CHURCH MEETING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XX, Issue 1131, 12 September 1863, Page 4

CHURCH MEETING.

A numerous and influential meeting of the parishoners of Christchurch was held, pursuant ta notice, in St. Michael's Church school-room, on Thursday evening last. The Rev. Mr. Jacobs in the chair. We give a resume of the proceedings. Want of space compelling us to omit the lengthy speeches made on the occasion.

After prayers had been read, the Chairman said that owing to the want of interest evinced at a late meeting, which had been convened to devise means for procuring additional clerical help for the parish, it had been thought advisable to call the present meeting, and he was glad to see such a full attendance. He would state, that their principal business, he believed, would be the consideration of certain resolutions to be proposed, which had been published in the ' Lyttelton Times,' in reference to which he wished it to be fully understood, that he was not cognizant of their existence till he saw them in that newspaper. He had no prejudice on either side of the question about to be discussed, and he hoped that the matter would now be finally set at rest.

Putting the first resolution— That one-half of the sittings in S s t. Michael's, and twothirds in St. Luke's, be open for appropriation. The payment for each seat to be £1 per annum. That the appropriated sittings shall be in certain parts of the church, to be fixed by the church-wardens and vestry, and shall be open to anyone immediately the bell ceases, and that the sum raised by such appropriation of sittings shall be applied to paying the stipend of one or more additional clergymen to the parish. It was argued by Messrs. Wylde, Torlesse, C. W. Bishop, and Alport, that, seeing the negligence of the vestry in not bringing forward some scheme, a few of the parishoners had met and constructed the resolutions which were published to prevent any one being taken by surprise. It was a painful fact that although upwards of £1,000 per annum was raised from various sources, yet they were not provided with more than one permanent clergyman, and that not until recently, and if lie performed his duties faithfully, he must inevitably sink beneath work which would fully occupy four ministers; that the affairs of the parish had been wretchedly mismanaged; that parochial visitation had been almost totally ignored; that the church accommodation provided was not nearly sufficient, and that finally all these evils might be traced to the total failure of the voluntary system, and it was to obviate these difficulties that the resolutions had been framed. The method they pointed out was legitimate, and not against the spirit of the church; it was a ready way, in conjunction with other means now existing, of raising the amount required by the vestry for procuring the services of three clergymen; that so far from contracting the already limited church accommodation, it would at once create the basis of a fund for the erection of more churches. It was in vain to say that because the voluntary system had existed for a number of years, that it was the right system; or that because the " pilgrims" had initiated a wrong system, that it was to remain without amendment. Admitting that the appropriation of sittings was subject to grave abuses, on the other hand, it would induce a familiarity between the pastor and his flock, highly necessary to the well being of every parish, and that in short the resolutions contained the only valid means of supplying the defect which was admitted on all hands to exist.

To which it was replied by Messrs. Gordon, Luck, F. Thompson, Davie, Fitzgerald, the Revd. Archdeacon Matthias, the Revd. J. Wilson, and His Honor Judge Gresson, that it was true that Church affairs, owing to a variety of causes, had been conducted in a very unsatisfactory manner ; but those causes no longer existed : they were on the eve of a new era, in which under different management, their resources would be fully developed : that so far from being a failure, the voluntary system had never yet had a fair trial: that their experience clearly demonstrated the fact, that money to any reasonable amount could be easily raised in the parish of Christchurch for the purpose in question: that it had been held out as an additional inducement to the original settlers, that the sittings should be for ever free, and it would be doing those people a manifest injustice to cancel this advantage; and that no comparison could be instituted between Church management here and in England, where every acre contributed to the support of the clergy. On the other hand, the system of supporting the clergy by the proceeds of pew rents, was open to many and grave objections; it opened the door to frightful abuses ; that however pious and rightminded a minister might be, the connection, thus established between his preaching and his pocket, must have some influence on his conduct; that if this system be adopted, a great falling off in voluntary subscriptions would ensue, in many cases they would disappear altogether ; that it was a fallacy to suppose that favoritism would not in some degree influence the assignment of sittings, where there was asupply insufficient to meet the demand ; that many families who could not afford to pay this excessive and unequal tax, would be completely shut out from the enjoyment of public worship ; that secession. unseemly squabbles, and a host of minor evils, would be the result; and, finally, that at any rate St. Michael's being de facto the Cathedral of Christchurch was," according to the constitution of the Church, free to all comers. The amendment of Mr. Gordon " That all the words after 'that' be omitted and the following substituted." (That) "this meeting is of opinion that it is unadvisable to introduce the system of rents for sittings into the parish of Christchurch, because since the foundation of the settlement of Canterbury, a 'free and open Church' has been the prevailing practice, and on the whole has given satisfaction to all;" being seconded by Mr. Luck, was put and carried by a large majority. A vote of thanks terminated the proceedings, which were conducted in a very animated manner throughout, and the meeting separated at a late hour.