The annual session of the Pittsburgh Conference of the Free Methodist Church is set to meet at Kittanning FMC on June 3-4, 2016. This year's event will not even last twenty-four hours. That's quite a change from back in the 1960's, when it was a five-day event that was always held at the Tri State Free Methodist Camp in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Pastors, lay delegates, honored guests and others were lodged in dorm rooms and cottages. There were always a few who preferred to pay their own way and stay at the nearby Best Western Hotel. There are legendary stories of snoring annoyances and allegations of making noise after curfew. Meals were served in the dining hall by the always-in-complete-control, Virginia!
The tabernacle was transformed into a place for the transacting of business under the leadership of the area bishop. Reports were given, worship times were enjoyed, the bishop challenged the attenders, reports were given, special guests addressed the conference, the superintendent gave his 'state-of-the-work address', reports were given and the all-important appointments were read [some called them the 'disappointments']!
I grew up attending these events annually. To a child, they were terribly boring. However, as a youth it gave me another five days to be with my Rochester District friends. For most of my youth years, I served as the dish-washer for the over three hundred attendees.
My father was always one of the lay delegates from the New Brighton church. He seemed to almost always share this role with Morrison Baker. Morrison was for many years the song leader at conference. His skill and ability at leading worship was a spiritual gifting that blessed anyone who sat under his leadership!
I fondly remember coming home from Roberts Wesleyan College as a ministerial candidate in the conference. For the first time, I was allowed to sit beside my father within the bar of the conference and actually participate in these deliberations. In some sense, my father was my mentor in this process; I was very proud of him! He had come to be quite respected as a leader, having served on the Stationing Committee for over twenty-five years! [This is the committee that appointed pastors.]
My mother was knee-deep in the simultaneous Women's Missionary Society (WMS) meetings. For a long time, she was the president of the WMS and would go all out to challenge the conference leaders to prioritize missions in their local churches!
I was intrigued by the business sessions and often sat in on them even as a child between games of 'Careers' or 'Monopoly' with my friend, Denny Mitchell. The thing that made conference special was the pastors! They were as diverse as a box of chocolates, yet single-minded in their common love for God!
In many cases the pastors were the chairmen of the many conference committees. Their reports were a continuous attempt to one-up the previous report! I'm convinced that many of these men could have made a good living as a stand-up comedian. Laughter - belly laughter - punctuated the sessions of the conference! Some went to extremes to make their area seem like the most important thing to come before the conference that year! Names like R. S. McGrew, Paul Hazlett, R. D. Merkle, Harry Stevick, Paul Daniels, Ken Hilling, W. P. Jones, J. S. Mitchell, and so many more litter my memory! Pastors during this time period were highly respected and revered by the people.
Bishops were intimidating characters! We were so rarely exposed to them that they seemed like authorities that were not to be questioned. Most were quite serious, almost to the extent of seeming unfriendly. Bishop Johns would instruct that no one was to leave the tabernacle while he was speaking! Bishop Boyd was a tall man who spoke with a slight impediment - but with dynamic authority. Bishop Ellis was passionate and a preacher who made you want to live better and work harder for God! Bishop Kendall was a quiet man with an unimpressive manner but a deep, godly presence. I was in awe of these men!
Conference also gave me an opportunity to see my great-uncle, J. O. Archer. His was always the first name called out with the conference roll call. I was so proud of him! Everyone loved to hear him pray! He had a deep, resonant, bass voice that impacted everyone as well as his comfort in talking with God! He was like a grandfather to me and I loved him dearly!
The annual sessions always ended with a huge crowd present. Two events marked the ending of these days of meetings: the complimentary resolutions and the reading of the appointments.
The complimentary resolutions were customarily in poetic form They were written by either a lay delegate or a pastor who had been elected to do so. The remarks were published and distributed after they were publicly read. [Later, I had the esteemed privilege of doing the complimentary resolutions myself on several occasions.] The authors seemed adept at recapturing the greatest moments of the conference. Any faux paux would certainly gain recognition! Highlights of heated arguments would likely be mentioned. Humorous incidents would be reviewed. Someone who grossly went over their allotted time to speak might be roasted. Times when the Spirit moved would also be recounted. The listener would literally be moved from laughter to tears and holy moments by these skilled writers!
Then came the moment we all waited for - the reading of the appointments. People crowded into the tabernacle with standing room only! The bishop would always strictly admonish the crowd that there were to be no cheers, clapping or other outward expressions during the reading of the appointments. His admonishments were not always heeded! This was the day when pastor's appointments were kept secret until this moment. Oftentimes even the pastor's children did not know they were moving until they heard it with the crowd! Sobs and weeping often followed the appointments while other gatherings of joy took place in different corners of the tabernacle.
Even the best of bishops were challenged to hold the crowd in control until the final prayer had been prayed. Pastors were surrounded by people who wanted to express their sorrow AND by people who wanted to greet them as their new leader! It was a chaotic time fraught with deep emotions!
And then, cars were already packed and everyone headed home to get ready for the first Sunday of a new conference year. New challenges had been laid out and there was work to be done!
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