Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-10
SUPER|NTENDEN1S
GIVE THEIR REPORTS
Heads of Northern and Southern
M. E. Districts Tell of Years
Work

|
| r..
~. 1Aioahs' april Sat this morning
ooss'oii VI the vermont Methodist Confer
1hoe the Reports Oh the two district super
| oeh's' the rev. II. w. Sharp OF st
| lor tne northern district, ant
Wy "hiianl shaw, Ph. d., or THU
80 ior the southern district, were read
% business was transacted. Mis-
o",ai Nhurch reported regarding the dea
| go, WIN III Barre ana the ReV
~ ~ iNarick' -. D'' OF washington
- was introduced TO the conference
~. VIC o,ose vi the morning session Bisnol
| ieueIlck ~ Leete spoke on "Orderlines!
III 0nris'Ian WORK.
ms ai'erhoon tne anniversary or th'
Iiohhe missionary society toof
p,".e' 'he rev 4. +. Frost u D., or BRAD
ioro' making the address. This evening
VIC ainiVersarIes OF the BOARD OF temper
80 ',u 'ie Freeomens Ala society were
.ioiu VI, Narick spoke AT the temper
a"oe anniversary ana the rev. r. D. NE
veety, -. ~ oi C'ncinnati' ohio' at 'he
'feeoihehs Ala anniversary.
SUPT. SHARP'S REPORT
The northern district of the conference
Superintendent Sharp reported. covers
three whole counties and n mart Of av,
others. II has 90 townships. consisting q,
4 1862 Gao acres with n nonu,ation Of 14A
621 or "a Tia acres for eacb man woman
and child. within the bounds of the dis.
trict. There are 6,531 members of the
Methodist Church with a property valued
at $685. $50 In one county alone there are
five whole townships without a Christian
Church of any denomination and in one
Of the townships there ia not n preacher
school teacher. LAWYER. constable. doctor
undertaken. town clerk. groceryman
blacksmith, shoemaker or grave digger
no child has ever been born there and nc
adult has ever died.
Several churches have paid off their
debts in whole or in part and repairs and
improvements have been made on parson.
age and church property to the amount
of IS, $780,
The Riverside campmeeting was held
In August and was the only meeting
Of the kind within the bounds of the
conference, or in the State of Vermont
Four charges report no changes in
membership; "a report a decrease, while
IS report an increase Two hundred and
sixty nine persons have been received
into full membership, and 1872 on proba =
ton. One hundred and twelve adults
and 1874 babies have been baptized. The
net increase in full members on the dis
trict is 1856
There has been no sweeping revival
reported at any place, but there have
oeeh conversions IN many Oh tne cnurcnes'
Which Is largely que 10 personal WORK.
Inc p'ah ior campaign Oh co-opera'iVe
eVahsehsn throughout the ehtire uistTlct
nad 10 be abandoned on account OF the
ePioemic' out propaoiy IL Will De put
IN operation next year.
regular benevolences nave suHered
much ny the prevailing epidemic ana
the many special contributions people
have been called upon to make. Yet
1t Is expected the offerings Will equal
or exceed those of last year. Barre Is
<he only church In the district that
raised all its appointments in full last
year and is doing it again this year.
The rural problem is not yet solved.
One OF the most serious situations is the
little rural village over churched and the
rural pastor under-paid Federation is
not the answer An equitable ex-
change of fields, the weaker church with
drawing all its interests leaving the field
to one denomination with the under
standing that the denomination occupy
ing the field shall nut in a strong man
canabIe of dealing with the situation
and bui,dine IN a strong church ia the
most workable Man VET discovered.
o
our l. "rhA"
Superintendent Shaw for the south
ern district reported that the district
extended from St. Adams to south Lon
donberry, distance OF 22O miles by
rail. There are IA churches served by
81 pastors. The year has been one OF
unrest and change. Several clergymen
have gone into the military service and
many other changes came through sick
ness, transfers or death. Many OF the
churches of the district have made
minor improvements or repairs neces-
sary to the upkeep Of the property but
usually 1t was not thought wise to
make etensive alterations because of
the largely increased cost and difficulty
of securing help to do the work. st.
Adams rededicated it's church after
the completion of the remodelling and
repairing of the ediflce at cost of
oh