Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-08
GREAT GROWTH
OF U. B. CHURCH
Big Delegations of Pennsylva-
mia Ministers and Laymens
Going to Conference

Chambersburg, Pa, May 8. -
Pennsylvania, one of the strongholds
of United Brethrenism, is to be rep
resented by forty-four delegates at
the twenty-seyenth quadrennial ses-
sion of the General Conference of
the Church of the United Brethren
in Christ at Wichita, Kan. May 10
to %. This conference, which is the
highest governing body of the de-
nomination, during its sessions will
elect general church officers, deter
mine the budget and enact legisla-
ton for the whole church for the
next four years. Six bishops will be
in attendance at the sessions: W.
NJ, Weekley, Parkersburg. w. Va,
bishop of East District; G. M. Mat
thews, Dayton, Ohio, bishop of Cen
trail District; II. Fl. Fout, Indianapo-
lis, Ind, bishop of Northwest Dis
trict; c. j. Kephart. Kansas City,
Mo-. bishop of Southwest District;
w. M. Bell, Los Angeles, Cal, bishop
of Pacific District, and A. T. Howard,
bishop of Foreign District. The cleo
ton of bishops for tedms of four
years will take place at the confer
ence and the reelection of these six
men is expected
The conference will consist of over
two hundred delegates elected from
all parts of the United States. A COM
parison of this sessions number of
delegates with that of the first Cen
eral Conference of the Church shows
in a measure the marvellous growth
of the church. The first conference,
which convened in 1915 in a small
log schoolhouse at Mt. Pleasant,
Westmoreland county, Pa, was at
tended by fourteen delegates, there
having been but twenty delegates
elected. At that time there was one
bishop in the whole denomination;
the Rev. Christian Newcomer being
elected to that. office by the 1916 con-
ference. The second general confer
ence took place just one hundred
years ago. Since then it's sessions
nave been held quadrennially.
To-day the United Brethren
church has in round numbers $780,
600 members, and 3,400 houses of
worship and 1900 parsonages, whose
combined valuation is over $4,000
OOO. 1t is now one of the ten leading
denominations in the United States,
besides being the oldest and the next
to the strongest among the Ameri-
can-born denominations.
The delegates from the Pennsylva-
mia and East Pennsylvania confer
ences of the church met at Harris
burg on Monday evening and left for
Dayton, Ohio. They were Joined en-
route to Dayton by the Allegheny
conference delegation. At DAYTON.
the site of the denominations big
publishing house and the headquar-
ters of the general church officers,
the Pennsylvania delegations, with
others, took a special train for the
scene of the general conference.
The Pennsylvania conference dele
cation consistd of these men:
Ministerial - The Revs. w. Fl.
Washinger and l.. w. Lutz, of Cham
bersbprg; A. A. Long and J. P.i
Koontz, of York: G.. D. Gossard, of
Annville; A. r. Ayres. of New Cum
berland; A. B. Station, of Hagers-
town, Md. Lay = E. E. Houseman,
Harry r. Lease and M. S. Meredith,
of York; j. b. Wingerd. of Cham
bersburg; G. M. Washinger, of Le-
moyne; w. n. McFaul, of Baltimore,
Md; j. Fl. Kiracofe, of Hagerstown,
Md.
In the East Pennsylvania Confer
ence group were these delegates:
Ministerial-TheR Revs. d. ID. Low
cry and j. A. Lyter, of Harrisburg; S.
G. Enck, of Philadelphia; I. II. AL
bright, of Middletown; II. E. Miller,
of Lebanon; r. r. Butterwick, of
G. ID. Batdorf, of Lancaster.
Lay - A. S. Light and E. P. Strick-
Ter, of Lebanon; A. S. Kreider of
Annville; j. r. Engle, of Palmyra;
c. l.. Grabill, of Lancaster; II. j.
Roop, of Highspire, and II. L. Carl,
of Harrisburg.