The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-02-21
CENTRAL DISTRICT
MENN0NITES NOW
In GENERAL GROUP
AffiliatiOn of Central Mennonite
Conference with General Con-
ference Announced
Bluffton Churchmen Attending
General Conference Meet
ing in Kansas

The Central Conference of Menno-
mites, with some 20 churches in Illi-
nois and other midwestern states, is
atfiliating with the larger General
Mennonite conference, it was an
nounced this week as a group of
Bluffton ministers and laymen lead
ers in the General conference left
for Newton, Kansas, to attend the
annual meeting of boards and stand
ing committees of that group.
Rev. ]. N. Smucker, pastor of the
Blpffton First Mennonite church,
president of the General Conference,
is serving as chairman of the meet
ing which opened at Newton, Tuesday
for three-day session.
Five others from Bluffton, who
serve as members of General confer
ence committees, also are in Kansas
for the annual session.
Bluffton People AT Meeting
In this group are DR.. C. H. Smith,
of the conference board of publica-
tions; DIR. /. w. Bauman, of the
board of relief activities; G. 7. Sold
|ner, of the church unity committee;
DR.. L. L. Ramseyer, Of the board Of
education, and Genevieve Buhler, re-
presenting young peoples organiza-
tions. DR.. ]. S. Schultz of the pro-
gram committee was unable to at
tend
Final details of affiliating the Gen.
trail Committee with the General
Conference will be completed at the
session, in addition to handling the
annual routine matters of business.
Rev. Harry Yoder, of Carlock, ILL.,,
president of the Central Conference,
will be the only representative of his
group in completing the affiliation.
A Bluffton college graduate in the
class of 1892, Rev. Yoder is return
ing to Bluffton this spring to serve
as field secretary for the college.
Seventh Affiliated Group
The Central Conference will retain
its identity as a district unit under
the affiliation procedure. 1t will be
the seventh group to be so affiliated
with the General Conference, which
consists of an amalgamation of what
formerly were smaller Independent
Mennonite conferences.
Other districts now in the General
Conference include the Eastern, Mid
die, Western, Northern, Pacific, and
the newest addition, the Central.
Prior to the Central district affilia-
tion move, the General Conference re-
presented approximately 200 churches
with an aggregate membership of
50,O00 To this membership will be
added % Central District churches
with a membership of $4,000. These
churches are in Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Kansas and Iowa.
Affiliation of the Central district
with the General Conference has been
under consideration for the past 10
years. At its triennial meeting last
summer, the General Conference vot-
ed to accept affiliation of the smaller
group, and the annual Central Con-
ference meeting in August approved
the move.
The matter then was referred to
each of the member churches of the
Central District, which voted unan-
imously for affiliation. Central dis
trict churches previously had been
affiliated with General Conference
churches in the support of Bluffton
college.
In addition to its regular church
activities, the Central Conference of
Mennonites operates a hospital at
Bloomington, Ill, and an Old Peoples
Home in Meadows, ILL., ~
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