The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-16
EPISCOPAL ALABAMA
 IN FOURTH PROVINCE.
Rev. M. s. Barnwell Dis
 cusses Recent Action
PART OF NEW SYSTEM
Gives Each Section an Opportunity to Settle Its Own Problems as Evi- denced in Mountain Whites
 and Negroes in South

|
 | One of the most far reaching incidents 1 Tn the history of the Episcopal church | Of the diocese of Alabama was the ac- | ton taken at the recent council of the church at Annisten by which the diocese of Alabama became a part of the fourth province known as the province of Se- vance. The provincial system of the | Episcopal church is of recent origin, and was inaugurated with the view of enabling the several sections of the United States to handle its own problems, leaving the triennial convention free to deal with is- sues that affect the whole church. This matter has been before the church.
 men for the diocese of Alabama for the past two years and the decision of the council at the Anniston meeting in en- tering the provincial system is regarded ! as one of the most important measures that has been adopted in many years. Rev. Barnwell Explains The Rev. Middleton s. Barnwell, rector
 of the Church of the Advent, in speaking of the matter. said:
 The most important decision at the recent council of the Episcopal church
 
 diocese of Alabama took it's place in the
 newly established provincial system of the church. The fourth province which Alabama enters Is known as the province or Sewanee, and consists of all dioceses In the Episcopal church. south of the Ohio river and east of the Mississippi excluding the virgnlas and including Louisiana The dioceses comprising the province are as follows: Atlanta, Ala nama, Kentucky, Tennessee Mississippi, Georgla, South Carolina North Carolina East Carolina, Louisiana, Lexington Florida, and the missionary districts of Ashevllle and southern Florida. The provincial system, which was established in the Episcopal church by the general convention which met in New York in October 1913. is an out growth of the old system of mission- ary departments. For many years the church has been divided into eight great divisions, called departments, and yearly the clergy and laity of these departments met in council to deliber- ate and act upon the problems of church work peculiar to the section The problems of missionary work in New England are not the same as in Ala bama, or in the middle west, or In the far distant islands of the Pacific ocean, and the missionary departments provided a way for the various sec
 tions of the church to confer in regard to local conditions.
 As time went on, however 1t be- came evident that the great good ac- complished by the missionary depart
 ments could be secured for other
 phases of church work. The questions of religious education and social serv- ice loomed large all over the coun- try, and it was decided to broaden the scope of the departmental conferences
 to include these two lines of church l activity as well as purely mission ary work.
 Heretofore all legislation affecting the general work of the church has been handled in the general conven- ton which meets once every three years. It was felt that each section
 of the church should be free to legis-
 late as it thought best concerning it's
 own local problems, so when in 1913
 the missionary departments were changed into the eight provinces cer- tain powers of legislation were given
 to the province that it might deal more
 eiective1y with local conditions For instance. the negro problem. and the mountain white problem are peculiar to the south
 Is Great Advance
 Tt was felt unwise to leave these mat
 ters longer in the hands of the general church councils, when many of the del- egates there were from the north and east and west and of necessity were ignorant of the conditions to be met. It is believed that this step is a great advance, as it enables each section of the church to take
 Independent action concerning it's own difficulties, and leave the triennial con vention free to deal with the larger is- SINS that affect the whole church.
 "At the time when the provincial sys tenn was established, in view of the fact that it was a departure from established precedent, 1t was distinctly understood that no constituent diocese of the Ameri- can church should be included within the provincial system without it's consent. At the various diocesan councils last year it was decided to support the provincial sys- tenn by overwhelming vote. only four dio- ceses out of approximately 100 which com prise the church, falling to enter. Of these four Alabama was one The other three were West Virginia, Duluth Gin northern Mlnnesota), and Eas.cn tcom- prising the eastern shore of Maryland)