The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1948-05-26
A. M. E. GENERAL CONFERENCE
ENDS HISTORIC SESSION 3, mrs Mar, NJ 0.".."

Proceedings of the General A.
NJ. e. Conference held May 5 to
II, inclusive, is history-history
in which the laiety said I'VE
stand at Armagedon. Here at this
General Conference we must de-
eide the momentous question,
Shall we continue to sing with
the Psalmist: walk about Zion /;
tell the towers thereof, mark well
bulwarks, consider her palaces
and so bequeath 1t to our chill
dren that our sons may grow up
as plants in their youth and
daughters polished after the SINH
litude of a place." or shall we
allow >our Zion to be. torn into
pitiful and pusillanious scraps for
we whose gods are their belly"
Which shall 1t be?
las the thousands of rivers
flow into the Mississippi. and the
Mississippi ultimately into the
sea. so the frequent, apparent
COMMISSIONS and Interruptions dur
ing the conference have an ulti-
mate and that will be pleasing to
God" stated Bishop Reyerdy G..
Ransom, as he brought order and
quiet to a revolving mass of eight
or ten thousand attempting to
vote pro and con on legislation
pertaining to recommendations,
amendments to A. M. e. disci-
pine.
Bishop r. r.. Wright, Jr., made
what is said to be the world s
longest speech when he made the
Episcopal address (four hours
long, which included 16 recon-
mendations, excerpts of which fol-
low in next issue.
One of the most-if not the
most = important businesses of
the conference was the election
of six bishops which at long last
began at 4:45 D. m. on Friday
lasting. without letup) until z
a. m. Sunday-36 hours.
The six new bishops were the
largest number ever elected at
any one A. M. e. Conference. All
were consecrated Sunday, May 16,
at Memorial Hall. Kansas City.
Kas., seat of the General Con
ference.
Elected and consecrated in or
der were: The Rev. Lawrence
H. Hemingway, washington, ID.
c., secretary-treasurer of the A.
M. e. Board of Church Exten-
sion; the Rev. Joseph A. Gomez,
pastor of the ST. James A. NJ E.
Church. cleveland; the Rev. d.
Ormonde Walker, pastor of the
Bethel A. M. e. Church, Buffalo,
N. Y, former president of Will
berforce University, leader of
campaign and writer of resolu-
ton to change all bishops; Rev.
w. Reid Wilks, pastor of the AL
len Temple A. M. e. Church. At
lanta, Ca; Rev. Isaiah H. Bon
ner, pastor of the Bethel A. M. E.
Church, Mobile, Ala; and the
Rev. Carey A. Gibbs, pastor of
the Mt. Zion A. M. E. Church,
Jackson, Fla.
All of the IA other bishops ex-
cept Bishop Noah w. Williams,
host bishop, participated in the
conservation of the newly-elected
bishops, who were evenly distrib-
uted geographically, three being
elected from the North and three
from the South.
DR.. Fred D. Jordan, pastor of
First A. M. E., 8th and Towne,
Los Angeles, Calf, remained in
the race. running well until Rev.
Carey A. Gibbs gained on him,
Gibbs with 522 votes, Jordan sos
neither one enough votes to
win (924 votes needed to elect)
A fourth vote was about to be
taken when Jordan, because of
the lateness withdrew, conceding
the election of sixth place to Rev.
Gibbs.
Three of the vacancies on the
bench of bishops were created by
the death of Bishop Joseph S.
Flipper and the expulsion from
the bishopric of Bishops David H.
Sims and George B. Curry at the
special session of h e General