Baker University - Wildcat Yearbook (Baldwin City, KS)

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Lyon, Osage, Franklin and Miami, and an appointment in Morris. This is the present territory of the Conference. A comparison of the figures of the first session 1874, and the ninth in 1882, the year of the division, shows in 1882 a membership of 20,167, a gain of 7,4465 church. buildings 133, a gain of 905 parsonages 92, a gain of 50. Value of both 3348,788, a gain of 3233,043. That year there was raised for Missions, 32,698--a gain of 31,940, and for Education, 3586, a gain of 3560. That year the Conference received from the Missionary Society to aid in the work, 35,500 The Board of Church Extension as- sisted in building twenty-seven churches with donations of 34,725, and granted loans to the amount of 39,600 to twenty-nine churches, some of them being the same to which do- nations were made. This Was a period of rapid development in the West and nobly did our, connectional societies come to the relief. In matter of ministerial support the claims were 386,586, on which 380,170 was paid, a gain of 345,892 The Conference had grown from four' dis- tricts to six, now named Emporia, Fort Scott, Independence, Wichita, Newton and Larned, with 149 appointments, being a gain of two districts and sixty-five appointments. The closing words of the minutes of 1882 are and the Conference separated never again to meet as one Conference. There was a sorrow in sunderirrg the tie, and yet a. rejoicing that the great growth and development of the work had made it necessary. The session of 1883, the iirst in the present form was held at Oswego, commencing March 1, with Bishop Harris presiding. This year four districts were organized, taking place of the three as at close of last session. They were Emporia, Fort Scott, Indepen- dence and Ottawa. In this form they have remained. In 1883 there were 89 appointments, a nrenrbership of 13,8133 churches 118, parson- ages 41, with valuation of property, 3291,010. There was raised for Missions 31,722, and for Education 3458. The Conference received from the Missionary Society that year 32,000 ' At the last session, 1905, the figures were as follows: Members 29,467, a gain since 1883 of 15,654, churches, 278, a gain of 1605 parsonages, 118, a gain of 77, missionary col- lection,9312,571, a gain of 310,849g education, 36,291, a gain of 35,836 There are now 127 appointments, a gain of 38. The item of Ministerial Support is: Claims 3115,959. on which 3113,521 was paid, a gain of 361,744. Gains, very nearly corresponding to these named will be found all along the line, and the spirit of growth and development still remains as the spirit of the Conference. The recent great developments in gas and oil in this territory with the coming in of many large manufacturing plants have greatly added to the wealth of this section and hence to the ability and responsibility of our people. The agricultural resources here are very great and to this add the gas, oil, shale for brick, material for cement, zinc, lead and coal, and the possibilitics both for people with whom to labor and money with which to carry on the work are beyond present calculation. The Conference since its first session in 1874 has had for its presiding bishops as follows: Andrews, '74, '87, '96, Mer- rill, '75, '84, '91, Peck, '76, Simpson, '77, Bowman, '78, '88, Wiley, '79, Foster, '80, Hurst, '5-1, Vlfarren, '82, '92, Harris, '83, Ninde, '84, Walden, '85, '01, Vincent, '89, '00, Foss, '90, '03, Joyce, '93, '05, Mallalieu, '94, '02, Goodsell, '95, McCabe, '97, Cranston, '98, Fitzgerald, '99, Hamilton, '04, The sessions of the Conference have been held three times at each of the following places: Fort Scott, Ottawa, and Baldwin, twice at Independence, Em- poria., Burlington, Paola, Parsons, and Clranute, and once each at Wichita, Garnett, 19

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EMPORIA DISTRICT Presiding Elder, W. H. Mulvaney

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FT. SCOTT DISTRICT Presiding Elder, john Maclean