Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-05-16
Presbyterian General Assembly.

meeting of the General Assembly of
the Presbyterian church in the United
State, which will begin its fifty-second
meeting this morning in Bristol
The General Assembly will open with
a sermon, which will be preached by
Rev. Russell Cecil, d. D., of Richmond.
who is the retiring moderator. Rev.
I. H. Law, D. D., of Spsrtanburg S. c.,
the stated clerk and treasurer, will then
announce the names of the commission
ers present. The assembly will then
be ready for the transaction of business,
and that which will be transacted first
Will be the election of moderator for
this session. The moderator is elected
every year, ard no man succeeds him
self in this office which is the highest
honor the Presbyterian church can be-
stow upon one of her ministers or rul-
ing elders. Almost always a minister
receives this honor; only three times in
the history of the assembly has a lay
man been elected moderator The other
officers to be elected each year are two
and the permanent clerk of the assem-
bly, hold offices which continue from
year 70 year.
All of the work of the Southern Pres
byterisn church is carried on as the
four executive committees of the Gen
eral Assembly direct: The Executive
Committee of Foreign Missions. of
Home Missions, Of Publication and of
Christian Education and MINISTERIAL
Relief of the General Assembly in 1861,
until 1904, the secretaries of the Exc
cutive Committees we're elected for one
year only; from 1904 to 1910 they we're
elected for term of three years; during
the assembly of 1911, the Permanent
Committee on Systematic Beneficence,
which is young but at the same time
very important factor OF the assembly,
recommended that the secretaries of
the Executive Committees be elected
for one year only, and this recommenda-
tirn carried. No special reason was as
signed for The change in the term of
office of secretaries, but it is not i'm
probable that some changes in the
secretaries will be made during the as
sembly this year.
The General Assembly is the highest
court in the Presbyterian church, and
is composed of an equal number of min
isters and laymen, these being known
as commissioners, who are elected by
the Presbyteries which constitute the
synods of the church.
The territory of the Southern Presby-
terian church extend throug all of the
states of the South and the Southwest
and is divided into fourteen synods.
These synods, in turn, are divided into
Presbyteries, there being eighty-nine
of the later. Each Presbytery is entitl-
ed to two commissioners, one minister
and one layman, those Presbyterles
having more than twenty-four minist-
eral members are entitled to two minis
tiers and two laymen commissioners,
but no Presbytery is entitled to more
than that number. The membership of
the General Assembly this year will in
clude Ill mintisters.aud Ill laymen. The
laymen who are elected commissioners
are from the elders of the church.
The General Assembly has the power
Ito receive and issue all appeals, re-
ferences and complaints brought before
it from the inferior courts (Presbyteries
and synods); to bear testimony against
error in doctrine and immortality in pra-
ct'ce, injuriously affecting the church;
to decide in all controversies respecting
doctrine and discipline; to give its ad-
vice and instruction, in conformity with
the constitution, in all cases submitted
to it."
Among the reports to be submitted to
the assembly, none will be heard with
interests more keen than that of the
Executive Committee of Foreign Mis-
sions. notwithstanding the fact that
tie missionary debt of the Southern
Presbyterian church reaches into
the thousands of dollars, yet there has
been no cessation in the work in the in
terests of Foreign Missions. and it is a
significant fact that this is the only
church in the United States that has
secured its full quota of missionaries to
Korea, and the Significance is emphasiz-
ed more by the fact that this work has
been completed during he time of the
agitation regarding the missionary debt.
The work of the Laymen's Mission
ary movement of this church will be
emphasized IN connection With the re-
port of Foreign Missions, for it is a re-
cognized fact that the marked advance
in this work has been due to the lay
men. No single meeting has been held
In the history of the church that has
so thoroughly quickened the member
ship, and especially the men, as the con-
vention of the Laymen'S Movement
held in Chattanooga during February of
the present year. 1t is probable that
the Laymen's Movement is more thor
onOhlu orOo ni1ad onOnc, fha ,,,ov, oe IL .