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three dollars per annum.
Vol. XXIX.—No. 43.
LUMPKIN DISTRICT MEETING.
THE FINANCIAL REPORT.
As will be seen from the published min
utes of the Lumpkin District Meeting, I, as
Chairman of the Committee on “ Finance,
including the subject of the support of the
ministry, collection of missionary and Con
ference money,’’ was requested to furnish
for publication in the Advocate an article
on that subject. It is with great diffidence
that I attempt it, because of the many able
and well studied articles on the same sub
ject which have appeared of late in the Ad
vocate, and a sense of my incapacity to han
dle successfully a subject of such vast im
portance to the prosperity of our church.
Truly the situation of the church, finan
cially, is deplorable, and he who can point
out means whereby it may be improved will
be rendering valuable service to the Metho
dist Church in these lands.
We have the talent in our ministry, and
the means in our pockets to maintain it.
We only lack the enterprise to do our duty
in making the Methodist Church what its
theology and membership entitle it to be,
the foremost among all her sister denomina
tions in every good word and work.
How sad should the heart of every Meth
odist be made to feel by the announcement
that such men as Dr. Taylor and the lievs.
H. A. C. Walker and J. W. Wightman
have been impelled by the “ inadequacy of
'support given by the church, to emigrate
from a Conference in wh ch they have la
bored so long, so faithfully, and so succes
fully.” Can the Methodist Church afford
to give up such men ? To what will it
lead? Most certainly to contraction and
abandonment. Truly did the committee on
missions remark, u expansion and occupation,
not contraction and abandonment, are the
duty and destiny of the Church of Christ.”
The present financial condition of the
church, the meagre support of the ministry,
and the pitiful sums of money sent up an
nually to meet the pressing demands of the
Missionary and Conference Hoards, should
excite the deepest solicitude of every Meth
odist, and bestir them to renewed and re
doubled exertion, that these great and vital
interests may not be permitted to suffer,
either for the want of hearts to encourage or
hands to sustain.
Though the war swept awx> from us our
property a. slaves, yen, unlike many sections
•of our own State, its ruthless and desolating
tread was arrested before it pressed the ter
ritory comprised iu the Lumpkin District.
Brethren, shall we compel our preachers,
the called of God, to locate —to secularize
themselves in order to meet the physical
necessities of their families? God will
surely disown us as his children if we do.
The obligation imposed on us by God to
support his gospel, is as strong and bind
ing as is the obligation of his ministers to
preach that gospel. When God bids his
servants to abandon their secular employ
ments from which they obtain a comforta
ble living and commands them to “go ye
therefore and teach all nations, &c.,” he at
the same time demands of the church that a
liberal support be given them. ’Tis God,
my brethren, not the stewards, who makes
this requisition on your pockets. Will you
refuse to satisfy this demand ?
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have
robbed me in tithes and offerings. Ye are
cursed with a curse, for } T e have robbed me,
even this whole nation. Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in m.y house, aad I will open you the
windows of heaven and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough
to receive it.’’ All that we have and are
belongs to God. Hear it, oh, ye miserly
ones. \ou whose cotton crop has been cut
oft by too much rain or a long drought,
whose merchandise has not been so prosper
ous as was expected, and consequently you
must have your quarterage reduced and
your preacher made to suffer for every casual
ty that befalls your interest, who turn to the
obligation to support the cause of the “Giv
er ot every good and perfect gift,’’ as the first
to be disregarded!
When we withhold from God our full
love and obedience, we are living iu the
practice of robbery, however decent our out
ward deportment may be. Oh, brethren !
let us not rob God, by withholding from
him the time or service, or property which
his cause demands and bring upon our souls
his withering curse. If we , meet him with
all the tithes in our bands, he will meet us
with his abundant blessing.
Now, when opinions of religious obliga
tion seem unsettled and the power of infideh
itj more glaring and unbroken, is the time
when we, who fear God, should be most dil
igent in speaking often one to another, and
encouraging each other in his service.
Stewards of the Methodist Church ! much
very much depends on ypur activity, your
zeal, your fuithlulluess and your liberality.
You should become active commissaries for
your pastors and their families. You should
meet them cordially at the beginning of each
Conference year and give them positive as
surances that their wives and children shall
be well fed and cared for during the year.
Then you will have the right to expect a
full consecration of their time and talents,
and the energies of soul and body to the
work whereunto *they have been called and
sent. Oh, let them feel that while they are
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & CO., FOR THE M. E CHURCH, SOUTH.
endeavoring to feed the flock of Christ with
the bread of life, there is no lack of the
good and necessary things of this world be
ing dispensed to their loved ones at home.
I would respectfully submit, for the guid
ance of stewards in raising money for the
support of the ministry,
THE ASSESSMENT PLAN.
In stations, let the stewards assess each
member. On circuits let the board of stew
ards assess each church, and then the stew
ards severally each member. Let this as
sessment be bronght before the Church
Meeting, aod then let objections if need be,
made to it by the person assessed, or by
another in his behalf. As corrected let this
assessment be the basis of operation for the
stewards. The time of payment should be
definitely understood and adhered to. It
would be well to pay one-fourth or one-half
in advance, as in the beginning of the year,
more than at any other time, the preacher
needs money with which to purchase sup
plies. It is unjust to make assessments on
the basis of quarterly payments, and then
withhold the whole amount or the larger
part until the close of the year. When
practicable the support of the pastor should
be fixed on a strict business basis. For the
amount not paid in the beginning of the
year, notes should be executed, payable to
the treasurer. These would furnish a reli
able basis for support, as they would be ne
gotiable, and in case of need could be turned
to money. It would be well for one stew
ard to be selected, who shall visit each church
iu the circuit to explain the action of the
Board, to show its equity and make any
other explanation necessary.
In conclusion, I would urge upon the
ministry that they be more faithful and
earnest in bringing before the membership
of our church, the claims of the Missionary
and Conference Boards. The assessments
in the Lumpkin District are small, and if
the subjects are properly brought before the
church, I believe they will be fully met.
The membership shouldbe enlightened on
all these subjects. How can they better be,
than through our church papers. How
many subscribers have you obtained thi*
year for our 1 Advocate ?’ Through this
medium you* wants, the waDts of the church,
are kept constantly before its readers, and
ifc ha« surpr»«e-’ m* that you hove shown
little appreciation of its importance and val
ue. Let us all go to work in earnest.
A. H. Flewellen.
Georgetown , Ga , Oct. lOf/i, 1866.
EUFATJLA. DISTRICT MEETING.
The Eufaula District Meeting (Mont
gomery Conference) was held at Glcnnville,
Barbour eo., Ala., Sept. 7th and Bth, 1866.
The meeting was organized and presided
over by Bishop 11. N. McTyeire, D.D. R
FI. Ilayr.es and M. M. Glenn, were elected
Secretaries. The several charges in the
District were called in consecutive order,
and delegates from nearly all, reported pres
ent, all of whom evinced during the entire
session, great zeal and ability in the dis
charge ol* the duties of their several posi
tions.
Very appropriate and impressive remarks
were made by the Bishop preparatory to the
announcement of the regular order of busi
ness under the following heads, in a state
ment from the several pastors : —As to at
tendance upon public worship—Sabbath
schools —Ministerial Support—The condi
tion of “ freedmen ” —and the spiritual con
dition of the Church. The information
thus elicited was instructive and edifying,
and gave useful direction to the proceed
ings.
The following Committees were announc
ed by the Chair, with the names of those
composing them, to report on the respective
subjects assigned them :
Ist. Finance, including ministerial sup
port and missions.—W. Shappard, A. C.
Mitchell, J. M. liaiford, Jas. Rodgers and
E. R. Flewellen.
2nd. Sabbath-schools —J. W. • Rodgers,
H. \V. Ledbetter, F. Ellison, W. Williams,
and J. Owens.
3d. Arrangement of the Work.—J. Wil
liams, J. P. Dickinson, W. E. Price, and
11. V. Mulkey.
4th. Literature of the Church.—F. X.
Forster, A. J. Coleman, R. Keigler, and J.
G. Tison.
sth. Condition of the Freedmen.—W.
M. Motley, J. W. Hurt, J. 11. Miller, J.
Crowell, and W. 11. Wilde.
6th. Glennville Female College.—M. M.
Glenn, R. H. Haynes, and W. M. Motley.
The reports, condensed, are herewith ap
pended.
%he following resolution was adopted :
Resolved , That the action of the lute
General Conference of the M. E. Church,
South, in reference to lay representation in
the General and Annual Conferences, has
our cordial approval ; and this meeting here
by recommends our next Annual Confer
ence to sanction the same.
A resolution offered by Rev. W. FT. Elli
son, D D , P. E., tendering to Bishop Mc-
Tyeirc the thanks of the meeting for the
able and satisfactory manner in which he
had presided over their deliberations, was
I adopted unanimously by a rising vote. The
| Bishop with manner and words, very impres
sive and appropriate, congratulated the del-
Macon, Ga., Friday, October 26, 1866.
egates upon the harmony that had char
acterized the proceedings, and the favorable
reports from all parts of the district. He
stated that each successive District Meeting
he had attended strengthened his convic
tions of their utility and efficiency, and he
expressed the hope that the delegates would
return to their various charges greatly en
couraged, and that the whole district would
experience the happy results from this new
feature of Church policy
A resolution—adopted :
Resolved, That the unfeigned thanks of
this meeting be and are hereby tendered
our brethren and the citizens of Glennville,
for the very kind and courteous treatment
we have received at their hands during the
entire session.
At the close, we were appointed to select
from the minutes for publication in the Ad
vocate. The most, difficult part of our task
we have found to be so to retrench our se
lection as to do justice to the occasion, the
reader and the publisher. If we had re
ported the meeting without reference to the
record, we might have been briefer and as
correct, to have adopted the account given
by a visitor, as published in one of our local
papers, in which he says, “ It was made up
of good singing—good praying—good preach
ing—good reports —and good speeches—
wise counsels and brotheily love prevail
ing,”—and Bishop McTyeire Presiding.
For the favor of your columns, Mr. Edi
tor, for ourselves and those we represent,
you have our thanks.
D. S. T. Douglas, ~)
J. G. Tison, [- Comm.
M. M. Glenn. \
October 1, 1866.
ON FINANCE, INCLUDING MINISTERAL SUP
PORT, MISSIONS, ETC.
* * * The Committee urge very
strenuously that Pastors should devote them
selves, faithfully and exclusively to the
work of the ministry—diligently studying
to show themselves able expounders of the
word, —and as faithful pastors should look
earnestly after the general interest of the
Church and the separate spiritual good of
each individual member. That they thus
devote themselves wholly to the work of the
ministry, they must be supported by their
several charges. A union of secular with
ministerial labor, except in rare cases of the
poverty of a church, cannot b\j regarded in
any other light tihan an unmistakable evi
dence of either parsimony on Gfe part of the
church or covetousness upon the part of the
pastor.
•In return fur this exclusive devotion to
the work of the ministry, the pastor should
be supported. Not grudgingly nor parsi
moniously, but liberally and abundantly.
Besides the necessaries—the decencies of
life—a competency —and surplus should be
added to educate his children —replenish
his library—to answer the reasonable de
mands of charity, hospitality, and the or
dinary calls which pertain to himself and
family. The question should not he how
little can our pastors live cn ! but what is a
competent support ?
To effect this—the stewards should, after
having determined the amount necessary to
be collected for the support of the Pastor,
Presiding Elder, and Bishop, assess several
ly the members or heads ot families, accord
ing to their respective ability to pay—and
let this assessment he made as soon as pos
sible after the adjournment of the Annual
Conference, and read at the first Church
Meeting thereafter, and then and there let
any objections be heard, and amendments
made, so that the stewards should then pro
ceed to make prompt collection of the
amounts thus agreed to * * * They
also recommend that each pastor within the
bounds of this District, as soon as conven
ient, preach a sermon setting forth-our fi
nancial stewardship, the obligation of every
one to contribute according to ability—to
maintain the ordinances of the Church, and
spread the Gospel. * * * The claims
of superannuated preachers, and the widows
and orphans of deceased preachers cannot
be too strongly urged upon the considera
tion of the Church. It is not right that
those self-denying, laborious men who have
given the strength of their manhood to the
Church, should be left to linger out their
remaining days in neglect, or that their
widows should suffer for bread, and their
orphans be left to grow up in ignorance 1
Let the Church open her purse sti’ings to
these objects, not as a matter of charity,
but as of debt! * * *
As to Missions—Never has the call for
missionary contributions been so urgent.
Much of our territory having been impov
erished by war—our unfortunate brethren
who have suffered most, must receive for
awhile the word of life from the liberality
of those who suffered less than themselves.
A large and inviting field is just now spread
out before us.
Already the fanaticism of Northern Meth
odism has driven from that politico-ccclesi
j astical establishment, into the fold of our
! unadulterated Methodism,.the noble Balti
more Conferehce, and the work of disin
tegration will continue in that organization
so long as they turn from God to serve po
litical tables. If we fail to receive these
conservative, godly men into our fold they
will be lost to Methodism. He who reads
the signs of the times cannot fail to see our
opportunity. Southern Methodism is Spir
itual Methodism —destined to be a great
conservative power in all the land. Let
not, then, unbelief close its eyes, nor mam
mon sullenly shut its ears to these calls of
God, and consume the Lord’s money on its
own lusts. * * * *
SABBATH-SCIIOOLS.
The committee are gratified that such a
favorable report has been made from the
various charges upon the subject of Sabbath
schools. And yet they feel that the im
portance of this interest of the Church is
so great that still greater effort is necessary
on the part of the ministry and membership,
in its behalf, because in the future, the
largest and most valuable accessions to the
Church are to be made from this nursery,
if all are true to their trust in this depart
ment. They therefore suggest and recom
mend that superintendents and teachers
labor for the conversion of the scholars.
That it is necessary that all the officers be
punctual in their attendance—that they give
variety to the exercises—that special atten
tion be given to the cultivation of singing,
and recommend the use of the “S. School
Bell’’ for that use. That it is the duty of
pastors to awaken in the minds of parents
a renewed interest on this important sub
ject; and that it is of special importance
that all our Sunday-schools should be well
supplied with the latest and best selections
of books in every department—all of which
may be procured of Messrs. J. W. Burke &
Cos., MacoD, Ga. * * * *
Rev. D. S. T. Douglas moved to amend
the report by the following resolution, which
he advocated with well timed reference to
experience and observation, which met the
concurrence of the committee, and was
adopted as part of the report:
Resolved, That exclusive use of question
hooks in ottf'Sunday schools is detrimental
to the true purpose of this institution, and
that i is the sense of this meeting that
pupils should be required to a greater ex
tent to memorise the text of God’s Word.
ON TIIE ARRANGEMENT OF THE WORK OF
THE CHURCH.
* * * The committee find, upon a
survey of the interesting field assigned them,
a considerable necessity for improvement,
especially in spirituality. Having just pass
ed through a desolating war, in which the
wealth and meanM. of subsistence of indi
viduals as well as 'whole communities has
been swept away, the demoralization in all
grades of society has been very deplorable!
Very many hitherto professing Christianity
have well nigh, in some instances entirely,
gone into infidelity, having lost confidence
in the superintending providence of A1
mighty God. Even those who have held
fast to the faith, in His mercy and wisdom
in the disposal of human affairs, have been,
so immersed in temporal concerns, in the
effort to reconstruct their circumstances,
have lost ground spiritually and thus added
to the general dilapidation of the Church,
in a spiritual point of view. They there
fore recommend that all, clergy and laymen,
start afresh in a more earnest, energetic dis
charge of religious duty, as the end is always
closely allied with the means —and success
in spiritual as well as temporal concerns de
pends upon the zeal and effort put forth.
To this end they advise a greater exercise
of fraternal feelings and intercourse —more
concern for each other’s spiritual advance
ment and welfare —avoiding selfishness—
which causes us to forget to “ rejoice with
those that do rejoice, and weep with them
that weep,” and to “ bear one another’s
burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ/’
* * >i= They suggest, that a change of
places of worship, where from existing cii>
cumstanees, congregations have become
small, would be of benefit. In such cases
it would be of advantage, for one or more
such congregations to be associated with
others whose organization has been kept up,
as a meetiogot only a few, would generally
be fruitless to themselves, and inconvenient
to the pastors, whereas a meeting of more
members would be more convenient to the
pastor and more profitable to the members,
even though they might have to go a greater
distance to attend service, especially when
this would tend to enlarge and strengthen
the fraternal feeling, already recommended,
which in many instances would be lost,
where the congregations are small, as is too
often the case in many places in the coun
try. * * * *
LITERATURE OF THE CHURCH.
* * * *
The committee find that, owing to the
distracted and depressed condition of the
country, for the last several years, there is
within the District a great destitution both
as to the periodical and permanent litera
ture of the Church —that our Church pa~
pers are taken by our people to a very lim
ited extent —their circulation in many
places beiDg cmjfined to the traveling min
istry. The Sunaa} T -school libraries are sad
ly deficient! it being all our people could
do, in their crippled condition, to supply
them only with the text books absolutely
needed. But little active effort is making to
bring religious books to the attention of our
people—for as yet they have not had the
money to expend in their purchase. There
E. H. HYERS, D.D., EDITOR
Whole Number, 1507
is a great scarcity even of our Discipline
and Hymn books, which ought to be in
the bands of every Methodist. With the
best system of Church polity, and the finest
collection of sacred poetry, which the world
has ever seen, these books should not lie on
the shelves of our publishing houses and
depositories. Attacked as our Church so
often is in regard to its doctrines, govern
ment and usages, it becomes the duty of all
her children to inform themselves on all
points, that they may be able to meet their
adversaries.
So little has the mass of the membership
had to do, hitherto, in the transaction and
management of Church matters, that there
has existed but little necessity them
to study these vital questions. In the
changes which have lately been made in
our Church \ olity we look for improvement
in this regard. They will find it necessary
to read more generally, and thus they will
learn not only to love the usages and doc
trines ot their Church, but to defend her
successfully when attacked. * * *
The committee recommend that the
preachers revive the good old plan, too
generally abandoned, of carrying books to
the people, and to recommend them to the
notice of themselves and the children, that
thereby the corrupting volumes that are de
luging the land may be banished.
They urge our preachers also to renewed
diligence in behalf of the requisitions of
the General and Annual Conferences in re**
gard to cur Church papers—to bring the
subject before each society at the Monthly
Meetings —and they call upon all the official
members to aid the preachers in this good
work. Aud they invoke the Great Head of
the Church to giv« wisdom and zeal that our
people may apply themselves “ to know and
understand the truth.” * * *
CONDITION OF FREEDMEN.
* * * Our country having recently
emerged from a bloody revolution, the re
sult of which was to overthrow our former so
cial compact, and to destroy the relation of
master and servant —the problem for us now
to solve, is to answer properly the question
proposed in Discipline, Chap. 111, Sec. v.,
“ what shall be done to promote the relig
ious interest of the colored people ?” This
question must be solved. They are and must
continue to be, an element in our society.
* * The committee suggest further
that a common interest demands that their
ignorance shall be cured, and that we, as a
{Church, still extend over them a pastoral
care, with all the appliances of salvation,
as heretofore; believing that our efforts in
that direction, under the blessings of God,
will tend to destroy that unhappy bias which
exists from this unhappy race toward their
former owners: * * And they recom
mend the encouragement of Sunday-schools
wherever practicable for the religious in
struction of the youth of the colored people.
They concur in and endorse the recom
mendation of the last General Conference
for the establishment of day schools for
their education. They consider it com-*
mendable for any lady or gentleman to teach
either Sabbath cr day schools for freedmen,
and think that all persons thus engaged in
teaching them, should be sustained socially,
if otherwise worthy. * * * The com
'mittee further recommend—in view of
the encouraging reports from the colored
congregations in the different parts of the
District, as to an increase in the attendance
upon the Word, and in the number and
spirituality of the membership, the plan in
the Discipline, for the organization of the col
ored people into separate pastoral charges.
And that the employers of “ freedmen ,y
give a liberal co-operation in carrying out
the above suggestions.
ON GLENNVILLE FEMALE COLLEGE.
* # * *
The committee reports the College for
the last six years under the auspices of the
Annual Conference. A regular Report went
up to the last Conference, and their Educa
tional Committee state in the minutes that
“ the College having been in successful
operation during the entire period of the
war, has prospects of increased usefulness.
Religion is a practical element in the Insti
tution—most of the pupils being members
of the Church/’
There is a full joint Board of Trustees,
of resident and clerical members, who are
exerting themselves with commendable en
ergy to the interests of this foster child of
the Church and the community. The pas
tor of the station, as a member of the Mont
gomery Conference, is ex-officio, a member
of the Board. His zealous exertions in her
behalf, under the calamities that have be
fallen her during the present year, have
been attended with signal success, and merit
special notice in this place. The College
building with a large proportion of its ap
pendages were, during ,the past collegiate
year, burned to the ground! But the
friends of the College came promptly to the
rescue! and another building, ample, com
modious and well adapted to all the pur
poses, is ready, in which the exercises will
be resumed at the close ot the present va
cation with the same faithful, efficient
corps of instruction in each department,
and a curriculum amp’e foi all the demands
of a first class Institution. Amidst the re
verses and fluctuations to which her for-