was 27,S7O,
while one year ago the membership
lacked but so of an even $4,000. In
this same period there has been an
almost 5000. Then the total contrib
ution for Missions, both Home and
Foreign, was $13, 100000, while last
year it was $25,097.00. There has
been a corresponding increase in all
other benevolences of the church.
The number of ministers on the Con-
ference roll at its last session was
179. There have been a few deaths
during the year and several men have
removed to other Conferences.
Nineteen young men are enrolled in
the course of study and are to take
examinations on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The Board of Examiners is appointed
by the Bishop for a period of four
years. Thomas Osborn is chairman
of this Board and III. B. Scoles is Reg.
istrar. All the young men who have
been recommended by Dist. Confer
ence for admission on trial in the An
nual Conference are also to take ex-
aminations at this time. OF these
there are about Is.
This being the year preceding the
quadriennial session of the General
Conference, there is no small interest
in the matter of our delegates to that
body. These are chosen by ballot and
will doubtless be four in number. OF
the four who represented us in the
last session of that body, two have
transferred to other Conferences, an
other is no longer in the regular
work of the ministry. J. M. McClel-
land, the fourth, is pastor at Oska-
loosa.
On Friday the Lay Electoral Con-
ference convenes in Fairfield. This
body is constituted of one representa-
tive of each pastoral charge and Sc
lects delegates to the General Confer
ence corresponding in number to the
ministerial delegates. On Saturday
in Library Hall, the Laymens Asso-
citation convenes. This body meets
annually at the seat of Conference and
is made up of two representatives
from each pastoral charge. Their
program calls for the reading of pa
pers and the discussion of topics that
pertain to the various interests OF
the church. A constitutional question
to be voted on by both ministers and
the laymen of the Electoral Confer.
ence Is this: To change the date of
the meeting of the General Confer.
ence from the first Wednesday in
May to the first secular day in May.
In addition to these matters the fact
that a District Superintendent is to
be appointed to succeed H. II. Smith
who completes term of six years on
the Ottumwa District and the pas.
toral changes that are expected gives !
promise OF session of more than
usual interest. The program for the