November 1973
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'\.. 1. THE :XIT:lOIT CONFERENCE Hisr CRICAL i:.;ESSEI\GZR Publ ished by the "Friends ~f the Archives" Vol. I, No. 4 November 1973 TABLE OF CONTENTS HHAT ONE CHU!le"J:l IS DOUK; Our Annual Heeting. Pa~e 1 Hhat One Church is Doing 1 One of our members (Sharon Scott of Clinton) Fall was Conference Time 1 tells what her church is doinci in historical Eembership Dues Due Soon 2 matters. Incidentally the Clinton United Conference Cane Holder 2-3 Methodist Church. edifice is believed to be Anniversaries 3 the oldest building in continuous ~se as a Autumn Church Activities 4-5 sanctuary in Hichigan Eethodism. Construc The Rise of Methodism in Northern tion of the church with its thick solid Michigan 5-6 brick walls l-7as be:;un in 18"37, and completed - - ... - - in 1842. OUR ANNUAL l>.iEEI'Ii.n, June 5-6 For the last ttvo years Clinton has cele brated Heritage Sunday at the beginning of Our first annual meetin~ was held in Nichigan t!a.e~. "Last year ~ve collected conjunction wtth the Commission on Archives copies of documents and pictures related to and History, at Adrian College on June S-6, the history of our church. This material · preceding the Annual Conference. :Je had is in two scrapbooks. an excellent program. "I'his year ~-le decided to concentrate bn Tuesday at 4 o'clock, after opening de the Clinton Church from 1900 to 1920 and let votions by Donald Crumm, Editor John E. some of our older members tell us lvhat they Harvin gave an informal and enlightening remember from their childhood and youth. ~Je "discourse on 'The Beginnin~s of the Michi prepared a bool~let from tape and conversati.ons". ~an Christ ian Advocate." In the evening, During the past year, the Clinton folks Floyd Porter gave a very practical and unearthed two old items of source material. helpful paper on "Problems in Local Church They acquired notes from the secretary's History." This '1-Tas follmved by a deli~ht book of "The Social", a group active in the ful slide lect ure on "The Coast of Maine" Church in the 1870's and 1880's, which later by Helen Royce. became the Ladies' Aid Society. The ·notes On Hednesday morning Ronald Brunger "tell a very interesting story of the social gave a paper, "Beg innings of Albion Colle~e:• life of the church, ~vith many funny anecdotes". His article on the subject appeared in One of the members has his grandfather's Hichigan History in the issue for Sur..mer diary, and his entries relatin~ to the church 1967. The paper given here was the ori have been transcribed. ginal paper l;>Pfor~ it \vent through certE~in ~~ ' '\ - ' - t:' '.) .... .... - .._ .. .:t .. • · .I• t.. r- "! 0 ~ -:..:'"'J ~ ' . -· -. ·' : .. ; . .i<:l i.. clear thn1 P re s i~~n g ~l rt er J~me s Gi lrutt - ~ ~,;;.. other chll...:·che., c:ne doin::; in the histori:.. ~ J. should be remembered as one of the founders of Albion College, as ~vell as Elijah Pilcher, field. - - - • -- - ---- Dr. Benjamin Packard, and Henry Colclazer FI.LL HAS CONFERENCE THill' (the traditionally honored trio of founders). September Has usually the time for Annual Ne;ct came a fascinating paper by Ralph Conference, in the early days of Michigan Harper, the Curator of our Conference His Hethodism, and ~vell into the present century. torical Collection at Adrian Colle~~. on The first session of the Michigan Annual "Glimpses into an Era: The Ladies' Reposi Conference was held from Sept. 7 to Sept. 15, tory". The· Methodist Church was the first 1836, dmvn in t-~ansfield , Chio. Conferences to publish a women's magazine, to its ever l-lere lon:;er in those days. The first ses lasting credit. 'The Ladies' Repositoryr sion of the Detroit Annual Conference Has was very popular and enjoyed a large cir held in Adrian, Sept. 17-23, 1836. culation for many years. The early dhio Conferences were fall con ferences, and let's remember that the ~-le thought such an exciting program would commend itself to a lar3er number (Cont. on p. 2) of our lay members 1 and that the fellow ship of other like-minded people would prove helpful and ihspirih~. (Cont, on p, 2) Our Annual Meeting (continued) Fall Has Conference ti~ (continued) At our business meeting on ~-7ednesday ~thodist Episcopal lvorl~ in southeastern morning, the President passed out a list of Hichigan was under the Chi() . <:;onfer~nce .: from the members of the Frien<J~ : 'of· the Archive~. ·- .. .1820 .. -to -1836. The Coriterence of 1820 met in He pointed out that our membership is scat August; those of 1821, 1822, 1823 and 1824 tered well over the Conference, but despite met in September. The Conference of 1825 and all our publicity we have less than 40 me~ 1826 met in October: ·those of 1827 and 1828 bers. He wondered if it would be bestto dis in September. band, and regard our effort as an ui\t imely The early l1ichigan preachers apparently failure. favored September. August was too h~t. The The members present rejected this thoug~t; weather tvas warmer and roads were 1 ikely td they were enthusiastic over the ~~ssenger, be better for travel in September, than later and felt we had just begun and should con in the fall. If they had to move, they must tinue, and press on vigorously. haye preferred to move in warmer weather. Burdette Clark was elected Publishin~ Thenceforth for a century, the Confetences Agent in charge of getting the l1esseri6er were usually held,·in September, th()ugh occa printed. He with the other officers tvill sionally the bishops ·scheluled them otherwise. constitute an Editorial Committee to help The 1840 C_onference met in l'iarshall beginning ~-lith the Messenger. · August 19: In the closing .cinute ·it t-Tas sta The members ~ecided that the membership ted that the Conferen~e was adjourned to ·me~t fee for the Friends of the Archives would -be · at Hhite Pigeon on Au~us. t 18·, 1S41. He would raised to ~3 per year, $5 for two years, or bet that the preachers objected. Anyway the a one-year subscription and gift subscrip 1841 conference lvas held bezinning Sept. 15_. tion for $5. They also decided that the In 1935, the Detroit Annual Conference met year be changed to the calendar year. for the ·first ~ime in June and became known The old officers were re-elected for the as a spring conference., rather tban a fall rest of 1973 and 1974. President; Ronald A. conference. Hhy the change? Brunger; Vice-President: Floyd H. Porter; It was found that moves in late September Secretary-Treasurer: Luren Strait. or October disrupted the school children and placed a handicap upon them. This had not been MEMBERSHIP DUES DUE S OOH a consideration in the 1830's. And ministers In the light of the action of our Annual did not get to harvest all the gardens they had ~~eting, the dues of $3 for regular members · planted. It was felt that early -summer moves . will .be due· in this next quarter for the year wouldn't disrupt school attendance and adjust 1974. Send them to Luren Strait, 216 Fifth ment, and ministers l-10Uld have the slacl~ sum St., Harrisville, MI. 48740. mer months to become fairly acquainted with A card is enclosed for this purpose. their new parishes , before the busy fall Hhat better Christmas gift than a subscrip season began. tion for a fri~nd , plus yours , all for $5 . Today nearly all the Ce:'l {= s::r:n.~ "~ '.:-.r:.::veP.c i n .1. ~ .. I ::-1.._. ·- .... .1 .. ., C·::- J :.~.. J.' ~.. 'l'lJ. ::.s ~ s c;.:e c i Dc,:··y t~ ... c. .... be rs givi n~ us h i s t orical data, ideas, or have come through the years • . materials for articles, information on what your church is doing, ideas for the Friends CONFERENCE CANE HOlDER of the Archives. Rev. Frank N. Purdy of Uilliamstown, was the Perhaps you v1ould like to give extra fin holder of the Conference cane from 1971 until ancial support to our Methodist historical his death on t·~ay 29, at the age of 95. cause. The Friends of the Archives have ad The new holder of the Conference Oane is Rev. ditional categories of memberships: a Sus H. I. Voelker of 415 Burns Dr., Detroit. taining· Hembership. is $10, a contributing The Detroit Conference cane was presented · Membership is $25, . and a Life lfumbership is and adopted in 1904, the year that marked the $100. This summer He acquired Cl second Life -lOOth anniversary of the introduction of Hember, Mrs. Frank Stephenson. Hethodism into t-.iichigan. The cane is made . of Hhat is done with these fu·nds, you_ nii~ht wood secured by Rev. N. Norton Clad; from the ask. He first take care· of the expenses in original church in Adrian, in which the curred in connection with the l·£ssenger, and Detroit Coi1ference was or~anized in 1856. the r·unhing expenses of the Friends. He want · (contintied p. 3,col. 1) to aid and undergird our conference Archives (continued on p.3) 3. Iv.iEl1BERSHIP DUZS (continued) ANNIVEaSARIES a t Adrian College, and hope to be able to :Je tvould 1 ike to note in the Historical tv'~s purchase or microfilm rare books and papers sen~er, some of the current notable anniversaries ·for tl'e Archives. Ue might set up markers 'in our Conference .. or monuments at l'lethodist historical sites The Araes Utnited Liethodist Church of Saginaw across our state, if we gain the financ-ial had a notable celebration of its Centennial in strength to do it.