The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-05
.METHOD|STS MEET
IN OKLAHOMA CITY
Wcsterncrs Will Be Hosts to
Great General Conference
of Church.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED
Questions Of Unusual Interest to
Denomination Now Being
Discussed.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED
DY MAMIE BAYS.

the southwest during the year 1914,
and around number of these meet
ings Interest that is moro than usual
centres. Several OF these meetings will
be the representative gatherings of
largo denominations Of the South. All
iof these are OF equal interest to the
| membership of the denominations they
represent but the one about which the
greatest interest of the public will
centre no doubt, will be- the general
conference Of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. which will convene at
Oklahoma City on Wednesday, May 6.
and Will DO In session about three
weeks. The cause of the increase of
general interest attached to the gem
cral conference, in comparison with
that of the other large religious bodies
which VIII be held about the same
time, is the. fact that the general con.
florence meets only once In four years
whereas the other bodies, at lest most
| of them, meet annually.
This VIII be the first time that the
general conference has been hold Mt
Oklahoma City. and 1T has not been
held west OF the Mississippi River
since 1912, when it mot mt Dallas,
Tex.
How II Is Made Up.
The general conference is composed
| or an equal number OF clerical and
lay delegates The basis of repre-
scntation is ono clerical delegate for
every forty eight members of the an
nuai conference. and an equal number
or lay delegates. The basis OF repre-
sentation In the general conference Is
| the same In the annual conference on
the foreign mission fields OF the church
as In the conference In the home ter
| rltory. One local preacher may he In
| Guided III the number OF lay delegates
! elected In any annual conference. All
OF the annual conferences of the
! church will be represented by NOM
bers of each OF these bodies in the
coming general conference. with the
possible exception OF the African Mis-
sion Conference, which as yet is in its
formative period. The representation
OF that body will be made probably by
BISHOP Walter X. Lambeth, who has
| the special oversight of tho ,nIssIon
work of the church In Africa. and who
mas made two visits TO that field since
the meeting OF the general conference
| or l9lo. at Asheville. y. c. The other
foreign mission conferences OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. are
the Brazil mission. China mission.
CUBAN mission japan mission, Korean
mission and Central Mexico mission.
Ihree other conferences are COMPOSED
largely or foreigners-Mexican border
fnission, Northwest Mexican mission
ana the German mission. but most of
me territory OF these conferences Is in
the United States
All or the annual conferences. ex
cept hve, have been held for the wear
preceding the meeting of the general
conference, and the remaining five will
be held during the months of lam
uary, February and March the last one
10 De heid being the Baltimore Confer
! ehce, which viii convene at Baltimore
| on March 26. There are nfty-onc an
nual conferences in the church and tho
,totai number of delegates elected In
represent the conferences already held
Is $40: or this number 15S are clerical
ana los are lay delegates. When all
! or the conferences have been held tbe
membership of the general conferenco
VIII have been increased to about I75
clerical and l75 lay delegates, making
total of $50. All Of the connectional
oficers OF the church, the secretaries
or tho various departments of tho worl
oil the church. the secretaries of tho
various departments OF the worl, OF
the church, will attend the general
conference. even II they have not been
erected members OF the body by the
annual conferences of which they are
members. and the same is true of the
members OF the various boards of the
1 ,. Out only those who are elected
ueieSates viii have the privilege NJ
voting on the questions to come before
the general conference for action.
Many other preachers and laymen of
| the church VIII attend the general con-
ference as visitors hence the total
number or those present will be much
larger than that indicated by the Nun
Der OF delegates elected
Questions OF Special Interest
Aside from the regular BUSINESS or
| the general conference to be transacted
during this session. many questions or
special interest Will be presented in
the form of memorials from the animal
| conferences. which will he referred -
! the committee on memorials for cop
sheraton and action. and which vii,
then be acted upon by the general con-
! terence as whole Among the me-
.iolia,s "nich are most prominently be-
| lore the church at this time are those
| regarding the limitation OF the time
! or consecutive service and the movers
| or the preachers appointed presiding
| elders in the annual conferences. the
granting or the rights OF the laitv 70
me women or the church. the prohibit
tion or the use of tobacco to candidates
Tor ADMISSION into the conferences. the
! revision of the language OF tho
| Apostles Creed. so that the words "tbe
Church OF God" will take the place of
the holy Catholic Church." and the
IsNislon OF certain paragraphs in the
Book of Discipline Of the church. n
is probable, that the discussion OF tbo
memorials touching the presiding elder
| ship Will Drecipitate one OF the great
/ est nights of words that will take
place on the floor or the general con-
ference during this session. Among the
strongest memorials sent to the general
convention on this subject arc those Of
the virginia Conference, or of-whfch
recommends that no preacher shall be
| appointed presiding elder for n longer
| period than four years, consecutiyely.
| except by consent OF tho conferences
OF which he is a member. and the other
recommends that in the making of the
appointments the preachers and
charges, as far as possible, shall be
consulted. instead of leaving this mat
| ter entirely in the hands of the pre-
siding bishop and the presiding elders.
as Is the case at present. The growth
OF the democratic spirit in the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. South, is named
as the basis of argument In favor of
the adoption OF more democratic meth
DDS in the making OF the appointments
in the conferences, and II Is not un-
| likely that this same argument in favor
of more democratic methods will be
ably presented on the floor of the gen
eral conference by representatives of
| y number OF the annual conferences.
| The statement Is heard .Jften that while