Las Vegas optic., 1913-09-20
READY
FOR many Big
Conventions
EPlscoPALEANs WILL START
THE LIST WITH ASSEMBLY
IN NEW YORK

New York, Sept. 2O.-ScVeral uIl-
usually important church conferences
or conclaves will be held during the
coming month and in view of the
vital questions to be discussed and
decided at some of these gatherings
their outcome is awaited with a great
deal of interest in church circles
throughout the country.
Bishops and clerical and 'ay depu-
ties of the Protestant Episcopal church
in the United States will gather in
New York city on october 5, to the
number of about eight hundred to at
tend the forty-third triennial general
convention. 1t is 25 years since a gen
eral convention has been held IN New
York city and the leading clergymen
and laymen of the diocese have made
every effort to make the occasion
notable in the annals Of the church.
The completion of the new synod
hall at Amsterdam avenue and One
Hundred Tenth street, will afford
magnificent meeting place for the
house of deputies. The house Of bish-
ops sits separately from the house
of deputies and will hold its sessions
in Old Synod hall The delegates will
come from every part Of the United
States and will represent the COM
municants of the Protestant Episcopal
church in this country, of whom there
are about 100000. The convention
will include 100 bishops and 600 depu-
ties, 300 of whom are clergymen and
300 laymen
One of the proposed changes In
church law which will come up at the
convention and which, it is expected,
will be debated with great forceful-
ness by the advocates of both sides,
will affect the representation in the
convention, so that such representa-
tion in the convention shall be based
on the number of communicates in
any diocese instead Of being the same
for all regardless of the number Of
commuicants.
Another matter which is expected
to give rise to considerable discus
sion is the question of changing the
name Of the church. This matter has
been agitated for long time, but the
views concerning the name to be sub
stituted for the present designation of
the church are widely divergent A
majority of those who are dissatisfied
with the present name, seem to favor
the name of American Catholic church.
Another subject of considerable inn
portance to be considered is the at
titude of the church to marriage and
divorce.
| The second American Catholic Mis-
sionary congress, under the auspices
Of the Catholic Church Extension So
ciety, which will open its session in
Boston on October 10, is looked upon
as one Of the most important Catholic
church gatherings held in this country
for many years. Eighty bishops from
different parts Of the United States,
Canada, Mexico and other countries,
hundreds Of minor members Of the
Catholic clergy and thousands of lay
men will attend the gathering.
The Catholic missionary work Of
the world will be discussed at the
coming congress and plans will be
formulated for carrying on this work
with even greater zeal than hereto
fore The necessity for this is realiz-
ed and appreciated by the entire Cath
Ollie clergy. The Holy See has ap-
pointed the Most Rev. Joan Bonzano,
d. D., archbishop of Mitilene and
apostolic delegate to the United
States, as his special pontifical dele
gate to this congress, a most signal
tribute to the importance of the gath.
ering.
The seventy-fourth annual session
of the Rock River conference of the
Methodist church will open at the En-
bury Methodist church at Freeport,
Ill, on October I. The Rock River
conference is composed of s25 full
members and eight probationers, and
in addition to these there are 90 sup
ply ministers serving within the
bounds of the conference. The CON
ference will close it's session on oc-
tober 6.
The national council Of the Congre-
gational churches, which meets once
every three years, will hold one Of its
meetings next month at Kansas City.
Names are already discussed for the
position Of moderator Of the council.
Among these are President Henry
Churchill King Of oberltn college. D.
Percey Jones. former mayor Of Min