The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-31
GATHERING AT ENSLEY FOR BIG CONFERENCE
Bishop CandIer Will Preside Over Sessions Because Of Bishop Murrah'S Sudden At- tack Of Illness In Birming- ham
ENSLEY BUREAU l THE AGE-HERALD ] EnaIaxr An nnk Qn

EnSleys Aia,, Oct. 3O
 With Bishop Warren A. Candler of Atlanta presiding, the fifty fourth annual session of the North Alabama Methodist conference will get down to work in Ensley Wednesday morn- ing. The announcement was made Tuesday that Bishop Murrah, who was to have presided, was taken sud- denly i'll in Birmingham Monday night and was compelled to return reached over the long distance and consented to come to Ensley and pre- side at the session. This is the only change so far announced in connec- tion with the plans for the confer ence.
 The session Wednesday morning will be opened by the administration of sacrament, according to the uses of the Methodist church. Shortly thereafter the laymen and ministers will start the five days work, which will conclude next Monday whep as- signments for the new year will be announced by the bishop.
 Headquarters for the conference in the Ensley Methodist church present. ed a very busy scene Tuesday, as the ministers began to arrive, and were assigned homes during their stay in this city The registration Tuesday exceeded 275, and it was believed that the total number of 500 would be reached before the opening of the conference Wednesday. Just as rap- idly as the visitors reached Ensley they were taken in charge by com mitteemen from the Methodist church and were given data about the con- ference and the locality to guide them during the stay.
 During the afternoon of Tuesday the cabinet met at the home of Mrs D. F. Faircloth with Rev. Dr. Price, presiding elder of the Birmingham district, presiding. The cabinet, composed of 13 presiding elders, was making preliminar yplans for the conference and deliberating on filling some vacancies on various boards which come within the province of their work. It was stated to The Age-Herald during the early evening be made, 1t being merely intimated that the deliberations of the cabinet were formality more or less which would be fully explained at the open ing Wednesday.
 The presiding elders of the Meth Give Assignments Monday.
 The presiding elders of the Meth. odist church have direction of minis ters for the next year, and while no assignments will be announced until Monday, and then by Bishop Candler, it was suggested that the cabinet would, during the afternoon of Wednesday, make some preliminary moves in that direction.
 So far as Ensley is concerned, it is believed that few if any changes will be made in this section. Rev. Will liam H. Mansfield, pastor of the First church. is expected to be re- turned here. In fact, 1t was stated that he was assured of being re- turned. The statement was also made that Rev. Thad Mcdonald at Fairfield would not be disturbed, nor would D. G. Mackey, pastor in charge of the Mccoy Memorial church at Owenton, or Rev. Mir. Holmes, pastor of the Ensley Highland Methodist church.
 The assemblage of the conference in Ensley finds the various commit tee appointed by the Ensley Method ist church with their work well done. There has been nothing left undone