Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-25
1.-THE RETIRED MINISTER. y
His Claim acknowledgements
Supreme.
TBy Rev. c Herbert Richardson, D, d.

4 -aAAEaAl0Ms nui are tue concrete EN-
bodiment of the purpose Of the churcl.
uttered through its representative
members. and the great assemblies to
/ which at times is entrusted the treat
ment of its great interests. Pathos
| and duty. Love and Deeds blend in the
| title; and bespeak a general and vital
| arousing of the church 10 the perform
| ance Of task in which conscience and
wisdom 80 hand in hand TO accom-
| plishment
The General Conferences of 1908 and
| 1912 gave the church the word. When
one turns TO the statute enacted in 1905
and amended in part in 1912, he feels
| like Balboa when the vision of the Pa
cific ocean burst upon him, or when
Daniel Boone looked out from the crest
| of the Cumberland mountains over the
hills and valleys of the West Mate
| rial and terrestrial empires appeared be
fore them. and today we are living in
the fulfillment of their visions.
But the vision of Love surpasses all
| others. Human brotherhood is the
| thought the Lord Christ by this shall
| all men know that we are my disciples
| in that We have love one to another"
As one now reads the thought and par
pose Of the Methodist EpiscopalChurch
| concerning the veteran preacher this
| apple OF gold in frame of silver APP
| pears: The claim to a comfortable
| support inheres in the Gospel ministry
| and rightfully insures to the benefit Of
| the preacher in the Methodist Episcc-
| pal Church when he is admitted to a
| membership in the Annual Conference
| Such claim is not invalidated by his
being retired, and at his death passes
| to the dependent members of his fam
| lily. What vision! What prophecy
| What deeds? Let us notice the items
| of this soul-inspiring statute:
First-The inherent right of a min
lister to comfortable support Not OF a
salary.which may be altogether insult
iicient but such provision as will fur
nish comfortable support"
| Second-This right insures TO the
benefit of the preacher in the Methodist
| Episcopal Church. upon admission to
an Annual Conference. Here is the
broad just and loving spirit of broth
erhood- comfortable support for all
whether bishop, district superintend-
| ent, pastor or conference claimant. and
each and all to share pro rata in the
fund raised for ministerial support
How sacredly should we guard mem
bership in an Annual Conference!
| Third-Change of relation in Annual
| Conference membership does not affect
the right herein guarded "The right
| is not invalidated by retirement of the
minister, and at mis- death passes to the
| dependent members of the family. :"
Any church that stands upon such
platform can face the world the flesh
| and the devil What then is the care
of the great movement in the Method
| list Episcopal Church to provide in the
church at large the sum of $4,000 O0G
and in the Baltimore Annual Confer
ence 100000?
| Answer-To recognize and provide
for the comfortable support OF the re
| ,ired minister his widow and his de-
| pendent children" Not to bestow a
1 gratuity upon them; not to grant
/ favor, but to make real the right which
| the church declares 10 be a Sacred oh
| ligation." This recognizes the past
| service of the minister his present
| need and his lack of ability now to
serve as fornerly and summons the
| church to the performance of an OBJ
| legation imposed upon it when it set
| tho minister apart for the wor kof God
How has the church received this in
| spiration? With an unanimity and
| conscientiousness which bespeaks a di-
| vine call: God wills IT, God wills it,"
| The bishops of the church have united
in a strong appeal and address to the
church in advocacy of the legislation
/ Of the General Conference upon this
/ subject. Three thousand laymen in
convention at Indianauclis. Ind, Octo-
Der. 1913, have declared the claim OF
the retired minister "to be the supreme
| claim" on the church. Conventions OF
preachers and laymen at Washington
in October, 1914, and Chicago in April.
1915, have iterated and reiterated the
/ rigbtful claim of "the retired miris-
ter"
| The whole church, in its legislation
i and nreacbment. takes its stand upor
| the basis of justice and right to the
man whose service to the church has
been rendered. His claim is equal to
at least that of any bishop district su-
Il perintendent or pastor. And the church
means to give him, as to all other
| claimants. zone hundred cents on the
dollar" God speed the day. This
great movement opens in the territory
of the Baltimore Annual Conference.
October 10, 1915, and continues therein
during the two weeks following
| Conventions will be held in Balti-
| more, Washington. Frederick, Hagers-
town. Martinsburg. Cumberland, Frost
burg and Keyser and assemblies at
ether places in the conference terri
tory The support now given the re
tired minister" of the Baltimore An
nual Conference, Methodist Episcopal
Church, is S11 for each year of service !:
his widow one-half of this The three
hundred thousand dollars raised and
invested will secure him SIS per year
for each year of service rendered by
him and $3.50 to his widow on the same
basis. The Presbyterian Disciples of
Christ, Methodist Episcopal Church.
Protestant Episcopal Church as wen
IS the Methodist Episcopal Church and
other denominations are each raising
funds in behalf OF the retired minis
4 Tho uafara,,