By Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
January – 100 years ago
The Christian Advocate for January 24, 1918, carried the following article from the Wyoming Conference: “A whole charge revived! The successful revival at Rendham [Stewart Memorial] was followed by one at Old Forge, the other appointment on the charge. The Mealing party, after finishing at Rendham, stayed for three weeks at the other appointment and more than 50 conversions are reported.”
Evangelist William Cyrus Mealing (1874-1946) of Williamsport, Pa., had just completed revival meetings at Forty Fort, which reported 207 conversions and 80 re-consecrations. He and he wife, who organized the music and did vocal solos, had conducted very successful Billy Sunday-type campaigns in the Harrisburg area the previous spring. During their four weeks at Derry Street United Brethren, for example, it was reported that “an augmented choir of 125 voices sang the gospel songs made famous by Billy Sunday, under the direction of Mrs. Luella Page Mealing.”
February – 50 years ago
The Boards of Evangelism in our predecessor conferences sponsored two renewal events in 1968. A February 19-20 Conference on Preaching Evangelism at Faxon-Kenmar Methodist Church in Williamsport led by G. Ernest Thomas of Birmingham, Mich., attracted 120 pastors. A February 29 Lenten Retreat at First EUB Church in Mechanicsburg led by James Singer of Washington, D.C., was attended by 160 clergy and lay persons. In addition, pastors F. Louis Barth and Paul E. Myers represented the conference at the February 5-7 biennial meeting of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and were elected chairman of the Committee on Community Evangelism and executive secretary of the Division of Evangelism respectively.
For questions about the history of the Susquehanna Conference and its predecessor conferences, contact Dr. Milton Loyer at loyer@lycoming.edu
Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church
