The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-12
N. F. CONFERENCE MEETS
IN DOVER DURING MARCH
Risboo Bristol. ID. D.. of Tennessee.
Once Pastor of President Nci>m-
lev, Will Preside.

The Fiftieth Session OF the Will
mington Annual Conference OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church will
meet in Dover, Wednesday, March 20
1918. Bishop Frank NJ. Bristol, d.
D., of Chattanooga, Tennessee, once
the pastor of President Mckinley.
will preside. The Wilmington Con-
ference comprising all the territory
of Delaware and the Eastern Shore
of Maryland and Virginia, was form
ed through a division of the old
PHILADELPHIA Conference in 1869 and
its first session was held at Asbury
Church, Wilmington, and Bishop
Matthew Simpson was the presiding
officer. The first session held in Do
yer was on March 8, 1871; nine
wears later on March Il, 1880, an
other session convened in the State
CAPITAL: again on March Is, 1895,
a third session was held in Dover;
the fourth session held in Dover was
on March IS, 1914, so that the COM
ing session will make the fifth time
this body has met in Wesley Church.
When it is recalled that the Meth
odist Episcopal Church is the domi-
nant religious body of this territory,
denominations combined, it is not to
be marveled at, that the coming to-
eether of its nearly two hundred pas
tors, its four district superintend-
ents, and it's presiding bishop, rep
resenting a membership of more
than $4,000 a Sunday School en-
rollment of more than $4,000, with
a constituency of twice that number,
ircr
about three and one-half millions,
and bringing together approximately
100000 from the churches as the
annual offering for missionary and
other benevolent activities, is an
event of more than mere passing i'm
portance.
While the Conference proper will
formally open with the administra-
ton of the Sacrament of the LORDS
Supper on Wednesday, March 20, at
9 O'Clock, the Board of Examiners
and the undergraduate classes will
meet on Monday afternoon preceding
and examination of candidates for
admission, and of those in the course
of study will be held, according to
printed schedule, Monday and Tues
day.
tails of the Conference session no
little amount of work is involved.
The program must be prepared and
the anniversaries dates must be set,
with the speakers for the differen.
occasions. A room must be provided
with tables and equipment for the
Conference Treasurer; another for
the Conference Statistician, and an
ho PnarH of
Stewards, to say nothing of the plans
to accommodate a dozen smaller
committees.
The Methodist Book Concern OF
New York will have large exhibit,
as will the Book Depository of Ba:-
timore, with statesmen to represent
each. There will also be missionary
exhibits, maps, charts. and cur1os
and perhaps also a Sunday Scnoof
display. Perhaps, however, the
greatest task of all in making ar
rangements for the Conference. is
the providing for the entertainment
of the members of the Conference
and the official visitors. However,
this is seldom as hard as it might
seem, since members of all churches
are accustomed to open their homes
for the accOmm Odat1on OF the VISIT
ing ministers practice that Meth
odist people always gladly recipro-
cate when other ecclesiastical bodies
meet on this territory.
The canvass for homes will soon
be begun and it would very greatly
facilitate the work if all those who
contemplate assisting in the enter
tainment of the Conference would SO
notify the Conference host,the pas
tor of Wesley Church. Many have
done so already and have named q
particular friend they cared to en-
tertain So far as it can be done,
every wish in this respect will be
gratifed In these days of automo-
biles and quick transportation, the
nearby towns, Camden, Wyoming,
etc, and many farmers will doubt
less find it feasible to assist in the
entertainment There is no town on
the Shore that is better equipped for
easy handling of this kind of pro
position than is Dover, and accus-
toned to doing large things in fine
way Dover viii respond in her
characteristic manner.