The Phoenix index., 1940-02-24
Proposal
May Be
Fought
New Orleans
To be Host To
Next Session
ATLANTA, Ga.-(SNS)--


Though the 163 candidates run
ming for the bisllopric in the Afri-
can Methodist church had hoped
there would be at least four posts
to be filled, the twelve prelates
comprising the Bishops Council
agreed to recommend that only
three new bishops be elected al
the forthcoming General Confer
ence to be held at Detroit in May.
This was disclosed Sunday after
noon by Bishop j.. A. Gregg of
the Fourth Episcopal district, who
is secretary of the council, which
Saturday concluded its annual ses-
sion. The meetings were held at
Big Bethel church and Morris
Crown college.
The recommendation that only
three new bishops he named in
stead Of four, it was disclosed,
came after the council had voted
q recommendation that the retire
p2ent placed against Bis.-op w. T.
vernon at the New York General
Conference in 1896, be lifted.
BITTER FIGHT
It will be On this recommend
tion that a bitter fight is expected
to hinge when the General Con
ference goes into session.
The three posts which must be
filled were created by the deatha
of Bishops w. H. Heard, r. a
Grant and w. D. johnson durirg
the intervening years since tie
last General Conference -four
years ago.
Other recommendations agreed
upon by the council during its
three-day session included the
publication of a new AME hymnal,
the revision of the AME discipline,
and a careful study into the ad-
visibility of redistricting the
church.
Bishop Gregg was named chair
man Of the committee to draw up
the new hymnal.
A committee of bishops, COM
posed of Bishops j. S. Flipper, w.
A. Fountain and David Sims, was
named to meet with general Of
ficers of the church to work on
the revision CT the discipline. The
recommendation of this committee
must be passed on at the Detroit
General Conference.
ORLEANS NEXT
New Orleans was awarded the
next session of the Bishops Coun-
Gil which is to be held in Feb
ruary, 1941.
All of the recommendations
agreed upon by the bishops are to
he encouched into the Episcopal
address which Bishop Gregg, as
secretary will deliver at Detroit.
They must be passed upon by the
delegates to the General Confer
ence, before they can be ended.
Only three of the twelve bishops
remained in the city Sunday, fol-
lowing the concluding session of
the council held at Morris Brown
College Saturday afternoon. They
were Bishops R. r. Wright of
South Africa, Sims of Alabama
and Gregg of Michigan. All oc-
cupied pulpits in the city Sunday
morning. Bishops Gregg and Sims
left by train Sunday night for
home.
Bishop Wright remained until
Monday and is scheduled to exhibit
motion pictures depicting his South
African work at Allen Temple AMF
church, Fraser and Clark streets
at eight o'clock this evening.
He will leave Tuesday morning
for a tour of Florid: churches,
where he will also show the pic
lures. He is accompanied by his
wife and son, r. r. Wright, Jr.
Bishop Vernon's retirement was
"oted in 1886 after he was the tar
get of a bitter target, growing out
of alleged discrepancies in the
handling of church funds while
presiding over the Missouri district
in which is located Western Uni
versity.
The attack was led by Ira Bry-
ant, stormy petrol of the church
and deposed secretary of the Sun
day School Union at Nashville