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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-