Elders meeting of Middle District, Indiana, Minutes, 1892 - 1916.

1.  One handwritten book containing the minutes of the Elders' Meeting that was held in various churches and homes across the Middle Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren.  The book records minutes from 1892 through 1916.  A listing of elders are in the back of the book.

2.  One type-written letter to the Elders meeting in Spring Creek Church, South Whitley, Indiana, from J. D. Mishler.  Brother Mishler could not attend the meeting but sent his church's approval for Brother George Snell's ordination into the Eldership.

Notes:

• J. H. Wright, Secretary in 1892.
• The minutes contain lists of committees and records the ordination of elders.
• Minutes of Elders Meeting of Middle Indiana was held at the home of Brother Bailey at Huntington, Indiana on 9 October 1911 at 7:30 P.M.
  • Writing clerk, L. D. Ikenberry*
  • Reports of Committees on ordinations:
    • Committee to Manchester Church report that I. B. (I. Bruce) Book*, L. D. Ikenberry*, Otho Winger* and Calvin Eiler were ordained.

* These men were faculty at Manchester College, Otho Winger being President of Manchester College.

• Somerset Church requested that Elsie Weimer* and Obid Rife be ordained to the eldership and the request was granted.

*Here is a woman who is ordained as an elder?

• Sometimes doctrine is discussed as ordination hangs in the balance as in this excerpt from 6 October 1913:
• "We your com [mittee] appointed to wait upon bro. D. W. Paul concerning some of his beliefs, report his position in his own words.

• The remission of our sins is conditioned by our attitude

  towards the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; and

  baptism is the divinely appointed way of manifesting our attitude toward Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.

  Recognizing that baptism is a divinely appointed ordinance there is no possible way of escape from its observance without willful disobedience to God. I can enderse [endorse] the sixth resolution passed by the late Annual Conference at Winona Lake, Indiana .....that we steadfastly maintain that Jesus it hte Christ, the son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, and that through his death on the cross we have a complete sacrifice for sin, and that all men without regard to race or nationality may become children of God by that faithin him which works by love.
  

Description prepared 11 June 2010 by Jeanine M. Wine.