Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1914-07-09
USE ALL CHURCHES
METHODIST CONFERENCE PRE-
SCENTS MEMBERSHIP
STATISTICS
Only Nine Churches m Kansas I'm
observation-disclosures CLOSED 4-Day
Session This Morning
Ministers Return Homo


ed abandoned church" has made n
U inroads upon Methodism In Kansa
were presented here at the confer
ence of the pastors and district 81
perintendents OF the Methodist Epis
copal churches of the state las
night Only nine Methodist churches
In Kansas are unused, having neither
! pastor nor Sunday Schools. Thu
Methodists object to the tern
abandoned" declaring that they
have no abandoned churches, and
that where these nine churches have
closed their doors 1t is due to shift
ing Of the population. The church
has 699 pastoral charges in the state
and 1853 preaching places. The lat
ter figure is significant, when 1t is
remembered that the travelling
preacher, in olden times going about
on horseback and nowadays travelling
by motor car to isolated places that
cannot hire a regular pastor, has
been one of the strongest factors in
building up the present Methodist
membership to its total of 14S,50S
in Kansas. These 14S,503 members,
the conference points out, represent
religious constituency Of a half
million persons.
Add $3.50 Members in Year
In addition to the charges and
preaching places, seven. churches
have Sunday schools only. The net
gain in membership last year, ac-
cording to the figures submitted last
night by the Rev. Edwin Locke, pas
tor Of the Euclid avenue church Of
Topeka and secretary of the confer
ence, was $3.50. This year the church
hopes to add 10000. The evange-
listic meetings, to which much OF
the gain in membership is due, win
be continued with added vigor. SUI
perintendents from all of the dis
tricts Of the state were here, and
under the leadership of Bishop w.
o. Shepard of Kansas City, who call
ed the conference and under whose
guidance Kansas Methodism is gain
ing, laid plans for more strenuous
campaigns.
Demand National Prohibition
The conference went on record in
favor of the Shepard-Hobson bill
now pending in congress and pro- 9
viding for national prohibition. The q
demands of the half million church r
will go forward to the .
Kansas delegation at Washington. =
The conference, which closed this =
calls upon the postoffice y
department to prohibit the sending
II liquor advertisements through the O
nails to Kansas points, holding that
t is Just as illicit as the sending o
i lottery tickets, which is prohibit n
d. =
Conference Is Grateful !,
The conference passed resolutions :,
Bishop Shepard and q
banking him for his work in PLAN 4,
ing and conducting the conference: ~
Expressing strong conviction in the
vork that the Methodist colleges are
Ding and pledging help in the fl a,
ancial campaigns now being con- -
ucted by these schools; reaffirming
former resolution to make the gain -,
i church membership this year 20,-
90; extending thanks to the Rev. ]
1illard DeYoe for the excellent way
which he has arranged for the
ltertainment; to Abilene people for y
leir hospitality and to the ladies of -,
le church. The resolutions were -
gned by L. e. Shines, chairman; -
w. Snapp, secretary; X. A. Strom- -
srg, John DEMAND, Bascom Rob- ~,
ms. =,
Conference Notes
The Rev. Edwin Locke, who acted Te
secretary of the conference, took col
s first charge in this county. That toe
IS in the. winter of 1881. He de- tie
he,