moved frequently — twelve times before finally returning permanently to Dayton in 1884. Church service Milton joined the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1846 because of its stand on political and moral issues including alcohol, the abolition of slavery, and opposition to "secret societies" such as Freemasonry. Indiana and Oregon From 1855 to 1856, he served as an itinerant minister of the Church of the United Brethren in Indianapolis. He was ordained in 1856 and was pastor in Andersonville, Indiana, from 1856 to 1857. Later that year, he went to Oregon as a missionary and served as pastor at Sublimity and first president of Sublimity College, a denominational institution. Wright returned from Sublimity in 1859 and was assigned by the church as a circuit preacher in eastern Indiana, where he also served as presiding elder and pastor in Hartsville, Indiana. From 1868 to 1869, he was professor of theology at Hartsville College. Ohio and Iowa In 1869, Milton became editor of the national weekly church newspaper, the Religious Telescope, and moved to the newspaper's headquarters of Dayton, Ohio; with this new position, his income increased from $900 per year to $1500 per year. The position gave him prominence within the church and helped him get elected as a bishop in 1877. In 1871, he founded United Theological Seminary in Dayton. Bishop Wright continued to advance in the church hierarchy. In 1878, he assumed responsibility for the Western conferences of the church and moved his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Westfield College in Illinois, gave him the degree of D.D. in 1878. He traveled widely on church business, but always sent back many letters and often brought presents home. His gifts stimulated his children's curiosity and exposed them to a world beyond their immediate surroundings. Returning from one of his travels, he brought Wilbur and Orville a toy helicopter. The helicopter was made of bamboo, cork, paper and powered by rubber bands. When the first broke, the boys made several copies. The toy helicopter is responsible for triggering the Wright brothers interest in aviation. Division in the church By 1881, the leadership of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was becoming more liberal. Milton Wright, a staunch conservative, failed to be re-elected to his Bishop's post. The Wrights moved to Richmond, Indiana, where Milton served a circuit preacher once again. He served as presiding elder in