had been experienced over the entire Island, the membership began to falter until 
     
     in 1856, it had dropped to three hundred. 
     
    
   
   
    
     At least four principal reasons can be given for the decline in the Bible 
     
     Christian ministry: 
     
    
   
   
    
     1. At his advanced age, Rev. Metherall could not cope with the great work 
     
     and responsibilities of Superintendent of the District of Prince Edward Island as 
     
     well as ministering to a circuit the size of West Cape which also included 
     
     Bideford. This situation led to the individual churches having little concern for 
     
     central authority. A successor for Rev. Metherall was not appointed until 1856 
     
     although he had requested to be relieved of his duties several times in prior 
     
     years. In restrospect, had the appointment been made in 1847 or 1848 when Rev. 
     
     Metherall had moved to the isolated station of West Cape, the Bible Christian 
     
     Churches would have benefited from the close supervision of a younger and 
     
     more vigorous district chairman, living and working in a central or accessible 
     
     location. 
     
    
   
   
    
     2. Some suspicions had been presented to Rev. Metherall about the ap- 
     
     pointment of Rev. Cephas Barker to Prince Edward Island in 1856. This situa- 
     
     tion led to an attempt to prejudice Rev. Metherall against Rev. Barker which 
     
     failed through the efforts of Rev. Barker, even before he arrived in Prince 
     
    
   
   
    
     Edward Island. 
     
    
   
   
    
     3. The failure to establish a permanent Bible Christian Church in Charlot- 
     
     tetown was a deep and lasting disappointment to the church leaders who felt that 
     
     without root in the city, it would likely be impossible to maintain the church 
     
     throughout the Island. 
     
    
   
   
    
     4. Although the English Conference had liberally supported the missionary 
     
     and building efforts of the Bible Christians in Prince Edward Island, their failure 
     
     to act promptly in 1847 or 1848 to send a trusted and well-qualified official to 
     
     the Island to relieve Rev. Metherall of some of his burdens was one of the impor- 
     
     tant reasons for the gradual decline of this denomination in the Island. 
     
    
   
   
    
     22. REV. CEPHAS BARKER ASSESSES THE CONDITION OF 
     
     THE BIBLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 
     
    
   
   
    
     Finally, in 1856 the Missionary Committee of the English Conference decid- 
     
     ed to relieve Rev. Metherall of his duties as Superintendent and appointed Rev. 
     
     Cephas Barker to visit Prince Edward Island for at least twelve months to deter— 
     
     mine the existing situation of the Bible Christian Church in the Island. Rev. 
     
     Barker, accompanied by Rev. William Woodman, sailed from Liverpool, 
     
     England on September 14, 1856, on board the “Majestic” only to be ship wreck- 
     
     ed near Pictou, Nova Scotia. They were rescued on Sunday, October 22, 1856, 
     
     taken to Pictou where they secured passage to Charlottetown on Tuesday, Oc- 
     
     tober 24, 1856. The Rev. William Woodman’s pastorate lasted until 1864 when 
     
    
   
   
    
     he was transferred to an Ontario circuit. 
     
    
   
   
    
     196