Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1911-11-09
Some Facts and Suggestions About
Our Methodist Membership in
{bo SOufh


BY Rev. C. C. Scott, colored, pastor
of the John Wesley M. E. Church,
Cheraw, S. c.
A little more than two hundred
years ago the Spirit of the Lord
touched the hearts of two young men
in England and caused them to go
forth and call the Church back TO
"the old path" and to arouse the
clergy and laity to a sense of their
danger and their duty.
Reinforced by others they began
preaching wherever and whenever
they could obtain an audience
Their evangelistic labcrs were ac-
companied by an extraordinary di-
vine influence
Taking che slogan "The world for
Christ they @extended their labors
to America; and, as result at
the Christmas Conference, begun in
Baltimore, Maryland, December oath,
1884, the Methodist Episcopal church
was organized and the Articles Of Re-
Iigion and Sunday Services We're
adopted.
At or about that time we had in the
United States, 80 travelling preachers
mad $4,000 church members. Today
we rejoice over and give praise to
God for a membership consisting of
% bishops, I missionary bishops, ap-
proximately $50 presiding elders o.
district superintendent, 10000 travel
ing preachers or pastors, $4,000 local
preachers, and 100000 lay church
members.
Our worldwide Methodism, spring
from the efforts of theses two godly
young men upon whose mouths had
been laid the live coal taken from off
Gods eternal altar, rejoices over a
membership of 100000 souls, more
than one million and a half of these
being wholly or in part, descendants
of Negro slaves brought to this coun-
try 300 years ago in state of abso-
lutte ignorance of the Christian relig-
ion.
Today Negro Methodists constitute
about one sixth Of tn entireMethodist
family of the entire world and near
~ one fourth of the entire Methodism
of the United States.
AS a denomination the Methodist
Episcopal church holds first rank,
numerically, among not only the
Metruuists prStne various branches,
but among all the Protestant denom-
nations of the world. Practically
forced out of the South in 1874, the
love of the mother church for her
children impelled her to return in
1866, when the war or secession had
ended, and conditions had changed,
and to welcome back into her fold
those desirous of returning who had
voluntarily withdrawn and those who
had been forced to withdraw, f:om
her communion.
In the 46 years that have elapsed
since then, we have, among Our white
bretheren in the South, in our twenty
annual conferences Gf the Baltimore
and West Virginia conferences nay
be properly called Southern coEfe:-
ences) a membership consisting of
1871 pastors receiving an average sal
ary of $500. 90; "A district superin-
tendents with an average salary Of
$1013; and a church membership of
32S,352; with 81 institutions of learn
ing and G.G56 pupils. Among the COL
ored bretheren of Our church we have
1888 pastors receiving an averagi:
salary of S332.75; Sc district superin-
tendents with an average salary of
S914.00; twenty annual conferences
and 310,302 church members. | might
note here that among our white church
members in the South, for
every dollar of salary received by
the average pastor, the aver
age presiding elder or district super
intcndent receives SLAB; and that for
every dollar of salary received by the
average colored pastor of our church,