The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-26
.UNIFICATION ISSUE MAY .BE DEBATED Talladega Gets North Alabama Methodist
 Meeting SESSIONS TO DRAW OVER 400 DELEGATES Dr. Stuart And Dr. Hen- drix Expected To Re-
 tain Pulpits In City 4 PRESIDING ELDERS TO BE TRANSFERRED Conference Will Be Held In Stately New $1OO,OOO Church
 Building
SESSIONS TO DRAW
 OVER 400 DELEGATES
4 PRESIDING ELDERS
 TO BE TRANSFERRED

TALLADEGA, Ala, Oct. 25.-(Spe- cial. )-An event of more than passing interest in the church life of Alabama will be the fifty-fifth annual session oH the North Alabama Conference, which will convene in Talladega on Wednes- day, October 29, with Bishop Warren A. Candler as the presiding officer. The latter fact alone guarantees a lively and inspiring session, for the brilliant Geor- gia churchman puts life into everything he does. Talladega will have a week of his "wit and wisdom" which will doubt less be long remembered.
 The first session of the conference will convene at 9 o'clock Wednesday morn ing in the beautiful new edifice recently by the congregation of the First Methodist church. This building is already spoken of as one of the finest and most modern in the state. It rep resents an investment of $100,OO0.
 Four times previously has this gath ering of ministers and laymen met in the "Queen City of the Mountains" The last session held there was in 1904, while the first was just 52 years ago, in 1873, when Bishop Marvin presided over the conference at the third anniversary of it's birth. In 1884 and 1893 the same hospitable city was host to the Meth odists.
 Unification Issue Up
 The coming session will doubtless be one of special interest. Not only will all the regular routine C. business be dispatched, but the one expressing topic of conversation will be the question of the unificstion of American Methodisms a proposal which is now the major is- sue before the church. both north and south. Itis not expected that this diess tion will come up for actual discussion in the conference because the time set for voting on the adoption of the plan is the session of 1925; but it is safe to assume that the discussion ''in the cor ridors," and in informal groups will largely center upon it.
 More than 400 members and delegates will be in attendance. The bishop and his cabinet will have the task of assign ing the preachers to the more than 325 Under the Methodist sys- tenn each preacher holds his appoint ment for one year and is subject to pos- sible change at the session of the con- ference. Last year 162 men, or 51 per cent, were moved to new fields. Eighty seven men, or 2S per cent, are now serving their second year. Forty, or 13 per cent, are in their third year, and 21 men, or per cent, are rounding up four years or more.
 Dr. Stuart Holds Record
 In this latter group is the distin. guished pastor of First church, Birming- ham, Dr. George R. Stuart, who is com. pleting his eighth year. This Is the record for the North Alabama Con- ference, and it is doubtless also the longest passionate so far in southern Methodism under the new law which did away with the four-year limit.
 In the Birmingham district only two other ministers have served as much as four years. These are Dr. W. R. Hen- drix of the Highlands church and Dr. E. NJ. Glenn of East Birmingham. It is generally conceded that both Dr. Stuart aand Dr. Hendrix will remain in their respective pulpits for another year, though this will not be finally deter mined until the bishop reads the ap- pointments just before the hour of final adjournment.
 Dr. K. N. Matthews is finishing his term of four years as presiding elder of the Bessemer district and will be as- signed to new field. Three other pre- siding elders. Rtv. R. NJ. Archibald of the Albertville district; Rev. w. P. McGlawn of the Decatur district, and Rev. J. S. Robertson of the Florence district, are also completing the four year term, and must be given new ap- pointments. While the time limit has been removed from the past0rate, pre- siding elders are still subject to the limited term.
 Dr. Purcell Is Host
 Rev. Clare Purcell, host of the cons ference, is concluding his fourth year at Talladega. His pastorate has been notably successful, for under his leader ship the new church has been erected.
 The congregation at Talladega has a history which goes back to 1883, more than 90 years. It was organized by Rev. Jesse Ellis in the latter year. The first quarterly conference was held there in 1884, with Rev. W, C. Crawford as pastor and Rev. R. c. Christopher as presiding elder. The church was part of a circuit until 1857, when it was made a station with a settled pastor. Rev. B. B. Ross was tb- pastor and at that time the congregation had 155 white members and 57 eolored, total of PIP. Among these were such dis tinguished men as United States Sem ator John T. Morgan and Gen. Jas. G. l.. Huey.