The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-18
Official Board of the Centenary
= Church Acts Quick.
WANT REV. W.R. KELSEY HERE
Members Do Not Like Proposition to
Make Him Superintendent; How
It Came About.

Members of Centenary Methods
Episcopal church are opposed to thu
transfer of their pastor, Rev. viii
bur r. Keesey, from the pulpit tt
the position of superintendent of the
Mankato district. A meeting wa.
held at the church last night tt
make formal objection to the
transfer.
The Free Press last evening con
tanned story of the meeting hello
in Winona at which the Methods
church there asked for the appoint
ment of Rev. G. A. Cahoon as per
manent pastor. Rev. Cahoon was ap
pointed district superintendent a.
the recent conference and has al
ready come to Mankato to begir
work in his district. Rev. Mr.. Kee
sey came to this church from st
Paul. The entire "mix-up" started
in Winona when the church there
protested against the appointment Of
Rev. Benjamin Longley as pastor
of their church, by appealing tc
Bishop Quayle to assign Rev. Ca
hoon to the church. 1t was under
stood by the Winona church that
Rev. Longley was appointed to theil
church temporarily.
Changes Were Contemplated.
Bishop Quayle notified the mel
that Rev. Cahoon would be made
pastor of the Winona church if he
Rev. Cahoon, was willing to make
the change. In case this was done
Rev. Keesey was to be made dis
trict superintendent of this district
Rev. Longley was to be sent to the
Central Methodist church, of st
Paul, and the pastor of that church
Rev. 0. A. Luce, was to be sent te
the Mankato church. 49,.
The official board of the Mankatt
church held it's meeting last might
to appeal to Bishop Quayle in the
matter. Rev. Keesey is we'll liked
by the members of the congregation
and they do not want any changes
made. Rev. Keesey himself prefers
to be left in the church here. Rev
Cahoon sent message to Bishop
Quayle last night saying that he pre-
ferred to remain in his present posi-
ton. %. .. r-
Committee Wired Bishop.
committee from the officia
board, consisting of John A. White
DR.. ]. w. Andrews and George Sug
den, was appointed to wire Bishop
Quayle that the church here re
quested the bishop to allow it to re
tain Rev. Keesey as the pastor.
This morning Rev. Cahoon and
Rev. keesey talked to DIR. Frank
Doran, the former Winona pastor
who has been made. district superin
tendent of the st. Paul district, anG
DR.. Doran assured them that if both
Rev. Keesey and Rev. Cahoon pre-
ferred not to be transferred he was
sure the bishop would let the ap
pointments remain as they now
stand.
Rev.. Luce, who is said to be the
man who will be sent here in case
Rev. Keesey is made district super
intendent is the man who last win
ter declared all ministers to be eff
Eliminate, and caused so much discus
sion in the pulpit and in the news
papers by his statement.
Said in ST. Paul..
The st. Paul Pioneer Press of thi:
morning says: Rev. o. A. Luce, pas
tor of the Central Park Methods
church, st. Paul has been transfer
red to the Centenary church, Man
kato, and DR.. Benjamin Longley, re
Gently relieved of the district sup
erintendency, will take his place, &C
cording to announcements made las
night by Bishop Quayle
Other changes are the transfer o
Rev. G. A. Cahoon, district superin
tendent of the Mankato district, tt
the Central church, Winona, to re
place Rev. Frank B. Doran, wht
comes to st. Paul as district super
intendent, and Rev. w. R. Keesey
formerly pastor of Trinity church
here, recently appointed to the Cen
tenary church, Mankato, to the sup
erintendency of the Mankato dictrict
1t is unusual that changes ar,
made SO soon after the appointment.
are announced. 1t was caused il
this case by the trouble between tn.
Methodist Laymen's association ant
DR.. Longley which caused him, in tn,
interest of harmony, to ask to b,
relieved. The assignments will TAX,
effect Sunday.
Has FIourishing Church.
Rev. Mr.. Luce has been pastor o
the Central Park church for thre,
years. having come to st. Paul from
Des Moines. He leaves the Contra
Park church in a fiourishing condi
ton.
Nearly a year ago Rev, Luc,
preached a sermon in which he de
clared against politics in the church
This sermon caused considerable dis
cussion In st. Paul and warm con
troversy resulted.
DR.. Longley formerly was pastor o
the Central Park church for a ten
year period. He left the charg
six years ago. While DR.. Longle.
was pastor of the church a heav,
debt was wiped out-a service whicl
the members of the church hav
never forgotten, and which ha
strongly endeared him to them. The,
remained loyal during the figh
waged against him.