The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-09
MANY IMPORTANT
CHANGES ARE MADE
BY BISHOP HENDRIX
Number of Districts Re-
duced From. II to 1.-THE
Brutal Treatment of
C0nvicts Condemned
BY L. S. RETTY

Montgomery. December S.-(Special)
Many important changes in the Alabama
Methodist conference were made today
by Bishop e. r. Hendrix. The most sig
nificant change was the reduction of the
number of districts from Il to IL. Ever
green, Mariana and Thomasville dis
tricts lost their identity by the change
and Andalusia and DeFuniak Springs dis
tricts We're added
IN announcing the changes, Bishop
Hendrix explained that he and his cabi-
net of presiding elders had decided that
the conference would be made more COM
pact by reducing the ndmber of districts
In the assignments for the year, five
ministers We're transferred from the Mont
gomery district. The Rev. J. NJ. Dannelly
presiding elder for four years. Will be-
come pastor of the church at Selma, and
will be succeeded by the Rev. c. A. Rush,
presiding elder of Evergreen district. The
Rev. +. C. Moore, pastor of Dexter Ave-
nue. church, goes to the First church at
Opelilia, and the Rev. f. A. Rogers of
Dothan comes to Montgomery in his place.
The Rev. ]. o. Grogan will serve his third
year as pastor of the Court Street church.
Brutal Treatment Condemned
Among the business transacted by the
conference at the morning session was
the adoption of a resolution condemning
the brutal treatment of convicts in state
prisons and urging officials to use more
| humane methods in dealing with pris-
oners. The report was adopted by viva
voce vote of all the delegates. Simultane-
h. 90 h ha
conference defeated a resolution me-
morializing the general conference to
create a bureau of social service because
ii would mean the employment of other
salaried officers.
The conference defeated efforts of the
West Florida conference to take churches
in the northern part of the state from
the Alabama and place them in the west
Florida district. The Florida conference
will carry the matter before the general
conference at Oklahoma City next May
In the memorial to the conference about
changing the educational standards, the
conference requested tile general law
making body to require applicants for
membership to produce the same number
of points as required for entrance in
the freshman class of any class "a col
lege before being admitted.
130 Preachers in Conference
reports flIeu with tne conference py
the statistical secretary show that there
are 100 local preachers and 71,S23 mem
bers of the churches in the Jurisdiction
of the conference, an increase of 1900
members during the year. The confer
ence has 1888 charges and 125 Epworth
leagues and 36SS members of the Epworth
league.
Collections of S39, $50 for home and for
eign missions We're reported by the board
of missions. During the year receipts
for foreign missions amounted to $21, 20
and home missions $l1 $50.
Before reading the assignments for the
year, Bishop Hendrix stated that no polit-
ical significance should be attached to
his remarks to the young ministers last
Friday that they should not participate
| in political fights. He said his remark
had no reference to the senatorial or any
other campaign in the state.