Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1939-05-18
MethOdists Unite
On General Plan
At Conference
Judicial Council To Pass
On Constitution; Local
Churches Affected

Although no pressure will be
brought to bear to cause any local
Methodist Church to close or merge
with any other church, it will be up to
the local people to settle the matter
with the help Of the local administra-
ton.
The Rev. DR.. Francis r. Bayley,
president of the Judicial Council of
the United Methodist Church, is
authority for the above statement. He
indicated that it will require ten or
fifteen years before many of the
complications of united Methodism
will be cleared up.
DR.. Bayley made it plain that those
fighting the plan of union will not be
permitted to use any of the former
names of the three bodies uniting -
Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Epis-
copal, South or Methodist Protestant
Church. Whereas, the rights to the old
names were not given up in the plan
of union, the union, itself, has adopted
the name "The Methodist Church.
The Judicial Council, to which DR..
Bayley was elected by 1856 out of the
TIT votes cast, is supposed to pass on
the constitutionality of all actions of
the General Conference, the central
conference and the jurisdictional con-
ferences. Central conferences are To-
Gated in foreign fields, the jurisdic-
tional conferences in the United
States. There are six of the latter.
"With the formulation of annual
conferences in which ministers and
churches of the three former groups
- Methodist Episcopal, Methodist
Episcopal South and Methodist
Protestant Church-will be members"
DR.. Bayley said, "it is expected that
number of questions will arise and
that there will be a number of ap-
peals to the Judicial Council for de-
cisions."
"There was give and take on all
three sides and never once did any
spirit of bitterness crop out any,
where" he said. "On the last night,
when the auditorium was filled to
capacity and the declaration of union
was read, the delegates were asked to
vote not only by standing, but with
hands uplifted, and l never saw so
many persons wiping their eyes at
one time. The scene was very impress
sive."
The formal union of the three
branches of Methodism was consum-
mated Wednesday, May 10, at Kansas
City, when 10000 persons watched the
ceremony bringing together 100000
Methodists. There was solid vote for
the union.
In closing business sessions the con-
ference adopted peace resolution re-
cognizing "honest difference of opin-
ion" on peace measures and defeated
by close vote proposal to grant
women full clergy rights.
The peace resolution contained the
conscientious objector" clause, which
recognizes the right of those members
whose consciences so dictate to serve
in the armed forces in time of war.
The resolution merely pledges the
church to undivided opposition to the
spirit of war;; to "exert every pos
sible influence" for peaceful settle
ment of international differences; to
urge Congress and the President to
stake every possible step to avoid the
ENHANCEMENT" of this nation in war
and to provide for peace education of
children.
The conference also pledged allegi-
ance of the new church to the Federal
Government.
On the platform for the closing
service was an old handicapped table
used for communion services at the
1874 conference of the general church
at which the North and South
branches divided. Significantly, but by
accident, the marble was split at the
time.