526 History of Methodism 



The committee charged with the revision of the financial plan 

 of the Conference have given the whole subject mature deliberation, 

 feeling profoundly impressed with a sense of its vital, if not para- 

 mount, importance to the sacred and immortal interests of the 

 Church, for the time to come. 



With impressions such as these, entertained, it is hoped, in the 

 fear of God, changes have been made to accommodate the plan, as 

 far as possible, to the conflicting opinions which are found to exist 

 in the body of the Conference. And these changes have been made 

 in a spirit of Christian conciliation, with the fact abundantly de- 

 monstrated by the practical results, as embodied in the returns of 

 collections from about one-fourth of the charges, of the entire prac- 

 ticability, we might say the easy practicability, of the plan. In 

 some of the charges it has been executed to the letter — every claim 

 having been fully met with comparative ease, and greatly to the 

 relief and satisfaction of the stewardship and all members of the 

 Church who feel an interest in the matter. 



These changes, then, having been thus made, and your committee 

 being also impressed with a conception of the difficulty which is 

 found in bringing any plan into general and harmonious operation, 

 and feeling at the same time that this is essentially necessary to 

 success, urgently and affectionately entreat unity of sentiment and 

 concurrence of action upon the plan which shall be herewith agreed 

 upon. 



Plan of Operations. 



1. That as soon as the preacher arrives, it shall be the duty of 

 the respective boards of stewards to meet and determine the whole 

 amount to be raised for the support of the Church for the Confer- 

 ence-year — the Conference collections excepted. That at the first 

 Church-meeting, or convenient time thereafter, this matter shall be 

 brought by the stewards, or steward (whether station or circuit), be- 

 fore the membership, and provision made for raising the amount 

 required, either by assessments upon all the members of the Church, 

 previously agreed upon by the board, and reported and assented to 

 at this first meeting, or by the assumption of entirely voluntary 

 obligations on the part of the members, in response to the call of 

 the stewards, to the full amount needed. 



2. That on the stations collections be made by the stewards 

 monthly. That these collections be reported to a monthly meeting 

 of the stewards, which meeting shall aggregate and order the dis- 

 bursement, through the secretary and treasurer of the board, to the 



