Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-27
LAY CONFERENCE
TAKES UP SALES
Committee Reports Against Com
mercialized Propositions IN
Churches.

A ban upon all commercialized sales ant
offerings In houses of worship Is forecas
in the unanimous agreement OF the Lay
Conference committee on resolution:
upon MIR. Drennen resolution to prohibit
all such sales as being contrary to tn,
sacred purposes of the MethodlstChurch
The resolution was referred to the com
mittee Yesterday at the closing moment
after an unsuccessful effort of the author
TO have the Conference adopt it without
referring it to the committee, which hao
finished its work for the day.
The idea is that the great Centenary
fund of the church will obviate such means
OF raising necessary money as have been
resortcd to in the past. The resolution
reads as follows:
Whereas. the Founder of the Church
has said that His house must not be made
a place of merchandise, and
"NhereaS our fundamental church law
declares that "our churches are decidated
10 the services of God, the reading of the
Holy Scriptures, the preaching of the
Word of God. the administration of the
HOLY Sacramcuts, and for all other exer-
ciscs of religious worship and service,
according TO the Discipline and Usage
Of the Methodist Episcopal Church;
therefore be it.
Resolved, first, that it is the sense OF
this Lay Electoral Conference that the
holding OF bazaars. festivals, suppers and
other money-making enterprises III our
churches is contrary to the expressed
command of our Lord and Master.
Second, that it is a perverslon and
desecration Of our houses of worship;
Third. that il is unlawful, in view of
the terms of the deeds Of our churches an
the civil laws that exempt church propert
from taxation on account of their moral
and spiritual purpose. Further be it
Resolved that we record our emphatic
protest against such PROCLAMATION of our
churches, and that we believe the honest
Eaying Of the expenses of the Church of
Jesus Christ to be consistent with the
Centenary ideal
That we lmportune our people, both
ministerial and lay, to use their utmost
endcavor to the end that this thing shall
cease to be.
An old-fashioned Methodist love feast
marked the opening of today's session.
Judge Henry {. Conrad. chairman, open
ed the meeting and then turned the service
over to ID. s. Clark. of kenton. The
service resolved itself into an experience
meeting and song service.
RESOLUTION ADOPTED
The conference adopted the resolution
without dissenting vote Before the
vote it was Welded that the resolution
would not necessarily interfere with
holding festivals, etc. in outside rooms
dedicated to such purposes One dele
gate who objected to summary action
upon the resolution yesterday withdrew
his opposition TODAY in announcing a
better understanding of the text.
So II is apparently nderstood that
the auditorium and Sunday school rooms
alone are forbidden to be used for COM
mercialized purroses. The class room
was mentioned as a probable exception TO
the prohibition of the resolution.
The endowment commission after its
meeting Friday evening today recon-
mended raising S5OOOO0 for the con-
ference claimants fund The commission
stated that S254. .O00in cash. bequests and
subscriptions has alteady been raised, but
that this has SHRINK TO approximately
sl25,OO0 on the basis Of the lower pur-
chasing power of the dollar
The conference adopted thi recon-
mendation and further another recon-
mendation that the claimants be paid
quarterly hereafter, beginning with the
next conference. Meantime, the fund Is
directed TO be safely invested.
The conference also adopted resolu-
ton that the conference make provision
to take care of several local preachers IN
the Wilmington conference who have
grown old IN the service.
Dr. H. c. Budd, president of Wesleyan
Collegiate Institute, made an appeal to
the conference for further support of
the schools work for Methodism on the
peninsula lie waived aside some legal
objections that once obtained TO the in
stitute holding or acquiring certain forms
OF property or means. and assured the
delegates the organization is now fully
qualified to accept and make excellent
Use Of any contributions for the work.
MEMORIAL TO AsBURY.
Judge Conrad read communi cation
from Bishop Hamilton, Of Washington,
ID. C., asking contributions for the
erection Of q suitable memorial in the
capital to Francis Asbury, founder of
Methodism in America.
Judge Conrad approved the idea and
said he would contribute. He also asked
the delegates TO give what they could.
The plan Is TO erect a monument of the
first Methodist missionary In this coun-
try, upon his horse, with the saddle bags,
TO commemorate the missiOnary's mode
of travel over his circuit, extending from
Georgia to Maine.
Judge Conrad further called attention
TO the fact that Asbury came near making
his home IN Kent county.
when they were arresting Tories
during the Revolution, Asbury hid In
the swamps of Kent county" said Judge
Conrad. He was determined 10 devote
his life to the propagation of Methodism.
Three of the delegates to the General
Conference-Judge Conrad, J. W. Wheat
ley and Edmund {. Hardesty-were
formally presented 10 the conference at
the close of the session.
Former State Senator l.. Atwood Ben
nett, of the Salisbury district, was absent.
Professor Short, secretary, told the dele
gates the next conference would expect
them to give an account of their steward
ship. Judge Conrad facetiously replied
''We may not get back In year. The
delegates all laughed.
The conference closed with reading of
the minutes by Secretary Short. The
laymen then adjourned TO join with the
ministers for the remainder of the day.
VITAL STATISTICS.