The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-01
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF THE METHODIST EPISC0-
PAL CHURCH, SARASOTA
SPRINGS, N. Y, MAY l'Sl

a,e..,so onar.unlal session OF Tue
General conference oil Tue wv
Episcopal cnurcn Inis
noov !, over el.nt hunured ministers
,,,an in equal NUMBERS meets
avarv tour years 10 reVie" the worn
;, me cnurcn ana to revise ana adu
ne legislation. The General Con-
terenc is maze up OF delegates from
tbe one hundred and thlrty-Inree An
Inual Conferences, the Annual Con-
terence is made up OF delegates from
Methodism. These delegates are
elected on a basis of one Ministerial
delegates for every torty-nve, or
fraction not less than tWo-thirds or
forty-hve, ministerial members pn
any given Annual Conference, the
number of lay delegates always be-
ing the same for each Conference as
it's ministerial delegates. Laymen
were first admitted to the General
Conference in 1872, and in 1900
women were acknowledged as lay
members. These lay delegates are
elected at meeting of one represen-
tative from each local church in each
Annual Conference territory. For the
past twelve months, as the Annual
Conferences have met, delegates have
been elected.
Inc nrst General Conference OF
American Mt4LnOuism was neid III
balulmore, maryland, IN 1872, at
wnlcn ali preachers IN run member
i snip oil an Annual conference We're
englule. Inc nrsL ueIeeaIeu uenerai
Conference was held III New lorh
Guy, May l-22, 1917. AT TINS ConIer-
ence the hrst Episcopal auuress, an
utterance when mas become Oh IN
creaslng Importance, was delivered.
TINS episcopal address Is now ac-
cepted as the omclal declaration oil
| Tic Oh luIpOl bohS NhNOASoANNAB
administrative, ana social proplenls
At the General Conference he'd IN
New York city in 1874, the agl@-
ton over slave holding became so
acute as to result III plans Tor sep
aratlon between that section of the
church in the North and tho section
in the South. The Methodist Eplsco-
pal Church, South, was organized IN
Louisville, Kentucky, May /, 1915.
Methodism began in America with
the arrival of Philip Embury and
Barbara heck, Irish immigrants, who
were enthusiastic in the propaganda
of their faith. John Wesley, who
was the founder of Methodism in
England, remained at the head OF
American Methodism until the Rev
dictionary War severed relationships
between England and the United
States. All of the preachers with
the exception of Francis Asbury re-
turned across the sea, whereupAn,
September /, 1884, John Wesley or
dained DR.. Thomas Coke to be SUI
perintendent or bishop of the Metho-
dist societies of the United States OF
America. There are now twenty bish-
ops and seven missionary bishops
serving the Methodist Episcopal
Church throughout the world. The
former are elected by General Con-
ference and located for periods of
four years each in cities which are
designated Episcopal residences. The
latter are elected by General Confer
ence for continuous service in spe-
cific fields.
The Methodist Episcopal Church
was organized at Baltimore, Mary.
land, at the so-called Christmas Con.
ference, December "a, 1884, to Jan.
uary 2, 1885. At that time there
were 1O4 preachers and $4,000 com
municants. There are now ovel
$4,000 preachers an 4,O33,12 mem
bers. In the early days of the Meth
odist Church the salary of preacher
was S64. If married, he received thu
similar amount for his wife, with 81
for each child under six and S22 fol
each child between six and eleven.
Among the important matters tina
will come before the General Confer
ence at Saratoga Springs are tht
questions concerning organic unio1
with the Methodist Episcopa
Church, South, which as been unde,
discussion with both of these i'm
! portant branches of Methodism 70
! some time; the question whether tn
church shall elect bishops for race
and languages; the election of bish.
ops to take the place of those VIII
4 have died during the last four year
l and those who will retire from &C
4 tive service automatically by reaso
D Of this session being nearest to thei
] seventy-third birthday; the electio