Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-05-26
BAPTIsTs IN CHATTANOOGA.
Incidents OF Great Convention Of
Southern Church.
Written for The Times.

'toh, WhicH met IN Chattanooga
on May 18th and lasted through
May 18th, has constituency of
2s,OOO churches with a combined
membership of about 1000, 900
members in IL States and the. Dis.
trict of Columbia. The conven-
ton IS thoroughly democratic, be-
ing composed OF men and women.
ministers and laymen. without
distinction. There were more than
$500 delegates enrolled at the
Chattanooga meeting which was
held IN the Billy Sunday taberna-
clc, with a seating capacity of
l,OQ0 or more. The Woman's
Nissionary union meeting this
year was separate and, with the
visitors, brought the total attend
ance to 5000 or 10000. The con
ventlon this year was called the
Loyalty convention. At Wash
lngton last year the Victory"
convention enrolled more than
S,uO0 representatives from the
churches and associations. In
Atlanta two years ago the enroll
mcnt was 4,200, or more than
2,0oo in excess of the number en-
rolled at any preceding conven-
ton.
have always heard that
pleasant company makes the
way short. y And | am assured
that this is true. The fellowship
of convention party is always a
goodly fellowship. 1t was no less
so on this trip than on others of
ITS kind which | have had the
pleasure OF attending in the past.
One OF the greatest pleasures of
these gatherings is the meeting
OF friends of other years and pla.
ccs brought together from the
ends OF the earth. This is liter
ally true here because in addition
to those one knows in the different
sections of the Southern conven-
tion territory he has the privilege
o, meeting and greeting mission
aries from almost every country
OH earth.
The Rev. j. r. Smith and the
hev. and Mrs. G.. c. Epps were
me only Fort Mill people who at
tended the convention besides
myself. AT the convention | saw
TOUR former pastors of the Fort
Mill Baptist church and ON the
train near Gaffney former pas
t"r OF the Presbyterian church.
AT Spartanburg we met large
number of delegates from Colum-
bla and the lower section of the
State. The Rev. S. p. Hair of
Fountain Inn carried delega-
flon numbering 20. two of this
number being Presbyterians.
We ran into hail storm at
Landrum and as we climbed Sa-
luda mountain we beheld the nm
usual but pretty sight Of the
ground we'll covered with ice of
snowy whiteness, giving ii a win
try appearance, though the trees
were clothed with living green.
The convention sent a message
O love and sympathy to DR.. j. B.
Gambrell of Texas, who has been
lis president for the past four
years. 1t also received from him
TIE inspiring message, "Do right
and go forward. DR.. T.. Y. Mul-
Inns, for the past u years presi-
dent of the Southern Baptist SEM
mary. Louisville. KY, was elected
president of the convention. A.
w. Chambliss, mayor of Chatta-
nooga, is son of the Rev. DR.. j.
A. Chambliss, the first full grad
uate, 1862, of the seminary. The
mayor s mother is still living and
one OF the happy Incidents of the
convention was her presentation
to it during the hour when the
seminary was under discussion.
All the work of the boards of
the convention, with it's colleges,
semnaries. hospitals. etc, was
well discussed and found to be in
excellent condition. During the
foreign mission hour about so of
the boards more than 400 mis-
sionaries were introduced and
number of them made brief ad-
dresses. The board is planning to
tt-sciri -Out another hundred work