The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-11-21
Much Speculation Relative to
Changes But No Statement
Is Authoritative
DR.. TODD TELLS HOW TO
INTEREST NEW MEMBERS
Converts Must Be Interested
If Revival Results Are to Be
Conserved-Bishop Asbury
Eionored

! With the announcement Of the up.
polntments for the coming conferences
year the t34th annual session Of tho
Virginia Methodist Conference will
IcloSe tonight The appointments will
hs read. II Is anticipated. immediately
after. the close Of the special order
set for 0 clock for the report Of thu
TEN perance and social reform cen-
mittee, and its discussion
Yesterdays conference sessions
proved TO he among the most inter-
esting of the several that have been
held since last Wednesday morning
when Bishop John c. Kilgo. of Char
lotte, n, =. convened the body, All
the sessions have been largely attend
ed and last night found Broad street
Church once more packed 10 the very
doors, and with mary standing. to
hsar the final address In the series on
evangelism delivered h. Rev. DIR.
Luther z Todd, Of St louis. 1hs
address was one OF very practical ma
ture and Of great value 70 pastors.
| Its theme was conservation of results
and its substance was designed TO Law
before them definite plans for holding
the interest ct newly received church
mem bers.
Evangelists Work Stressed.
he dudleS last nlSHL was, III =
manner, supplementary to the talks
made 70 the preachers at a round
table session held IN Broad street
! Church auditorium at 8 o'clock yes
4terdaT afternoon. All of the sermons
land addresses. by Bishop kilgo, by
DR.. J. A. Baylor, Of the Holston coa-
ference, ard hy pr. Todd, have heen
iof unusual interest TO the ministers
land to the iaymen also, who have been
,ureed to assist their pastors in tina
work of soul winning. They have car
Tried hints and suggestions and In
Estruction. all OF which. COM rlentinas.
hearers assert will be highly hene
fetal in their application to evangel-
iistic campaigns to be conducted
/ Throughout the Virginia conferences
during the new wear
! While there will he q number ee
reports presented 70 the conference
for its action today. and with the
probability strong for an extra session
! this afternoon in order that routjns
matters not yet handled, may be clear
ed from the calendar. the greatest
! interest centers in the appointments
for the coming year.
New Fields For Many.
MANY Of the pastors expect to hs
sent IN -neU- helds--A large number
must be sent to new charges because
of the rule limiting ministers to four
X all the ministers in the conference.
either because OF the possibility that
| they will be changed or because OF
| their interest IN knowing who will ea
| their nearest neighbor in the work
during the year. are apxiously await
| ing the reading OF the list tonight.
/ There is much speculation. much
gossip, much whispering. There Is a
large number Of members OF the COM
ference. and a considerable number
| of Richmond Methodists, who are try-
ing to forecast results In certain
churches. In Richmond there has
been futile effort to learn who will be
made presiding elder to succeed Rev.
Dr. Simpson. Guesses have been
made. Few groups are guessing with
like result People of the Richmond
district appear to have their prefer
ences. but these are several The
members of the eight churches which
lose their pastors because OF the FOUR
year rule are even moro intensely In.
terested IN their respective coming
pastors. They also have preferences
and they also arc guessing.
bishops Cabinet Silent
/ But no one knows. What they ara
saying is speculation absolutely. There
| has been no leak from the bishops
cabinet. In the words of q promi-
nent member Of the conference who
commented last night on the situation.
| the lid is on tighter than ever be-
fore"
"All statements purporting to show
what the changes will be, The added.
are nothing but guesses. Even IL
some Of these statements prove corr
rect, that will not alter the fact they
were guesses. pure and simple
Temperance Report Tonight.
| Reports to be made to the confer
ence at today's sessions are those Of
the Board of Education, of the SUM
| day school Board, Of the Board OF
Missions. of the Rosebud Society and
OF the Committee on Temperance and
Social Reform. The last named COM
mittee will report at the session be-
ginning at s o'clock tonight.
For last nights service there was
a crowd equalling in size that of SUM
day morning. when hundreds were
DR.. Todd to the Virginia Conferences
showed a number of methods for hold
ing the attention and interest Of new-
corners in the church.
f.! DR. Todd, In opening. asserted that
II is much more difhcult to conserve 4
| than to convert, much more dtncult
to hold church members than to ut y
them. Because of magnitude Of thl9
problem he declared many OF the rec
| vivals held throughout the country
proved little more than stirring III
of the people and then letting thar
i enthusiasm and interest in tho church,
subside. He said that many OF The
converts In REVEALS soon fall AWAg
from the church because iuSuhlciAntgs
attention is paid to the matter 0f N
conserving the results Of revi~als a
! Andrew brought Peter to Christ saS
said the speaker. "but Il tcok Chr3n8