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chosen for the purpose, who shall also record the same in a book of which the District Superintendent shall be the custodian.

V. Support of Pastors

307, § 1. It shall be the duty of the Quarterly Conference of each Charge at the session immediately preceding the Annual Conference to appoint an Estimating Committee, consisting of three or more members of the Church, who shall, after conferring with the Minister or Ministers stationed among them, make an estimate of the amount necessary to furnish to each a comfortable support, taking into consideration the number and condition of his family; which estimate shall be subject to the action of the Quarterly Conference, and to which shall be added the amount apportioned for the support of the Conference Claimants, the Bishops, and the District Superintendent; and the Stewards shall provide for raising the sum thus required in accordance with ¶¶ 297-300.

§ 2. The Traveling and Moving Expenses of the Ministers shall not be included in the estimate, but shall be paid by the Stewards as a separate item.

§ 3. It shall be the duty of each Annual Conference, whenever practicable, to organize Conference Sustentation Fund Societies to supplement inadequate ministerial support in Charges so financially feeble that they are unable to furnish sufficient support.

¶ 308. Should the people among whom a Member of an Annual Conference has labored fail to pay him his allowance, he may present a claim for the same to the Conference, and the Conference may authorize

the Board of Stewards to pay part or all of said claim out of the funds at its disposal for such purposes, and shall include in its report the name of the Charge with the amount paid. In no case, however, shall the Church or the Conference be held accountable for any final deficiency.

VI. Support of Conference Claimants

1. CLAIM

¶ 309, § 1. An Inherent Claim. The claim to a comfortable support inheres in the Gospel Ministry and rightfully inures to the benefit of the Preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, when he is admitted to membership in the Annual Conference. Such Preacher may voluntarily relinquish this claim, but it can neither be justly questioned during his active service, nor invalidated by his being superannuated; and at his death it rightfully passes to the dependent members of his family.

§ 2. Superannuated Preachers, the widows of deceased preachers, and their children under sixteen years of age, are Conference Claimants; and, when recognized by an Annual Conference, become the beneficiaries of the Funds hereinafter provided. No such Claimant shall be deprived of his claim except by action of the Annual Conference, taken after opportunity to be heard has been given.

2. FUNDS

310, § 1. The Several Funds. For the support of Conference Claimants the following Funds are established:

The Connectional Fund for Conference Claimants. The Annual Conference Annuity Fund for Conference Claimants.

The Annual Conference Special Fund for Conference Claimants.

§ 2. These several Funds, derived from public collections, private gifts, bequests, and other sources, shall be administered as hereinafter provided.

§ 3. That the Church may effectually meet the sacred obligation to provide a comfortable support for Conference Claimants, the rules and regulations herein provided for obtaining and administering the Funds established for this purpose shall be observed by all our Pastors, District Superintendents, and Bishops, and by all Pastoral Charges, Quarterly, District, and Annual Conferences.

3. ANNIVERSARIES AND APPORTIONMENTS

¶ 311, § 1. Conference Anniversary. Each Annual Conference shall hold one service during its session, to be known as the Conference Claimants' Anniversary, for the promotion of the interests of Conference Claimants.

§ 2. The Annual and Lay Electoral Conferences are recommended to hold a joint session quadrennially in the interests of Conference Claimants, and, jointly, to adopt such measures as shall successfully promote during the quadrennium the active coöperation of Preachers and people in the liberal support of this cause.

§ 3. The Annual Conference is authorized to establish and maintain a Permanent Fund under such plans, rules, and regulations as it may determine, the income from which shall be applied for the sup

port of Conference Claimants. It is recommended that each Annual Conference provide for an incorporated Board to administer such Permanent Fund.

T312. The Apportionment. The Conference Board of Stewards, in determining what shall be apportioned to the several Pastoral Charges in the Conference, shall first estimate the total amount required for the support of all its Conference Claimants. From this amount they shall subtract the income received during the previous year from the Chartered Fund, Book Concern, and from all other sources for this purpose, not including the receipts from the Pastoral Charges for annual distribution; to this remainder shall be added five per cent for the Connectional Fund, as fixed by the General Conference, and this final sum when approved by the Annual Conference, shall be equitably apportioned among the several Pastoral Charges in such manner as the Conference may determine.

[For duties of Stewards on the several Charges, see ¶ 300.]

313. Conference Claimants' Day. Each Congregation shall annually observe one Sunday as Conference Claimants' Day, on which, the Pastor shall present the obligation of the Church to provide a comfortable support for Conference Claimants, and, unless otherwise provided by the Stewards, the people shall be asked to contribute on that day at least the amount apportioned for this purpose. [The Board of Conference Claimants has chosen the second Sunday before May 30 as such "VETERANS' SUNDAY."]

314. The sum received from the Congregation for Conference Claimants shall be paid by the Pastor to the Treasurer designated by the Annual Conference to receive the same, who shall receipt to him

therefor. The said Treasurer shall forward to the Treasurer of the Board of Conference Claimants of the Methodist Episcopal Church the five per cent fixed by the General Conference for the Connectional Fund; also a certified copy of the report of the Conference Board of Stewards as adopted by the Conference, together with other data named in ¶ 427, § 2, for the guidance of the Board of Conference Claimants in making the distribution of the Connectional Fund.

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¶ 315, § 1. Administration of Funds. The Quarterly Conference of each Pastoral Charge to which Charge a Conference Claimant is related shall require its Committee for Estimating the Preacher's Salary, also to estimate the amount necessary to provide for such Conference Claimant a comfortable support-giving full information in all cases of special need. After this-estimate has been considered and approved by the Quarterly Conference, it shall be certified by the President and Secretary of the Quarterly Conference and sent to the Secretary of the Annual Conference with which the Claimant is related, for the information of the Board of Stewards.

§ 2. Each Annual Conference shall elect a Board of Stewards, which may consist of both Preachers and Laymen, and may be arranged in classes so that one third of the members shall be elected each year.

1. The estimates received from the Quarterly Conferences for the support of Conference Claimants, together with the name of each Claimant, shall be annually referred to the Conference Board of

Stewards.

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