Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-09
OTTUMWANS At
N. {. CONF ERENCE
Mr.. AND MRS. HAW AND REV.
kENDRlck ATTEND SESSIONS
At SARATOGA.
[By j. M. Beckl

by j. M. Beckl
Saratoga Springs, N. T.. May g.
WITH th.. f,rst week of the Methodist |
general conference near It's close mat
tiers are beginning to take form ana the
processes are under way.
Once in four years this body meets II
IA the supreme governing body or the
church. Bishops. editors OF advocates;
board secretaries, ana az
church laws are subject to II, except
such as amending the constitution
which must be submitted to tho amman
and laymen's conferences.
Among the $50 delegates the lows
comprising the soutneast
quarter of Iowa, has eight. Three OF
those, DR.. j. w. Hancher, Presloen. =.
A. Schell and District superintendent
E. J. Shook were delayed In arrival thl
Wednesday May on account r Oh .ne
The regular conference sessions peSih
Monday May /.
In q body so large the foundation
work Of all legislation is laid IN com
mittees. On each Of the thirteen stana,
inr committees each Of the 1876 annuai
conferences Of Methodism Is entitled 20
one minister and one layman. Inns
makes these committees 80 large tnat
they are further subdivided into SUP
committees, usually Of about II mem
bers each, q special subcommittee be-
ing constituted for each particular SUD-
tect.~ Then usually to . smaller COM
mittee Of perhaps hve most matters 80
for intimate discussion and report up
and through the various stages 10 tho
general conference floor for maj de-
termination.
The Iowa delegation has Jared Well
in the distribution Of sub committee
assignments thus far, there being stu
others to be formed. In the episcopacy
committee Pres. F. A.. Schell 10 on the
sub committee on location of the
bishops This Ia important as move
ment Is under way TO change the resi-
dence of the territory In which the
Iowa conference 10 located from Omaha
to Des Moines. A meeting OF the nlntn
district. comprising the four Iowa con-
ferences and the two Nebraska. Is call
ed for Monday evening to consider this
matter and endorse one or other or the
cities. The Iowa conference naturally
is favorable to Des Moines. The ninth
district vote will not be final. only
recommendation, as the episcopacy
committee must act and then tho gen.
eral conference to decide the matter
,.
contending that with the location OF
five Methodist colleges in Iowa and
2OO,0 900 Methodists the bishop should be
in their midst. Besides supervising the
ninth district composed Of Iowa and
Nebraska the bishop in this area also
supervises the Missouri conference and
the Northwest German, extending over
much OF the same territory occupied by
the English speaking conference In tho
area.
One Of the matters much discussed
throughout the church the past few
years has been the admission of lay
men to seats in the annual conference,
now open only to the ministers. This
subject is handled in the committee on
itinerancy. A. N. Jarvis of Burlington
Is on the subcommittee that considers
the matter. The sub committee chair
man IL Eugene Travis, former New
York state senator from Brooklyn, now
comptroller OF the state at Albany. 1t
was on this sub committee that the
writer worked four years ago. This
year when H. M. Havner, one Of the
delegates from the Iowa conference,
failed to come to attend the confer
ence. the writer transferred from this
committee to episcopacy, and Mr. Jar
Wis took his place.
Another matter Of special interest to
Iowa Methodists is the pastoral super
vision Of work among the Methodist
students in the state educational insti-
tutions Such pastors are maintained at
Iowa City and Ames, the matter being
in the hands of q commission repre-
senting each Of the four conferences of
Iowa, Of which the writer Is secretary.
AS q member Of the educational COM
u I. y, - too
that Is to propose legislation by which
this work may be given recognized
standing and definite support by the
church at large.
In the same educational committee
DIR. ]. w. Hancher. who IL assistant
secretary of the general board, is q
member Of the sub committee on edu-
cational jubilee, which 1t ia proposed to
hold, making it the rallying point for
the raising of large sums for Christian
education throughout the church.
Rev. ]. C. Kendrick OF Ottumwa is
taking a special interest in the work Of
the itinerancy committee where the
matter Of the conference permanent
fund for the support of returned minis
tiers is considered. The conference rose
to its feet at the announcement yester-
day that a wealthy New York lady's
Will WAS IUuHU W HdtS UcQuCdtuSu
$3.50. 900 to this fund. she giving like
amounts or two and quarter million
dollars in all. to the Presbyterian and
Congregational funds for the old min
listers. Other gifts amounting to $780,
900 for this fund have been reported
since the conference opened
In the committee on temporal econ
omy e. L. Stickney of Moulton Is on the
sub committee on church property. Mr..
Stickney is accompanied by his wife
and son, the latter being one Of the
pages on the floor Of the conference.
J. S. Bellamy Of Knoxville is giving
special attention to the book concern
and state OF the church committees in
which matters Of interest to the labor
ing man are considered. He favors the
establishment Of department Of labor
in the church, broadening the work Of
the present social service department.
and used as a means for getting the
church and the great labor element In
closer accord.
Rev. e. J. Shook Is on two committees
that intimately affect Lis work as dis
tr4ct superintendent In obtaining church
efficiency they being Sunday schools
and Epworth league. The members Of