The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-12-11

! years. nave never naO charge
that gave me enough money to live
on. In the last year, on my circuit
at Fenholloway, have had to earn
two-thirds of my living by my own
labor, in a rough country where there
has been little opportunity to earn
money. l have skinned dead horses
and cows in the woods to eke out a
living for my family. My wife broke
her arm, and had to do the house
work for two months. l have ridden
, fifty miles and preached three times
day, and collected only forty cents
In my meetings. The largest church
in my circuit has five members. To
feed my family Of seven, with -four at
SIG barrel and meat at forty cents
a pound, has been terrible problem,
but l have made these sacrifices. !
believe God called me to preach
eleven years ago, and II l am not as
much Of a student as some, l have
preached the gospel, and vii 60 on
preaching 1t. II the presiding elders
cannot find me charge. can find
one for myself"
What about the other ten years of
your ministry. in which you have
failed in your studies?" asked the
bishop
They have been all alike" de-
clared the preacher II have asked
the presiding elders to give me a
charge where l could have a chance
to study, but they have never done SO.
tried last year to get an audience
with the bishop. but did not succeed,
to tell him about my affairs. Because
can work in hard charges l have
been kept in that kind"
The big, earnest-faced man, whose
face and bearing showed the marks
of a life of hardship and trouble,
faced the conference with a tremor
in his voice, and begged them not to
crush him by driving him out of the
ministry. The presiding elder insist
ed, however. that no other course was
possible than that he suggested, as.
serting that Mr.. Lord himself was re-
sponsible for the condition of his
charges, and declaring that he lacked
sympathy and kindness, was hard on
the people, and was not wanted by
those to whom he had preached. Mr..
Lord denied that this was so, and
asked that laymen in the church be
called upon to say whether or not
they wanted him to return to them.
Raised Another Question
Under the laws of the church, the
bishop instructed Mr.. Lord to leave
the house while his case was being
disposed of, and vote was about to
be taken when Mr. Roberts changed
the whole situation by the charge
that the preacher had not accounted
for $13 he had collected for mission.
ary purposes.
This aroused lengthy discussion
as to whether he could be made q
local preacher while under such an
aspersion. The bishop ruled that
there was no formal charge which re-
ected upon the mans moral charac-
ter, and after G. A. Summers, con.
ference mission secretary, had ex-
planned that Mr. Lord had written him
but had not done so, the whole mat
ter was referred to a committee for
full investigation.
Rev. E. F. Ley. before this action
was taken, pleaded that the man be
given another chance to make good.
while e. A. Gates. F. H. Bridges
and M. H. Outland declared their be-
lief that Mr.. Lord was not fitted for
the ministry and it would be a kindly
act to him and his family to locate"
him
The committee absolved Mr.. Lord
iioIh pidihc III tHe IndtteT OF the MIS-
sion money and he was placed on the
list as local preacher.
1t was announced that R. L. Sum.
ner of Maitland is carried on the
rolls as superannuate. although he
has never completed his fourth year
course and been ordained. and the
bishop declared this to be a remark
able situation. Members of the fourth
year class were elected elders and
ordered to be ordained, as follows:
Ira NJ. Belt. James A. Hendry, Joseph
II. Daniels, Kimner Hollster. Shelby
A. Wilson and Livingstone Munro.
Charles E. York. William T. Brant.
ley and lgnacio Gonzales were con.
tinued in the fourth year class. aad
Hans Steenbok, already an elder, was
passed. j. j. Thompson was re