The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-07-05
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF
ANNISH NEAR EVANSVILLE
Conservative Branch of the Sect
Foregathered at Maple Glen
Church June lib.
(Meyersdale Republican)

house, near GrantSvllle, June lib.
Delegates were present from New
York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Della
ware, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa.
The local congregation which enter
tanned the conference this year has
been a member of this conference for
a good many years. The local con-
gregation is divided into three sub
congregations and has three houses of
worship, one located in Elk Lick
Township not far from st. Paul. one
at what is known as The Forks, near
Bittinger, and the one known as Ma
pie Glen church, near Grantsville and
close by the A. NJ. Children's Home,
where the conference met this year.
The meeting was held in tent that
would hold from 900 to 1000 people,
which was erected on the grounds ad-
joining the church and was we'll To-
Gated and had good seating arrange
ment, and was carpeted with new
mown hay, making it comfortable I'M
der foot as we'll as otherwise.
1t was seven years since the Con-
ference was held at the church at this
place, but since that time the attend
ance at the various conferences has
grown so much that the church would
not hold more than half of those who
came to these sessions. The tent was
we'll filled with visitors and people
from the neighborhood at each session
of the conference.
Due to the fact that people are do
ing more touring in automobiles than
ever before, each conference has been
more largely attended than the one
formerly held, and as a result this
one was the largest ever held at this
place, tho it may not have been the
largest of these conferences held at
any place.
The conference was held near
Greenwood, Delaware, last year and
at Croghan, N. Y, the year previous.
Among the delegates at this con-
ference were "a ministers from the
following places, there being several
from some of the places named:
Wellman, Iowa; Parnell, Iowa, Crog-
han, Lowville and Lancaster, N. Y;
Turner, Au Ores and Pigeon, Michi-
gan; Middlebury, Goshen and Ship
shewana, Indiana; Dundee ain Hart
vile, Ohio; Belleville, Pa. There were
also many lay delegates and visitors
not ministers, some from Lancaster,
Corfu and Alden, N. Y, and many
from different points in the Western
States.
Among those present from Virginia
were Dean A. D. Wengerd of the
Eastern Mennonite School at Harri-
sonburg, and Daniel Lehman, a teach
er in the same school. Daniel Kauf-
man, editor of the Gospel Herald, and
Levi Mumaw, secretary of Mennonite
Board of Missions and Charities,
Scottdale, were also present.
The purpose of the Annual Confer
ence is to decide on matters that
arise within the various congrega
tions from time to time, and to pass
resolutions on matters pertaining to
the welfare of the church. This part
of the work is very similar to that Of
the conferences of various other
denominations. A number of resolu-
lions were adopted, having to do with
the spiritual welfare of the church at
large.
The last day of the Conference was
devoted to Sunday School work, the
proceedings being conducted and
participated in chiefly by laymen.
This part of the program was very
interesting and many touching and
interesting events were related. More
work is being done along the line Of
missions all the time, and this pro-
gram was one having to do with that
subject. A number of laymen and
Sunday School workers, as well as
mission workers, were the. speakers.
The largest work of the church along
missionary lines at present is the A.
M. Children's home, adjacent to the
Maple Glen Church, where the con-
ference was held. A number of peo-
pie visited that home, who had never
been there before. All were impress
ed with the good work being done
there and the self-sacrificing being
made by the superintendent and
workers who are spending their lives
in the interest of homeless children.
A plea was made for additional funds
for the operation of the home, and
considerable was obtained.
There are at present about 90 chill
dren being cared for in the Home,
which makes the work too large for
the present staff of workers, and the
Conference, therefore, assigned an
assistant to the superintendent, in the
person of Lewis Bender, now of Elk
Lick, Township, but formerly a school
teacher in Maryland. 1t is hoped the
labors of those now working will be
lightened as soon as Mr.. Bender can