Evening star., 1926-04-17
ALL NJ. T. BISHOPS
MEET HERE IN MAY
Those From Abroad and This
Country to Confer on Church
Progress.

list Episcopal Church will hold a ses.
sion from May to 10 at Foundry
NJ. E. CS:;-"h here.
In announcing the meeting, Bishop
William Frazier Mcdowell. resident
Bishop Of Washington, said:
This meeting of the board of
bishops will be outstanding and sig
nificant in the fact that the entire
membership of the board of bishops
viii be present, not only from the
United States. hut including the
bishops from foreign lands"
Rev. Or. Frederick Brown Harris,
pastor of Foundry Church, and DR.
]. Phelps Hand, superintendent OF
Washington district. are assisting
Bishop Mcdowell in the details of the
program.
The general conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church meets once
every four years, and at its last meet
ing, in May. 1924, at Springfield.
Mass, the board OF bishops voted to
hold a meeting of it's entire member
ship of bishops about the middle Of
the quadrennial. so that the bishops
could elect one of their number to
prepare and read the bishops ad-
dress TO the general conference, which
will meet in May, 1928.
Reports Are Feature.
The most emphatic note TO be
stressed at the Washington meeting
will be the reports and the series of
meetings, with addresses from the
bishops overseas These bishops are
returning after making extensive
surveys, and will report on the reli-
gious. social. moral and economic
conditions of the nations in whcih
they represent the Methodist Epis-
copal Church.
The Washington Methodist Social
Union win give a banquet May 4 to
welcome the bishops, at which sew
eral of the bishops will speak. On
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
evenings there will be public meet
ings with bishops from the States
present and the bishops from foreign
lands speaking. The bishops will re-
port for eastern Asia. southern Asia,
Latin America and Africa.
White House Ceremony.
President and Mrs. Coolidge will
receive the bishops and their wives
May 6 at the White House. Bishop
Joseph Berry. the senior bishop of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, will
present brief address to the Presi-
dent from the board Of bishops and
the President will respond.
This is following a precedent since
Bishops Cooke and Asbury called on
Gen. George Washington when he
was President. Their addresses to
the President and President Wash
ington's reply were published and are
preserved BY Methodists.
A special feature by the bishops
will be a pilgrimage to the Asbury
statue on Sixteenth street, also to
the American University and pos
sibly to the grave of William Waters.
the first native itinerant preacher.
The bishops will place a wreath on
the statue of Asbury.
Bishop Mcdowell will accompany
the bishops from abroad to call upon
the diplomatic representatives here
of the countries the bishops repre-
sent
Some Open to Public.
The board of bishops will hold the
first meeting Tuesday afternoon at
O'clock All the business meetings OF
the bishops are executive, but all the
evening meetings Will be open to the
general public. At the executive
meetings each bishop reports the ad-
ministrauon of his conferences and
the work in his area The board Of
bishops decides such questions Of law
as may come IN Il particular way W
the board for decision. 1t makes
list of tne bishops who will preside
and confirms the dates and places Of
meeting OF the annual conferences
for the next six months.
'Unquestionably," said Bishop Nc
Dowell. "the bishops will give much
time to the general state Of the
church besides listening to the re-
ports from the bishops at home and
abroad The board will also give
much time to discussion of the World
Service Commission and its program.
which is of great interest and i'm
portance to the entire Methodist
Episcopal Church. Some time also
will be given to d discussion Of the
various benevolent, missionary. edu-
cational and social work OF the
church, including temperance, pro-
hibition and public morals"
Since the general conference in
May, 1924, four bishops have died and
memoirs Of them will be read. They
are Bishops Homer c. Stuntz, Omaha.
Nebr.; William A. Quayle, Baldwin.
Kans.: George II. Buckley, Philadel-
phia and China. and Thomas B.
Neely, Philadelphia.