PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 3, 9 February 1914, Page 7

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

[FIFTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. . The fiftieth anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Canter bury does not fall, until the 11th of this month, but special sermons on the history of the church here "were ■preached in many churches yesterday." In the course of his sermon in St. Andrew's Church, the Rev. J. McKenzie gave some interesting facts. In the year 1854 there were in the Canterbury Settlement only 324 Presbyterians, scattered over a wide area. In that year the representatives of these few people met together and decided that a church should be built. Two years later the first Presbyterian minister landed in Lyttelton, and St. Andrews congregation was founded. But before ever the Canterbury Settlement was founded there were Presbyterians in Canterbury, and of them the Commissioner of Crown Lands at that time reported '' the. Presbyterians were a respectable body of people.'' Reverting to Mr Mackenzie's sermou, he said that in- the province of Canterbury, which now included the Presbytery of Timaru as well as that of '• Christchurch, the census showed some 35,000 or 36,000 Presbyterians, of whom 10,000 in Christchurch or its iiejghbourhood. There were 05 charges and home mission churches with 70 churches, more than 6000 church members, almost 6000 Sabbath school scholars and teachers, and 1000 Bible-class members, and a revenue of £20,000 annually. Looking outside Canterbury : seven years ago the first steps were taken,to establish Children's Homes in each of the four centres; last year 400 children were being tended and £7OOO was contributed to the, cost of the work. Steps were in hand to complete Knox College in Dunedin at a cost of nearly £40,000, so that it should provide accommodation for 100 residential students. The whole record of the church in New Zealand was one of. uninterrupted progress due to the faith of the people-in God's promises.