METHODISTS. 



397 



propositions to the Church on certain conditions. 

 The publishing department was regarded as in a 

 healthy and prosperous condition, encouraging 

 the hope that it was approximating a permanent 

 .and self-sustaining basis. The Sunday-school de- 

 partment likewise was doing well. Action was 

 taken favorable to organic union with the Afri- 

 can Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and a 

 commission was appointed to confer with a sim- 

 ilar commission of that Church on the subject. 

 The Rev. Dr. C. H. Phillips, editor of the Chris- 

 tion Index, the official newspaper of the Church, 

 was elected an additional bishop. 



Joint Commission on Union. The Commis- 

 sions on Union of the Colored Methodist Epis- 

 copal and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion 

 Churches, which had been appointed by the last 

 General Conferences of these bodies, met as a 

 joint commission to consider the subject of union 

 of the two Churches in Washington, D. C., Oct. 7. 

 Previous to the joint meeting the two commis- 

 sions met separately to consider the terms of 

 union which they should ofl'er, and drafted prop- 

 ositions which were identical in all essential 

 points. The sense of the joint commission was 

 expressed that union between the two Churches 

 was desirable; and articles of agreement to serve 

 as a modus Vivendi while the negotiations for 

 union are pending were adopted by a unanimous 

 vote of the 30 members constituting the body 

 in substance as follow: " 1. We agree not to at- 

 tempt to organize churches or schools in any 

 community or territory where the other Church 

 is organized unless in the judgment of the bish- 

 ops presiding the population and needs are such 

 as to warrant another Methodist church or 

 school. 2. We will cooperate in all our mission- 

 ary work, the manner of this cooperation to be 

 decided upon by the bishops and mission boards 

 of the two Churches. 3. When members of either 

 Church move to a community where the 

 Church of their denomination is not organized 

 letters should be given them to the other Church. 

 4. That there be a compilation, publication, and 

 use of a common hymn and tune book, and a 

 common form of public worship. 5. Frequent in- 

 terchange of visiting and fraternal delegates in 

 district, annual, and General Conferences; and 

 the exchange of pulpit courtesy, to promote ac : 

 quaintance and fellowship. 6. That we suggest 

 as a name, ' The Colored Methodist Episcopal 

 Zion Church.' 7. Pending the union, preachers 

 will not be received, unless in good and proper 

 standing in their own Church and conference; 

 that x a meeting of this joint commission be 

 called, and that all the bishops and general offi- 

 cers of both Churches be requested to be present; 

 that the agents of each of the publication houses 

 of the connections represented be requested to 

 keep for sale all the publications of their respect- 

 ive departments." Another meeting of the joint 

 commission was appointed to meet at Charlotte, 

 N. C., July 14, 1903, to form further basis for 

 the union. The final action of the commission 

 will have to be submitted to the General Con- 

 ferences of the two bodies of the Zion Confer- 

 ence in 1904 and of the Colored Conference in 

 1900, and then to the annual and quarterly con- 

 ferences. 



V. Free Methodist Church. The annual 

 minutes of this Church for 1902 give the number 

 of members and probationers as 29.507, showing 

 an increase of 313; of Sunday-schools, 1,103, with 

 6,711 officers and teachers, and 36.382 pupils; of 

 churches, 1,067, valued at $1,196,975; of parson- 

 ages, 522, valued at $372,125. The number of 

 ministers in 1901 was 1,003. The missionary re- 



ceipts of the year covered by the annual minutes 

 were $15,315 for missions, $2,191 for the India 

 Orphan fund, and $166 for the Africa Orphan 

 fund. The native contributions for all "purposes 

 were $566. The missions in India and Africa re- 

 turned 264 native members and probationers, 12 

 Sunday-schools, with 26 officers and teachers and 

 650 pupils, and property in land and buildings 

 valued at $60,085. 



VI. Methodist Church in Canada. The fol- 

 lowing statistics of this Church for 1902 were 

 published by the General Conference statistician 

 in July: Eleven conferences (including Japan) 

 and the West China Mission ; number of members, 

 291,895, showing an increase for the year of 

 2,733; of Sunday-schools, 3,425, with 33,396 offi- 

 cers and teachers and 272,566 pupils, showing an 

 increase of 6 schools, 754 officers and teachers, 

 and 6,143 pupils; of Young People's Societies, 

 1,809, with 69,402 members, showing a decrease 

 of 16 societies and 1,586 members; of members 

 received on trial during the year, 19,002; of bap- 

 tisms, 17,371; amount of contributions of Sun- 

 day-schools for missions, $22,113; amount con- 

 tributed for missions in connection with the 

 Forward Movement, $24,568. The statistics of 

 membership show a total increase of 11,358 for 

 the quadrennium or four years' term since the 

 last General Conference and a net increase of 

 122,092 since the union in 1883, by which the 

 Church was constituted. The total missionary 

 contributions for the quadrennium were $83,103. 



The sixth General Conference met at Winni- 

 peg, Sept. 4. The General Conference is consti- 

 tuted of equal numbers of ministers and laymen. 

 The address of the general superintendent 

 showed that the membership of the Church had 

 increased during the quadrennium, or four years 

 since the preceding General Conference, 11,358. 

 This was the smallest quadrennial increase since 

 the union of the churches in 1883. A diminution 

 in the number of Epworth Leagues and Young 

 People's Societies was also remarked. Accord- 

 ing to the tables in the census of the dominion 

 for 1901, the Methodists had advanced during 

 the past ten years at all points in the country 

 except for a small decrease in Prince Edward Is- 

 land, and the advance had been specially large in 

 Manitoba, British Columbia, and the territories. 

 The recommendations of the preceding General 

 Conference that an effort be put forth to make 

 class-meetings more attractive and spiritually 

 helpful had been in a measure carried out. Class- 

 leaders' associations had been organized and in- 

 stitutes or conferences held in a number of cities 

 and larger towns, and similar -conferences had 

 been held in connection with district meetings. 

 A report was presented by a Memorial Commit- 

 tee recommending that the words " layman " and 

 " laymen " wherever they occur in the Discipline 

 be interpreted to mean women as well as men. 

 It was shown that this question of the status of 

 women in the Church had been decided in the 

 previous General Conference to be a constitu- 

 tional one, requiring a two-thirds majority for 

 any valid action upon it; and the Conference 

 voted that it deemed it inexpedient to reverse its 

 previous decision. The clause coming up again 

 for final action, a tie vote resulted and it was 

 declared lost; but presidents of auxiliaries of the 

 Woman's Missionary Society, if members of the 

 Church, were constituted ex officio members of 

 the quarterly official boards. A report on the in- 

 debtedness of St. James's Church, Montreal, 

 showed that the debt had been reduced from 

 $622,224 in 1898 to $512.822; but that large sub- 

 scriptions had been promised and other reduc- 



