Rev. James Hicks and his wife came to Prince Edward Island from Yorkshire, England in 1815 and Rev. John Fishpool arrived in 1817 to minister to the Bedeque—Tryon circuit. Both names were on the circuit lists into the 1820s. The Nova Scolia District listing of 1825 lists chapels in Charlottetown, Tryon, Bedeque, and Murray Harbour. Rev. RichardJohnson anived much later in 1858 for the Margate circuit which included Margate, Stanley, Granville, Bowness School House, Summerside, and Port Hill. The Methodist policy was to move the minister every three years.

Most of the early ministers didn’t have university or seminary training, but were to have a sound knowledge of the Bible and the works of john Wesley before starting a four year probation overseen by the district. A final test was given at the end of the four years. Discipline was handled by the Bishop and the District. In time, Mount Allison Univer- sity became the center of Methodist higher education in the Maritimes.

The Methodist tradition was to “supply the needs of their preachers rather than give them a fixed stipend. There was a man’s quarterage, a sort of basic salary due every three months, board if he were single, an allowance for his wife if he were married, so much for each child, something

for horse keep, etc. They were not allowed to do out-

fiHHQWAMX side work. In England, class members brought their ”WW WMWWM ' pennies to the meetings, but here it seemed hard to The early get regular collections as coins were in short supply. Methodist build- : The pews in the chapels were usually sold each year, ings of worship : but that money generally went to build and furnish were called chapels them. People brought gifts for the preacher, but these however, by 1875, were often in the form of produce, much of which the

they were referred preacher had to sell at discount. Money from England to as churches. The was as good as gold.”2° This changed by 1865 when a

home of the clergy better system of pay was introduced. was called the In the three Maritime Provinces, between the years parsonage. 1850 and 1875, the membership of the Methodist relig-

~ ion grew from 8,653 to 13,463. These numbers didn’t include the children or the adherents. The total num- ber attending services was estimated in the area of 80,000.21

23 ORIGINS OF OUR FAITH