The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-12-08
LAKELAND NOW
HEADQUARTERS
OF METHODISM
(By Rev. ID. B. SweatD

Lakeland is becoming headquarters
for so much of the Methodist work
and enterprises OF South Florida that
ii is frequently referred to as the hub
OF Methodism in this section, and at
this season when reports are being
formulated for The annual conference
90 be held this week in Orlando. sons
interesting stories may be given CO..
corning the work of this denomination
in the city.
As is we'll known this city is the
home for Greater Southern COLLEGE
which will be- erected TN the beau T.
full hill facing Mcdonald s.ree. ard
overlooking Lake Hollingsw0rth. The
IS acres owned by Southern College
is covered by Bearing orange trees,
and there is good crop of fruit on
the trees.
DR.. W. 0. LeMasters, business
manager Of the college, has been
. resident of Lakeland for Il year or
more, at first having charge of the
campaign for Christian education and
later selected as business manager of
Methodism's splendid institution of
learning.
Home of Florida Christian Advocate
The Florida Christian Advocate. the
official paper, owned by the Florida
Conference, is printed and published
from the offices of the Florida Meth.
odist Publishing Company, located on
Lime street. The paper was moved to
Lakeland about nine years ago, and
the editor announced then that the
paper would cease itinerating for a |
season, after it had made the circuit
in its wanderings to almost every sec
ton of the state.
DIR. j. Edgar Wilson, the present
editor, has been in charge for the past
eight years, and the manner in which
he has stood by the proposition and
built constructively for the establish
ment and maintenance of the institu-
ton has demonstrated that the con-
ference made no mistake when they
selected him as the editor and man.
ager of the paper.
The Methodist Publishing Com
pany has been organized and guided
through the years, in spite of many
difficulties, by DR.. Wilson, and it is
today one of the well-established in
situations of the city of Lakeland.
The Advocate is closing success
full year, the editor being responsible
for the statement that this year has
been little less strenuous in the con-
duct of the paper than some other
years have been. This publication is
in magazine form, containing sixteen
pages and is issued every Thursday
to-. f,,1I
5000 copies average per issue. Twice
during the year the editors have is
sued 32-page editions, with increased
circulation and a fine line of adver-
Using.
Headquarters of Sunday School Work
Lakeland is also the headquarters
of the Sunday school work OF the
conference, this being the home of the
conference field secretary, Prof. F. M.
Williamson, and the elementary SUI
perintendent, Miss Lola Lawler. Com
modious offices have been opened in
the Telegram building and the field
workers have been busy for several
weeks preparing an exhibit to be
shown to the members of the annual
conference at Orlando.
The city of Lakeland is the home
of DR.. S. w. Lawler, secretary of edu-
cation, who is also president of the
conference Sunday school board DR..
Lawler has done splendid work in
putting over the Christian education
movement in Florida, and he is one of
the most enthusiastic of our Sunday
school leaders.
Three Churches Make Good Reports
First church, the mother church in
Lakeland, will make an excellent re-
port to the conference Rev. j. F..
Bell is closing his second year of
successful work as the leader of this
great church. His report to the con-
ference this week will show $50 &C.
cessions to the church, AZ on profess
sion OF faith; the present member.
ship of the church being about 900.
This church has one of the big Sun
day schools of the conference, with an
enrolment of 655 in all departments.
There are so on the cradle roll, so
in the home department, and 80 Of
ficers and teachers. The Sunday
school raised this year for all pur-
poses $2,191. The Woman's Mission
airy Society is live organization with
100 members, the society. having
raised this year $1,641.
Mission Churches Make Fine Reports
For several years the two suburban
churches in Lakeland have been
worked jointly, the name of the
charge being Dixieland and Myrtle
Street. This year the churches have
been conducted separately. Myrtle
Street being in charge of Rev. Holmes
Logan, and D. B. Sweat serving the
Dixieland church. The financial re-
ports of these two churches will be
more than double that Of the two
churches last year. Each church will
report more than $4,000 raised for all
purposes. Myrtle Street reports SO
additions to the church and Dixie
land 60 The total membership of
the Myrtle Street church is SO and
the membership of Dixieland is 116.