The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-26
CLOSE CONFERENCE TODAY. Routine Matters Disposed
 of Yesterday
 -- APPOINT PREACHERS  Different Ministers of District Will Be Given Charges Today-Bishop Anderson Will Deliver Final
 Sermon at II O'Clock
PREACHERS

The forty-ffth annual session of the Episcopal church will close with the evening services in the Simpson Mefh- odist church this evening. The eleventh annual session of the lay electorate of the Methodist Episcopal church of Ala bama concluded its meeting yesterday afternoon
 The conference spent yesterday morn ing in the disposition of routine mat ters, the hearing of reports from the ministers of the state regarding their status in membership, pastors salary, beneflcence and value of church prop erty. The statistics given showed an enormous increase along all these lines throughout Alabama and indications point strongly to larger percentage for next year.
 According to the usual procedure for pr. Hambly held evangelistic services and the church cabinet went into con sultaton with Bishop Anderson, who was presiding over the conference, to name the appointments for next year. An organization of the conference into a Home Mission association was effected through the Women's Home Missionary society of the state with Mrs. Smead elected president and Mrs. Elder, cor responding secretary.
 s. H. Thompson Talks
 The principal address of yesterday was made in the evening by s. H. Thompson, southern representative of the Methodist book concern of New York city and Cincinnati. who summarized the results accomplished by this concern last year in the payment of $200,0OO toward the support of worn out Methodist minis ters. MT. Thompson stated that within the next four years it is expected to pay million dividends for the distri- button among the retired pastors of the church and that the circulation of the official organ of the church had increaseS l25 per cent in the Alabama conference alone. The Methodist book concern is managed by g men who are elected by the general conference of the church and the chairman of these managers is J. A. Patton. wealthy manufacturer of Chattanooga, Tenn. The Methodist book business, as the chief contributor to the conference claimant fund.- is one of the most vital institutions of the Methodist
 
 ucation boards in their efforts to stan dardize southern Methodist colleges.
 Today's Services
 The services for today will consist of short Sunday school session at 9 o'clock followed by love feast at 10 o'clock. Bishop Anderson will deliver his final sermon at Il o'clock to the conference and in the afternoon the appointments for the 61 ministers of the state will be announced. This is the. most inn portant business of the conference and will be the result of several days of de- Alterations by the cabinet of the church. The elders and deacons of the church will be ordained at this time also. This evening pr. D. B. Caldwell of Chicago and secretary of the Foreign Missionary society of the Methodist Epis- copal church, will deliver an address on Foreign Missions pr. Caldwell is returned missionary from China and a speaker of repute.
 The conference will close with pr. CaldwelPs lecture and tomorrow will wit ness the departure and separation of the ministers to their homes. The attendance of pastors and laymen to this confer ence has numbered nearly 15O men from all parts of the state.
 The laymen's closing session in the First Baptist church opened yesterday morning at 9:3O o'clock. The first bus mess of the meeting was the hearing of reports from the charges yet unre- ported.
 Memorial services were held in mem- ory of J. R. Freeman of Haleyville and J. c. Gibbs of Heflin, who have died since the last annual meeting.
 The officers elected for the ensuing year of the Alabama Laymens associa- tion were: President, A. D. Peck: vice presluents, Dr. W. H. Lindsey, B. D. Renau, Dr. D. A. Morton and J. F. Bailey
 General discussions of the conditions and growth of churches relative to the assistance to be rendered by the laymen were made and an outline of the future work of the association.