This Week in Texas Methodist History June 19 Abilene Woman Reports on 1938 General Conferene June 1938 One one the outstanding women of Texas Methodism was Mrs. Nat Rollins (Elva Lena Hyder Rollins 1867-1950) od Abilene. She was active in the Mission work of her church, district, conference and denomination. She was a skilled writer and submitted articles to the Southwestern Christian Advocate. Some of the artiles were even opinion pieces and as early as the 1930s refuted arguments against the ordination of women. In 1938 her experience with the Advocate allowed her to obtain press credentials to cover the MECS General Conference held in Birmingham, Alabama. Her press badge was not a token allowing her to cover the “woman’s angle” of the conference. She reported what we would call hard news. The 1938 General Conference was going to vote on unification with the MEC and MP denominaions so everyone knew the real business of the church would be conducted in committees related to the 1939 conference. As I said in a recent post, there had been no bishops elected in 1934 so it was time to elect a larger number of bishops than usual—thereby bringing more bishops into the church in 1939. 1938 was especially important in Methodist history because it was the bicentennial of John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience. The conference therefore transacted little business and spent its time in bishop elections and bicentennial celbration. Mrs. Rollins acknowledged that her reporting was “one woman’s view” and I found nuggets I have not seen in other reportage of the conference. For example, she openly acknowledged that Birmingham had problems with its racial relations. She also noted that, with the exception of Cuba, all lay delegates from outside the US were all female. Rollins reported that a whole day was spent debating the question of unification. Bishop John M. Moore was presiding when the vote was called for. Moore was well knowsn as one of the bishops who had been working enthusiastically for the motion. He was also a Texan. The vote was taken and thre results announced. 436-26 in favor. Mrs. Rollins noted that all 26 no votes came from men who lived east of the Mississippi. After the vote Moore introduced James Straughn, President of the MP Church that did not have bishops, and Bishop Edwin Holt Hughes of the MEC. Those three men appear on the cover of Moore’s Long Road to Methodist Union, a book thaty has shaped our understanding of the process. Mrs. Rollins continued to submit articles to the Advocate.