The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-05
MANY CHANGES IN
 METHODIST CHURCH POLICY ARE ASKED
Rest From Financial Drives Is Asked by the North Alabama Conference
 in Memorial
By Assnciated Press

1aol SpFlhESs Arka May rials requesting changes ot 70 V conceivable kind in the policN Methodist Episcopal church, dth, were under consideration this after noon and tonight by the various com mittees of the general conference now in session here. They were pre- sented at the morning session by the various annual conferences and gen. eral boards and were immediately re- ferred to committees.
 Among the more important changes advocated are those concerning limit ing the tenure of the bishops office, making the president of the Wom- ems society member Of the local quarterly conference, establishing a sanitarium in Colorado. making q new annual conference in Arizona, creating womans board of missions and a board of home missions, and eorrelating the work of the various boards
 Would Halt Drives
 Among others was one asking rest from financial drives" which came from the north Alabama con ference. During the past quadren nium two such drives were conducted. The missionary campaign pledged the sum of s57, o00,oo0 for missions, while the Christian educational movement secured s23.00o.000 for the cause of education. A third campaign is con templated for the next quadriennium in the interest of the superannuated preachers of the church.
 It was said the memorial repre- sents conservative reaction from the drives" that element preferring to have the church finance it's benev- olent causes by the old methods which characterized it's activity in the past. It was declared by some delegates. however that the ma iority would not be content to reverse the policy, which has achieved for the church the greatest success ever at tained in it's history"
 The surerannuated campaign was said to he almost d certainty, while the missionary and education move ment will doubtless be pushed to completion
 Field Workers Heard
 representative gfoup of field workers were on the platform at the night session when q program was rendered under the board of mis- sions supervision. Dr, w. w Pin son, secretary of the board. presided at the session and many of the for eign tengued representatives were introduced and their remarks inter- preted
 Speaking for Brazil J. W. Clay called that country the great melting pot of the world. now that it's doors were open 10 the world. while restric- tions were the rule in other coun- tries. He reported progress there.
 Rev. ] w Cline of China. told of the present strife between the great war lords of southern and central China. which he called meraiy part of China attempting to find herself He stated that tho difficulty in China was the student body which offered the most opposition to the work of Christianizing the nation.
 Wesley c. Crem. of Korea. reported progress in missionary work in that country.
 Speakers from Mexico. Portugal China, Japan and all the fields In which the missionaries are at work were heard.
 Interesting Discussion Likely
 The first mention of what may later prove to be an interesting dis cussion was heard in the appointment of committe to which will be re- ferred doetrinal soundness and mat ters pertaining to the faith It was declared that during the past few months the tra-conservative ele- ment of the church have been active in a campaign directed against the alleged existence of heresy in the chuch. During the discussion it was stated that attacks had been made upon large number of church lead CTS on the alleged ground that the persons attacked were departing m belief or practice from the standards of Methodism. and that a former pro- lessor in Soo Chow university in China had waged campaign based on allegations that the mis- sionaries in the various foreign fields were tinctured with heretical door Urine.
 Investigation Demanded
 A wholesome investigation of mis- sionaries. colleges. teachers. preach CTS. boards and agencies with view to ferretine out whatever unMetho- distic tenets may be held were de- manded in memorials presented to- day. They are now under considera- tion by a special committee.
 By vote of the general confer ence ii was ordered that each bishop should make his report immediately after the adoption of the journal Fri day morning. This is the first time in the history of the church that the bishops have been required to make reports to the supreme governing body. The law making this provision was passed at the last general con- ference.
 resolution was adopted provid- ing that members of the various con- nectional boards of the church should be selected by the delegates from each annual conference instead of being chosen by the general confer ence committees The plan provides that the delegations shall nominate men for each board and that the com mittees must nominate the member ship of the boards from the list of men thus selected.
 The commission on unification sub- mitted it's report and r<commenda- tions today, This commission has for eight years been engaged in an ef- fort with like committee from the northern Methodist church to bring about union of all the Methodist bodies in America
 JURY FIXING ATTEMPT
 IN SMALL CASE. CHARGE