The laymen of the Waynesville District of the Western North Carolina Conference M.E. Church, South, gathered at the First Methodist church on Sunday last for an all-day conference. Mr. James Atkins Jr. of Waynesville is the District Lay Leader and had prepared a program which was thoroughly enjoyed by the six or seven hundred people in attendance. Mr. Atkins presided over the meeting, which was called to order shortly after 10 o’clock.
A feature of the day was the meeting of the Men’s Bible classes of the Waynesville Methodist church and the members of the Men’s Bible class of Canton. The Canton came up some 50 strong under the leadership of their teacher, Mr. J. Bat Smathers, who taught the lesson of the day, “The Crucifixion” in a most interesting and instructive way. There were more than 100 men present.
After the Sunday school class adjourned, Mr. Atkins called the meeting to order and called upon Rev. P.W. Tucker to lead the devotional services.
Mr. Atkins then introduced the subject of the conference, stating that the whole membership of the Southern Methodist church was to engage during the week from March 8th to March 15th in trying to raise the unpaid pledges on the Centenary Fund and that the Laymen of the Waynesville and all the other districts were going to try this year to pay all the benevolent collections of the conference in full.
The next speaker was Prof. E.J. Robeson who made a very interesting and inspiring talk on “What the Methodist Church Means to Me.”
The hour for the preaching service having arrived, the Rev. Dr. Ashley Chappell, pastor of Central Methodist church, Asheville, was introduced and preached a most inspiring and uplifting sermon.
Music during the day was furnished by the Methodist Orchestra, Mrs. Matney at the organ.
At the conclusion of the morning sermon all the people were invited to the spacious dining rooms of the church where more than 700 people were served dinner. This was an old-fashioned “dinner on the ground” meeting and the members of the local congregation together with their families came together with baskets of good things for the out-of-town guests, which were spread on long tables in the dining room, and after the vast crowd was served until they could eat no more ample food was left to serve several hundred more.
The afternoon session was called to order by Mr. Atkins at 2:30, who introduced Mr. J. Mark Boont, an old Waynesville boy, now a leading Methodist layman of Andrews, who spoke in a very earnest and helpful way on “A True Revival of Religion or Personal Evangelism.”
The next speaker was Mr. J. Robert Long of Bryson City, whose subject, “Stewardship in the Light of the 20th Century,” was one of the outstanding addresses of the day.
Mr. Long was followed by Hon. D.J. Kerr of Canton, who presented “The Duties of a Layman to His Church” in “Dave” Kerr’s inimitable manner. Mr. Kerr’s address was greatly enjoyed.
The concluding address was by Bishop James Cannon Jr. of Richmond, Va. Bishop Cannon spoke on “the World’s Need” and the obligation of the Methodist church to help meet that need.
Bishop Cannon has been in touch with the mission fields of the church in Mexico, Cuba, Europe and Africa in the past few years as few men in America. His address was a survey of the needs of these fields and our ability as a nation of surprising wealth to meet that need. It was replete with incident and anecdotes of things which had come under his own observation and stressed the great congregation to the depths of its nature.
The evening service was brought Lay Leader Atkins described as “A Perfect Day in Waynesville” to a close was an organ recital rendered by Mr. James Alderson, concert organist of Durham, England, now residing in Asheville.
The church was packed to its capacity to hear this master play and his program, which was published in this paper last week, was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by the audience. On all sides we have heard the opinion expressed that Sunday was the greatest day the Methodists have ever had in Waynesville.
From the front page of the Carolina Mountaineer, Monday, March 12, 1923
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