Newspapers / The Star of Zion … / Sept. 1, 1898, edition 1 / Page 1
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I '■ f li ■ L ORGAN OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH IN AMERICA. Volume XXII. Charlotte N. C., Thursday, September i, 1898. Number 37. BISHOPS’ MEETING. Doings Of The Highest Court In The Church. ' BY BISHOP A, WALTERS. r ‘ :_ The annual Jubilee and semi-an nual'meeting of ti e Board of Bish ops of the A. M. E. Zion Church were held at Asbury Park from August 15th to 19 ;h. The preliminaries began on Sun day the 14th, by s pedal services at our church. Bisliop Jehu Holli day preached an excellent spirit ual sermon at 11 a. m., one that stirred the hearts to their very depths. The Sabbath-school ser vices at 3 p. m. were highly inter esting. Instructive addresses were made by Bishops C. R. Harris and A. Walters. At 8 p, m. Bishop C. R. Harris preached an able, | practical and effective sermon which carried conviction with it. At the close a stirring appeal was made by Bishop Walters and three united with the c lurch. On Monday the 15th, the Board of Bishops convened. Bishop J. B. Small was.elected president for the ensuing year; Bishop A. Wal | ters, secretary. All the Bishops were present except Bishop T. H. Lomax, who arr ived on Tuesday morning. The following General Officers were present: Revs. Wm. Howard Day, J. W. Alstork, G. L. Blackwell, A. J. Warner, J. B. Colbert, J. H. A iderson and J. S. Caldwell. A neat speech was madej by Bishop Small on taking the chair, thanking the brethren for tjie honor conferred upon him. Dr. Wm. Howard Day, Secre tary, made a very satisfactory re port. He was requested to pay on or before the 31st day of De cember, 1898, all moneys due the .Bishops tor 1897. Dr. J. W. Alstork, General Steward, made a very encouraging report of the finances of the Church. He sgid that while there had been some increase in the gen eral fund there was still a deficit, and that stronger efforts must be put forth by pastors and all conn cerned in the raising of general fund, in order to secure sufficient money to pay ex penses. A motion was made by Bishop G. W. Clinton that the action heretofore taken, establishing a House of Bishops be reconsidered. During the discussion it was shown that the action was taken in order to allow the Bishops to meet alone^ without the other General Officers; it was understood that whenever the General Officers met with the Bishops fhe des.gnation for such a meeting was “The Board of Bish ops.” When the Bishops met . alone it was to be “The House of Bishops.” Thj Bishops finally concluded that t was their prerog ative to meet idone at any time, hence the title ‘ House of Bishops” was stricken out. Bishop A. Walters made > re port of receipts and expendimres connected with the Asbury Park meeting, held August 16th, at the auditorium. The amount collect ed and expended was $160. The following letter was read by Bishop J. W. Hood: Third Ecumenical Methodist Con- ) ference of 1901, 95 Westervelt Ave., > Plainfield, N. J., June 81, ’98. ) To Bishop James W. Hood, D. D., President Board of Bishops. Dear Sir and Brother: A committee representing the Methodist Churches of Great Britain has invited the co-opera tion of the Methodist Churches of the United States and Canada in arranging for a Third Ecumenical Methodist Con ference, to be held, if so agreed, in City Road Chapel, London, in the year 1901. The General Conference of the Metho dist Episcopal Church,held in Cleveland, O., in 1896, and the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church« South, held in Baltimore, Md„ in May, 1898, each accepted for itself the invita tion of the London Committee, whereof the Rev. John Bond is Secretary, and ordered a commission appointed to rep resent ». A joint meeting t>f the two commis sions was held in Baltimore, Md., Satur day, May 21st, 1898, at which a provi sional organization was effected for the purpose of taking steps to secure a meet ing of representatives of all Methodist Churches on this side of the Atlantic, for the formation of a Western Section of Committee of Arrangements for the proposed Conference. Of this organiza tion Bishop C- B. Galloway, D. D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was elected chairman, Bishop John F. Hurst, D. D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, vice-chairman, and H. K. Car roll, LL. D., of the Methodist Episcopal Church, secretary. Confining itself to the preliminaries looking to the organi zation of a commission representing all the Churches, the meeting at Baltimore appointed a committee of correspond ence, consisting of a chairman, vice chairman and secretary, with Dr. J. J. Tigert, secretary of the commission of the M. E. Church, South, and Dr. J. W. Hamilton, and charged the committee with the duty of corresponding with other Methodist branches in the United States and Canada, with a view to secur ing the appointment on the part of each, of a commission, and of arranging for a meeting of such commissions at some convenient time and place. In compli ance with the instructions thus given us, we beg to ask that a commission be ap pointed on behalf of your Church at an early date, and that a list of its mem bers, with their addresses, be communi cated to the secretary, Dr. Carroll, at 95 Westervelt Ave., Plainfield, N. J. It is creemed important that the Western Sec tion of the Committee of Arrangements be organized with as little delay as pos sible, that entrance upon the work of preparation for the Conference may not be put off too long. On behalf of the Committee, C. B. Galloway, chairman, John F. Hurst, vice-ch’m’n, H. K. Carroll, secretary, John J. Tigert, John W. Hamilton. The number of commissioners for our church and the A. M. E. Church were three each; the fol lowing commissioners were ap pointed at the Ecumenical Confer ence in 1891 and confirmed by the General Conference in 1892—Bish ops J. W. Hood and A. Walters, and Dr. J. C. Price. Dr. Price having deceased a vacancy was left, which was filled by Dr. J. W. Alstork. In the absence of the record the Bishops were in doubt as to the number of our commis sioners. Bishops Hood and Wal ters thought there were four, two [continued on fifth page.] ZION’S JUBILEE DAY. Impressive Exercises in the Ocean Grove Auditorium. BY MBS. E. V. WALTERS. On Tuesday, August 16th, the great annual Jubilee and Mission ary Meeting of Zion Church was held at Ocean Grove Auditorium, according to announcement. An excursion train of thirteen coaches carried a large delegation from New York City, Jersey City and Brooklyn. At 10 :30 the services began with an opening chorus by the splendid choir of “Mother Zion” church, which added fresh laurels to its feme and held the audience under a spell as it filled the vast building with floods of melody. It was an inspiring sight to be hold the entire Board of Bishops, nine in all, inarch with dignified mein upon the platform and take the seats reserved for them. Bish op J. W. Hood, D. D., LL.D., Senior Bishop of the Church, pre sided. After the singing of the opening hymn, reading of the Scripture lesson and prayer, Bish op Jehu Holliday, D. D., preached a sermon long to be remembered for spiritual power. His face beamed wilth holy enthusiasm as he told of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and fervid responses were heard from all parts of the house. At the conclusion of the service maay were in tears. The afternoon exercises at 2 :30 were presided over by Bishop J. B. Small,1 D. D.* and were of an exceedingly interesting character. The Missionary and Church Ex tension Department was represent ed by Dr. A. J. Warner, its very efficient secretary. He delivered a practical convincing speech in the interest of his department, showing the necessity of extend ing the kingdom of Christ in our own and ether lands, and the effi cacy of the Negro Church in that direction. J Bishop G. W. Clinton, A. M., D. D., sptpke ,eloquently and en thusiastically on “Our Missionary Work.” lie urged greater effort on the part of the Church in open ing mission fields North, South, East and West, and appealed for aid in sustaining our missionaries in their self-sacrificing work. He was! followed by Bishop C. C. Petteyj A. M., D. D., who pre sented the, educational phase of our work, discussing at length the ad vantages of an educated ministry, and pointed out the necessity of keeping up our educational insti tutions. His arguments were con vincing and eloquent. A pleasing addition to the exer cises was the rendition of the poem entitled “The Colored Soldiers” by Mr. Henri Strange, the finest elocutionist of the race. He cap tured the audience on the first line and held its undivided attention until thej finish, when storms of applause burst forth, and he was obliged to return to the platform and render as an encore, “When Melirdy sings.” Both of these poems are from the pen of the coming American poet, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, of whose talents we as a race are proud. Mr. Strange made such a splendid im pression that it was requested he appear again at the evening ses sion, which, however, was impos sible on account of the full pro gram . Mr ,dam Lyon delighted her hear ers with her wonderful voice. She sang several selections as only the Madam can sing and was recalled again and again. The fame of our great meeting had s pread throughout the entire vi cinity of the Park, and at night the people surged into the auditorium long before the hour of opening. When the exercises began the lower floor and galleries were crowded to their utmost capacity; fully 7,500 people were present in the building while on the sidewalks an eiiger, crowd struggled to gain a po: nt of vantage at the doors. The exercises commenced at 7 :30 o’clock, Bishop A. Walters, D. D., pres ding. It had been announc ed that special evangelistic ser vices would be held at this hour, and accordingly after the usual devo tional exercises, Bishop Walters in troduced the girl preacher, Isabella Horton. This child was a revela tion, Without a sign of emharass ment she stood up before that vast throng and spoke simply and feel ingly of her experience in her short Christian life, implored sin ners to come to Christ, and sang with great pathos the hymn, “He’s just the same to-day.” Many melted into tears as they gazed into her little face, which seemed alight with an unusual glow. As she took her seat many heartfelt “Amens” were heard. A solo, “The Holy City,” by Mrs. Harper of Jersey City, lead ing soprano of St. Mark’s A. M. E. Zion church of that city, was charmingly rendered. Her voice was clear, sweet and of great vol nm<» vShft WA.K crrfifitfid with fin thusiastic applause. Short addresses were made by Rev. J. B. Colbert and others, bearing on the deeper spiritual life, and then the meeting was turned over to the audience by Bishop Walters as a testimony meeting. A glorious season was experienced and precious testi monies for Jesus were given all over that immense building. The Klaee was aflame with the old time [ethodist fire, and it ran from hea rt to heart like an electric bat tery. God’s presence was in the house, and when Bishop Walters called for volunteers who would seek a deeper work of grace and pledge themselves for one month or one year to do nothing except what they thought Jesus would have them do, numbers responded to the call. There is no doubt but that Zion has left an impress for good at Asbury Park that wilj nev er be effaced. Prof. Johnson, President of the Howard Colored Orphanage of Brooklyn, was present with elev en of his little orphans; the chil dren sang several selections, their sweet, well trained voices and bright, happy faces eliciting mer ited applause. Jersey City, N. J. WOMAN ORDINATION. Is it Scripturally Lawful?—Let Scripture Guide us. BISHOP SMALLS ARTICLE. There has been, for sometime, a discussion going on in the Star of Zion between the bishops and eld ers, respecting the legality of one, Mrs. Mary J. Small, being or dained to the work of the gospel ministry. Bishop J. B. Small, A. M., D. I)., in an article published in last week’s Star, entitled “Woman Ordination” gives, it appears, the final decision of the bishopric of the Zion Methodist Church in fav or of Mrs. Small. We are glad to have the con clusion of the matter that we might more clearly see just how far the leading spirits of that Church stand from the true teach ings of the New Testament Scrip tures, or how closely they follow in tracing the lines of holy Writ, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. From a standpoint of common reason it appeals consistent that woman should be allowed a part in the great work of saving their lost; but we must be guided by the Scriptures in setting the bounds of her territory. She was first in'' leading man from God and it is., fittingly proper that she be fore most in leading man back to God: but the question is, How far can she be trusted for the safe keeping of things pertaining to the king dom of heaven ? What is her gen eral disposition, what is she ca pable of doing and not doing, and how far has God ever trusted her with holy things? These are the pertinent questions in the case. We would like to know what the Bishop means by “Paul’s dec laration not being an injunction.”, Does he mean to say that any part of the Scriptures is of human ori gin or that Paul did not speak by inspiration 5 It appears ■ that Bishop Small quoted Dr. Clark as an authority for wpman being allowed to preach and yet he says that “We do not know that he said to her preach. ” Moreover it appears that the Bishop is lost to his subject: “Woman Ordination.” That wom an be allowed to exercise her spiritual gift, in prayer and speak ing in the congregation, does not suggest to our mind that the ordi nances of the Church are to be committed to her charge. The twelve apostles whom Christ or dained, were 8,11 men; when the apostles appointed one to the va cancy of Judas they appointed a man, and there is no account in the Scriptures of the apostles or daining any woman. Farthermore the Bishop says: “There may be persons who have great er reverence for God’s word than we. We make strong efforts to be in accord with it—we are very careful to try not to falsify it.” And yet the Bishop does not give any Scriptural authority for ordaining woman to the work of the gospel ministry.'—Petersburg (Va.) National Pilot.
The Star of Zion (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1898, edition 1
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