402 



METHODISTS. 



increase by further contributions from foreign sta- 

 tions was anticipated. The committee of this 

 fund and the Connectional Committee had jointly 

 considered a scheme for Church extension which 

 as adopted by the Assembly contemplates the 

 allotment of one-third of the missionary income 

 to this work ; the appointment of a subcommittee 

 of the Connectional Committee acting under its 

 supervision for administering the money allotted 

 for home mission work ; the determining of grants 

 for ministerial purposes to home mission churches, 

 dependent circuits, and extensions; and the over- 

 sight of stations receiving help. The portion of 

 the Twentieth Century fund allotted for Church 

 Extension purposes is to be administered by the 

 Chapel Committee in conjunction with the 

 treasurers and secretary of the Twentieth Century 

 fund, who will be ex offlcio members of the com- 

 mittee. An Advisory Committee was constituted 

 'to consult with churches intending to erect new 

 buildings. In view of the expressions of the 

 Ecumenical Methodist Conference of 1901 in 

 favor of Methodist union, the Assembly again ex- 

 pressed unanimously, " as on former occasions, 

 its strong conviction that such union is greatly to 

 be desired. As our denomination is a practical 

 illustration of the advantages of union, this As- 

 sembly can not be otherwise than favorable to the 

 increased unification of the Methodist Churches. 

 It, however, realizes that to secure so desirable 

 an end mutual concessions must be made, and 

 that such concessions should be consistent with 

 ecclesiastical freedom and representative govern- 

 ment. Should the present state of opinion on 

 church government make it impracticable for all 

 sections of Methodism to unite, those that are 

 nearest to each other in their foundation prin- 

 ciples might make, as a first step, approaches, in 

 the hope that in the future ' the people called 

 Methodists ' may form one organization. With 

 this view the Assembly is prepared to consider 

 any practicable proposals in favor of union." A 

 scheme for carrying out evangelical education 

 and industrial work in East Africa was adopted. 

 XI. Bible Christian Church. The Bible 

 Christian Conference met in Forest Hill, London, 

 July 30. The Rev. John Dale was chosen presi- 

 dent. It was remarked on comparing the statis- 

 tical tables that the numbers in the Church were 

 no larger than fourteen years ago, but rather less. 

 The failure to advance was satisfactorily ac- 

 counted for by reference to the deductions which 

 necessarily followed the setting off of the colonial 

 conferences that they might enter the union of 

 the Methodist Churches in their respective colo- 

 nies; thus the Churches of New Zealand had uni- 

 ted w r ith the Wesleyan Methodists in 1897; those 

 of South Australia with other Methodists in 1900- 

 '01 ; and those of Victoria during the past year. 

 The deductions to be made in consequence of the 

 transfer of churches aggregated 77 ministers, 400 

 local preachers, 370 chapels and preaching places, 

 7,530 members of society, 1,848 teachers, and 15,- 

 576 pupils in Sunday-schools. The steady ad- 

 vance at home, however, would at the present 

 rate carry the total in each department of the 

 tables beyond the figures of 1896, the year before 

 the New Zealand loss. The New Century fund 

 had been brought within 500 or 600 of the 

 amount of 25,000 contemplated at the outset. 

 A resolution was passed denouncing the educa- 

 tion bill and warning the Government that " a 

 large number of our people will not consider the 

 bill, if carried into law, as entailing any moral 

 obligation upon them to obey it." Concerning 

 Methodist union, the Conference declared its 

 judgment " that the union of all the Methodist 



Churches in this country on a just and honorable 

 basis is a consummation eminently desirable in 

 itself, and an important step toward the closer 

 union of all the evangelical churches in this 

 country, and we therefore resolve to embrace 

 every opportunity afforded us for interdenomi- 

 national fellowship and mutual cooperation. This 

 Conference is further of opinion that in the mean- 

 time it ought to be possible for the Methodist 

 Churches which hold substantially the same views 

 of the pastoral office and the mutual rights and 

 relations of ministers and laymen to at once 

 unite for the sake of economy and greater efficien- 

 cy in working, and in the event of any proposals 

 to this end being received from any one or more 

 of these Churches, we once more affirm our will- 

 ingness to seriously consider them, following in 

 due course with corresponding action, provided, 

 as an essential condition, preliminary inquiries 

 show that a satisfactory basis of union is likely 

 to be formulated, and that there is a determina- 

 tion, if negotiations be once commenced, that they 

 shall, if possible, be conducted to a successful is- 

 sue." Further, the Conference unanimously 

 directed, that in the event of any overtures being 

 received from the Connectional Committee or 

 Conference of any Methodist Church in the 

 country on the subject of union, the Connectional 

 Committee be authorized to consider the same, 

 " taking care not to commit the Connection in 

 any way to organic union until the whole matter 

 has been reported to the annual conference and 

 a decision has been taken to that effect." The 

 Conference also acted favorably upon a proposal 

 of the Joint Committee of the Methodist Churches 

 for concerted action suggesting the designation 

 of a deputation to visit each Methodist conference 

 or assembly. 



The annual meetings of the Bible Christian Mis- 

 sionary Society were held in London, May 6. The 

 report showed that 52 ministers were engaged in 

 the home work, with 250 local preachers, 4,512 

 church-members, 331 junior members, 931 teach- 

 ers, and 3,046 scholars, and that 72 members had 

 been added during the year. In the foreign field 

 there were in China 11 missionaries, 28 full mem- 

 bers, 22 on trial, and 150 scholars. The treasurer's 

 report showed that the society was 835 in 

 debt. Three-quarters of the Century fund had 

 been paid in. 



XII. Wesleyan Reform Union. The fifty- 

 fourth annual Conference of the Wesleyan Reform 

 Union met in High Wycombe, Aug. 2. The Rev. 

 Edmund Bromage was chosen president. The 

 statistical report showed that there were con- 

 nected with the Union 192 chapels and preach- 

 ing places with 45,111 sittings, 406 preachers, 73 

 preachers on trial, 347 class-leaders, 7,374 mem- 

 bers, and 475 members on probation. An increase 

 of 5 Sunday-schools was reported. The connec- 

 tional Endeavor Societies returned 2.440 members. 

 The sum of 3,931 had been spent in chapel im- 

 provement. The Jubilee Thanksgiving fund had 

 been brought up to a total of more than 1,750, 

 or within 250 of the amount of 2,000 aimed 

 at. A resolution condemning the education 

 bill was carried unanimously. The Conference 

 by resolution expressing the opinion that the time 

 had now arrived when some definite action 

 should be taken to ascertain the opinion of the 

 various branches of the Church upon the subject 

 of Methodist Union, a commission was appointed 

 " to attend any joint conference for the purpose 

 of a frank and friendly discussion, and, if possible, 

 for the finding of some basis of action." A report 

 was made that the Union had now a sum of 139 

 subscribed for missions, and that a general in- 



