Methodist Episcopal Church, South and South and was criticized for holding slaves. The 1844 General Conference voted to suspend Bishop Andrew from exercising his episcopal office until he gave up the slaves. Southern delegates to the conference disputed the authority of a General Conference to discipline bishops. The cultural differences that had divided the nation during the mid-19th century were also dividing the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 1844 dispute led Methodists in the South to break off and form a separate denomination, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC,S). The statistics for 1859 showed the MEC,S had as enrolled members some 511,601 whites and 197,000
Grace Episcopal Church (Galena, Illinois) Grace Episcopal Church (Galena, Illinois) Grace Episcopal Church is a parish church of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Chicago, located in Galena, Illinois. The church is the oldest continually operating Episcopal parish church in Illinois. Located at 300 Hill Street, the church sits on a hill overlooking downtown Galena. The parish traces its history back to 1826, when Episcopal services were first held on the banks of what was then called the Fevre River (now the Galena River). Following the initial services a group of people began meeting and holding services in various houses when clergy visited the