The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1918-05-02
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
HOLDS GENERAL CONFERENCE
Address Prepared By Bishop Hoss Read By Bishop
Oenhy--- Comments President and Urges United
Support Of All american Citizens.
(By Associated Pressl

OtksLoItO1
ated Press)
marked opening session General Con-
les here today when Bishops address
ic, courageous Americans if we failed
]. every way" Greeted by enthusiastic
wed the declaration protesting against
,aken the Presidents hands or encour-
dress, which was the feature of the
,outhern Methodism in the past four
fore the meeting of the general con-
ference. The addrss declared: "The
College of Bishops, who had not been
consulted in any initial stage of the
proceedings, saw at the first glance
that the plan proposed involved the
complete dismemberment of our work
in Mexico and on that ground, as we'll
as for other reasons, entered an earn
est protest against it." For this, it
was said, the bishops have been
Enlarged with "autocratic assumption
|of an authority which we did not pos
sess, but the fact is we only insisted
on obedience to the action of the
general conference"
s. Elections of five bishops was recon-
mended in the address.
|g Concerning the question of unof-
|ficiation of American Methodism the
bishops address declared a report
would be presented by the commission
|appointed at the last general confer
|ence to confer with a like commits
|sion from the Methodist Episcopal
Church. "The general conference at
oklahoma City endorsed the tentative
plan adopted at Chattanooga in May,
|1911, by the joint commission of
federation," said the address. 1t was
S'saddition spggested that the negro
of the various Methodist
bodies be formed into an independent
organization holding fraternal rela-
tions with the reorganized and united
church. 1t is already known through
out the church that the commission
has had not less than four sittings.
We are unofficially informed however,
that the commission was not able to
reach an agreement. The commits
siopers representing our own church
went as far as they were authorized
to go. However, our brethren of the
Methodist Episcopal Church did not
see their way clear to agree to the
-.
our earnest hope that way may be
found for some plan of cooperation
among the Methodists of America
which shall as far as possible, elimi-
mated wastage of men and money in
the territory in which both churches
have established themselves"
The bishops reported the member
ship of the church to be: Travelling
preachers, including superannuates
1897; local preachers $3.50; lay mem
bers 2,164,515, an increase of more
than 10000 members since the last
general conference.
The address pointed out that there
had been some arrest during the past
year in the growth of the Sunday
schools, but the report for the quad
rennium showed remarkable progress.
The record given: 151 ,792 officers and
teachers, gain of 1890 and 1,745,-
745 scholars, gain Of 248,027.
Concerning missions the bishops
said "The amount contributed by our
church for missions during the past
quadrennium is far in advance of any
like period in the past, totalling $5,-
076,061, gain over the previous four
year period of $8O0,999. This, Of
course, includes what has been raised
for women's work"
The work of the Epworth League,
the educational board, the fund for
superannuates, the competition of the
fund for a representative church to
be erected at Washington and the
work of the centenary. commission,
which proposes to raise $35,000,000
during the next five years, also were
reviewed in the address.
TWO ADDITIONAL CANDIDATES