Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-24

planning for a rousing annual con-
vention to be held at Columbia on
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 10
and IL. A strong program has been
prepared which will be a feast of
good things for all these who will
be able to attend the big gathering
of the young hosts. Among the spe-
cial features will be a series of
daily expositions on the book of
James which will be given by the
Rev. l. M. Hershey; two addresses,
one on 1.-The Infallibility of the
Bible" and the other on THE
Home" by Prof. ]. 7. Spangler;
The United Enlistment Movement
will be fully explained by the Rev.
S. c. Enck, Philadelphia, superin-
tendent of the East Pennsylvania
Conference of the United Brethren
church; a Conference on Methods"
will also be conducted. The Junior
hour will be very interesting for the
young people. The intermediate
work will be considered and on the
last evening of the convention a
patriotic rally will be held for the
return of the soldiers. The conven-
ton theme will be The Spiritual
Life" with emphasis on Prayer"
and Bible Study"
Every society in the conference is
urged to elect delegates and send
the names to William Hineman,
chairman of the entertainment COM
mittee, Columbia, Pa.
The following branch officers did
excellent work during the past year:
President, the Rev. I. w. Seldom
ridge Elizabethtown; vice president,
the Rev. G. A. Richie, Allentown,
corresponding secretary, the Rev.
o. T. Ehrhart, Lebanon. treasurer
the Rev. c. e. Boughter, Readlng'
recording secretary, Miss Laura Stur-
gis, Lititz; Junior superintendent
Miss Myrtle Bachman, Middletown'
intermediate superintendent, the
Rev. William A Krick, Lebanon'
missionary superintendent, the Rev.
TT M. Miller, Penbrook; press re-
porter. the Rev. o. G. Romig, Den
YER. :.
The United Brethren church is
we'll represented in the general woTh
of Christian Endeavor. The Kew n
F. Shupe. d. D., and Bishop w. M
weelSley, D. D., of Dayton, O'' are
trustees of Che United Society OF
Christian Endeavor. The Rev. ~;
n Deever. of Dayton, o., general
secretary, is one of the speclal truS,
tees representing denomlnalioliai
Young Peoples work. u,,
The church sprang from the WORK
of early evangelists in this country !,
ana esnecialIy from the labors OF
PbiIin William Otterbein ana ol
Martin Boehm. Boehm was a Men :
nonite pastor in Pennsylvania, Oh
Sries descent. Otterbein came TO
America from Prussia In 1752 as d
missionary to the German Retor1neu
church and settled at Lancaster
of like mind, travelled extensively
Roth of these preachers, and others
holding PRAYER meetings ana larSe
outdoor gatherings for religious pur-
noses. and everywhere making con
verts These converts were oroueh'
together under teachers and MINIS
tors and thus churches srrang up
in MANY places. THESE churcnes
were in the habit of meeting lot
con ference concerning their WORK
the first of such conferences peihs
held in Baltimore in 1888.
Tn 1900 these scattered churches
were finally united in one denomlhd-
tion, This was effected at a confer
ence held in Frederick county, Mu.'
Otterbein and Boehm being present
with Geeting, Newcomer and nlne
others. The denominatlonal nahlv :,
of "The United Brethren in Chrlst
was chosen, and Otteroeln anu
Roehm were elected bishops. soon
it became necessary to have TWO an, !,
nual conferences, and the secohu
one was formed in Ohio.
At first the United Brethren were
almost entirely German, but no"
nearly all the members of the de-
nomination are Enghsh-speaklnS'
though there are some German con-
ferences.
The discipline of the denomlna-
tion IFS rules of order, and its con-
fession of faith, were adopted III
1S15 They are much like those OF
the Methodist church, emphasizing
in theology the doctrine of free will
rather than the Calvinistic doctrine
of foreordination, and having the
Methodist itineracy and other
Methodist features. The bishops
are not elected for life as in the
Methodist church, but for -four
years, though they may be re-
elected
Women may be ordained tc
preach. The General Conference OF
the denomination meets once every
four years. In 1889 the United
Brethren revised their confession oi
faith and their constitution, making
number of changes, the important
of which were the admission OF
laymen to the General Conference
and modifying the old provision
absolutely forbidding membership
in secret societies by forbiddine
connection with secret societies thai
infringe upon the rights of others
and injure the Christian character
of their members. These changes
were adopted by the General Con
ference. but a minority, led by
Bishop Milton Wright, father of the
| Wright Brothers of aviation fame
held that the changes were not made
| in a constitutional manner anC
| therefore withdrew, forming thu
United Brethren in Christ Gold Con