CHURCH MEETING AT DUVAUCHELLE'S.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2775, 27 May 1903, Page 2

CHURCH MEETING AT DUVAUCHELLE'S.

A meeting of churchmen from Akaroa and the Bays was held on Thursday afternoon at the Council Chambers. Duvaucheile's. The R-rv. W. Sedgwick occupied the chair, explained the objects of the meeting and called en those present to express their opinions. Mr James Wright said the meeting was called to arrange for B.y services. They had had services at French F. i-'-n for thirty years and he shculd be sorry to see them stopped. If they were, tha children would never be able to go to any service at all as they could not get aa far as Wainui or Duvaucheile's-

Mr M. Knight .r-sked if Mr Sedgwick could not arrange the ssrvicea io the Bays better, so as to save time enough to visit all the Bays, and even to afford time for the olergy* man to go to Le Bons if it wero proved that Le Boris needed service. It did not leem that as yet they had asked to have services. Mr Orbell said Mr Sedgwick was most anxious to serve all the B»yB, >nd the question was: was it not wise to concentrate the services. Mr Sedgwick did nob wish to aparejhimßelf in any way. Le Bon's, with its large population, should certainly be considered as a matter of right. He arid Mr Sedgwick hid drawn up a programme in which there was a fortnightly morning service at Akaroa acd a service every evening there. Akaroa lost one service, bnt the clergyman, could go one Sunday a month to French Farm, Le Bon's and Wainui, and two Sundays to Duvaucheile's. Robinson's and Barry's Bays were the only Bays left out, and they were both in easy reach of Duvaucheile's.

The Chairman said that it was not for the sake of Duvaucheile's, but for the sake of the church erected there, that he wished to concentrate the services. He bad been told Le Ron's was not In the pariah, bat a •ommunity nine r_il< j s away could not be ne.leo._d. At Robi- son's Bay, Methodist Berrltes were held, and the people all went to them. They did not seem to care what r-ervice they attended. Mr Knight thought the old way should be adhered to, and more people would attend church Can in any other cise. The Rev. Chairman would like to be Informed what a dairy farmer's day was like. Mr Knight described the duties of a dairy farmer as commencing about 3 a.tn. and ending at dark. He might get a moonlight service, but not a morning one. If the service were held in the Bay where he lived, It was possible to spare an hour, but he could not attend services miles away. Mr James Wright said it was a case of walking, not riding, from most farms to ohurch, and children could not get there at all unless the service was held close by. Mr M. Wright said when Mr Smyth used to (top at Wainui the night before the services, he saw the difficulty farmers had In attending morning services. Mr Knight did not think Akaroa should have co many services. Mr Leete asked that the new system should be given a fair trial for a year. It was only Barry's Bay that" was cut oub. The dairy Beason was not the whole of the year, and at other times dairy farmers had leisure to attend church. Btfides a large proportion of residents were aot. dtiry farmers.

Mr T. E: Taylor believed in tho concentration of services and their improvement, by means of choir, etc. "Mr Henning said the fact of the present system having las-led for 25 or 30 years proved it was efficient and could hardly be improved on. Owing to neglect of services at German nnd Rol.imou's Bay many had quitted tie Church, atd if the other Bays w<-re treated in the same way, they alno would quit the Church. Mr Checkley thought many of the objections to dniry f.rmera attending rfervices were imaginary.

Mr Milne did not think the farmers were so hardly worked as Lot to spare three hours on Sunday for servicer-.

Mr Shaw did cot see nny harr'rbip In the proposed new arrangemrnt. Only Robinson's and Barry's Bays were lift out and residents could easily attend an improved Duvaucheile's service.

Mr Westenra c .ah\ farmers, if they wanted to go to Church, did rot mind going a few miles, If the fyr-Um cruld be improved let it be done,

The Rev. Chairman said the < !d r.jstem had been most ursatitfuc'or), tl i. i vrrage attendance at French Farm for fifteen months was 12, and at tho other fa}. equally bad in proportion to the nun btr of residents who were members ef tbe CI urch of Kuglnnd. Had the old eysUm been tuccesa ful he would have carried it on, though

convinced it was wrong in principle, but it had succeeded co t-adly that a new pl*n bhould ba tried. Th* church at Duvauchd* Ib'b would ceitaitly .etve both Robin-soi.'. and Barry's Bay. if the Presbyterians oouid go to Duvauchell.'s from those Bays —aB they did-he did not see why the Church of England psople could not. He sincerely hoped they v-ould all aid him in trying to successfully cury oti his new plan If, at the end of a year it did not work well and good, but let them give it a fair

trial. General atsent was expressed, and a vote of thanks to the Rev. Chairman for consulting h ; = parishioners on the tubject was eat* * ried, and the meeting adjourned.