Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-25
Services 0peJi
'56Confererce
OF MethodIts
BY CASPAR NAMES
Star STAFF Correspondent

M1NNEAFOL1S,f April d.
The 1856 quadrennial General
Conference of the Methodist
Church opened today With a
colorful and solemn hoy COM
munion service in the Fennepin
Avenue Methodist Churh.
The two-hour service attended
by 766 ministerial andlay dele
gates and several bundled others,
preceded the first plenf'y session
in the Municipal Auditorium. |
The latter was devoted to organ
lzing the conference and the
setting up of committees.
From today until May 9 the
delegates, equally divided be-
tween the clergy nd laymen.
will debate and AT on issues
vitality affecting pe life and
works of the nearS 10 million
members of tn Methodist
Church.
Tonight delegaHs to the de-
nomination. suprhne legislative
body will hear pc traditional
Episcopal address, a lengthy
document signedby the bishops
Of the denomination reviewing
the life and fought of the
church and its responsibilities in
contemporary liz The bishops
preside over Henary sessions,
but do not havgan official voice
in the conferences deliberations
Gov. Orville Freeman of Min
nesota told tht gathering today
in an addresslof welcome that
"our, churchesyoday have a great
opportunity. For only in our
churches do sgmany adults come
together. to listen to people in
whom theyI have confidence.
seeking audience ad under
standing"
OCCS nc VA OCCASAOA
The new ige in which we are
living can tther open up to US
"a new proAiSed land or bring
catastrophe Gov. Freeman
said.
"Atomicenergy can produce a
bomb or ld cost power to under
developed areas" he said.
'RadioactFity can be an in
valuable bol in medicine and in
dustry d it can destroy lives
and nah future generations.
Autoinatpn, or the use of ma
chimes tdrun machines, can put
human lbor on a higher, more
creativeI and more satisfying
plane. These developments pre-
sent gJat possibilities for theI
future + mankind. We can seeI
the opportunity to eliminate
slaverYRnd want. to put an end
to the Material incentives to war;
and D win victory over the
hazard of nature in the struggle
for revival"
Chit among the many issues
to cotront the delegates will be
that If segregation. This will
comehp when they are asked to
act q the more than 100 me-
morils tresolutions) calling on
the difference to abolish, alter
or cintinue the denominations
Genital Jurisdiction.
Tie Central Jurisdiction, COM
posd of 100000 Negro members,
wasestablished in 1899 when the
Methodist Church was formed
through the merger of the Meth
odit Episcopal Church. the
Methodist Protestant Church and
the Methodist Episcopal Church,
Soith. The three branches grew
on of the original Methodist
Episcopal Church, founded inI
1'B4 at Baltimore.
Special Jurisdiction
At the time Of reunion in 1899
the denomination was divided
INTO Ave geographical jurisdic-
ions throughout the United
States for its white members and
| countrywide Central Jurisdic-
ton for its Negro members.
Desegregation of the nationall
church by doing away with the
Central Jurisdiction is the goal
of many delegates here.
Among the other issues toI
come before the conference will
be ALLEGATION of ST million to
help establish School of In
ternational Service at American
University. Washington: full
clergy rights for women by ad-
uniting them to ministerial
membership in the denomina-
tons annual conferences, and al
S37 million quadrennial program.
1956-60, aimed at strengthening
Methodist educational institu-I
tons and local churches.
Washington area delegates to-
the conference include the Revs.
Asbury Smith and Orris g.
Robinson, and D. Stewart Pat
terson and Thurman L. Dodson.
all of Washington: the Rev.
Philip c. Edwards. Silver Spring
Md; w. Carroll Beatty, Hyatts-
vile, Md; Mrs. John H. Werner,
Chevy Chase. Md, and Judge
Charles w. Woodward, retired, Of
Rockville, Md.
Also the Rev. w. Kenneth
Haddock and Chief of Air
Force Chaplains Charles 1. Car
penter, Arlington, Va: the Rev.
John H. Pearson, Alexandria j.
and the Rev. C. Cooper Bell.
Lynchburg, Va.