HELPING HAND MISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 257, 31 October 1888, Page 5

HELPING HAND MISSION.

The Mission Hall last evening was crowded to almost suffocation. The friends in sympathy with this good work came from far and wide to be presenb at what the Mission workers call thei r birthday gathering. Three years have only passed since this extraordinary work began. It first took its rise in a little smoky room near the old Rob Roy Hotel, a most fitting spot to wage a war against iniquity. The first meeting in that room was a picture never to be forgotten. Men, women, and children huddled together to hear the Word of God as spoken by those who knew and felt the power themselves. Rotten eges and flour bags weie the order of the times in those days, but soon the moulding influence of goodness was felt, and scores of those wild Arabs became peaceful, and in their right mind ; then the place got too small, and a hall had to be built. The history of the work and its progress has indeed been marvellous and rapid". The whole of Auckland has more or less felt the power of the work, because thab many men and women were saved and then removed to other places, join other churches, and thus the seed grew and widened. The workers are a most earnest batch of men and women. The only qualification of a worker is : Nob from what church do you come, but are you in earnest to lift men and women from degradation and sin ? If this is the aim, then they are placed ab some work Suited to their talents.

After the tea last night the public meeting began. On the platform were the Revs. W. Tebbs, C. H. Garland, T. Bray, J. A. Smith, and Dr. Kenderdine. The Chairman, withoutwaitingforanypreliminaries, immediately began the meeting, giving out one of the stirring hymns of Moody and Sankey. The whole assembly sang with great vigour. Mr Garland, in about 7 minutes' address, made himself ab home with his audience, aud spoke hearty words of counsel and encouragement to the workers. Mr Gailand has himself seen a good deal of Lon >on mission work, and of course was in harmony with any kindred movement. It is not often thab one of the Anglican ministers step out of their regular order and visit such placeswithbheirpresence,bubMrTebbsis nob one of the narrow and secluded ministers we hear so much of now-a-days. His address was specially good and most suited to the occasion. It would seem that Mr Tebbs would be just in his element in the mission work. Revs. Mr Bray and Mr Smith were, in their addresses, excellent. Both theso ministers were very much ab home lasb nighb. The leading feature of the meeting was the testimonies of the saved ones. Billy Hodge rose in the audience and told how he had been rescued from sin and his feet placed upon the "Rock of Ages." When he "lay in the Hospital expecting his foot to be amputated, his spirit on every Sunday nie;hb was with the Mission. Harry William, the converted cook, betterknown as the Rev. Harry, rose and ■with a voice of thunder told what God had done for his soul. He was, as ib were, lifted out of the sloughs of sin and hell, and changed, and made a child of heaven. Tommy, the converted gambler, told what a vagabond he had been—no worse ever lived. He had almost broken every one of God's laws, bub now he was happy. He was a changed man, and his wife could tesbify to the fact. Bro. Jones, the saved lumper, also spoke of what he had been rescued from, and his happy African face beamed forth in accents which told of great peace within. The converted Jew (Mr Moses) and Jewess (Mrs Harrison) told the people of the oreat change that had taken place in their lives ; how they had been groping for months in the dark, and at last the veil was snatched from their faces and they saw the lirdit and rejoiced. Their tender appeal to their Jewish friends to " see Jesus " ■was most bouching and kindly put. A deep and solemn impression was made by their addresses.

Mr VY. H. Smith and Mr Brown gave an interesting account of the special feature of the work, and of its wonderful progress and success. The visitors were greatly pleased with what they heard, and will no doubt come again. At the close several held up their hands asking for the prayers of the meeting. One blacksinner was made happy at the very close, when nearly all had gone away. He, a bifj fellow, wept like a child, and went home rejoicing. So closed the third annual birthday gathering.