AUCKLAND PRESBYTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 101, 30 April 1889, Page 8

AUCKLAND PRESBYTERY.

A SPECIAL MEETING.

A special meeting ot the Auckland Presbytery was held at St. Andrew's Church this jlittttting: There were present Rev. aNorrie (moderator) Eevs. Soinervitte (clerk), Carrick, G. B. Monro, Steel, Macnicol, Finlay Worboya, and McCallum, Adams, 'Mr Gararie and xMr : Hamilton.(elder from Waiuku). ",■■■'■ The business of the meeting was to conEider two calls, one from the North Shore and another from Waiuku. The clerk laid that the North Shore was not yet " lipe for a call, bub he believed ttiab S£, Waiuku was ready. The Rev. Mr FipW reported that a meeting was held at Piiikekohe before the last ordinary meeting f |lj e Presbytery and the opinion of the meeoffff-was'lbhab the district was ripe for a Aall-'b?***^ hey did uob wish bo rush tO take Ane responsibility and they therefore Biibmnitted the questions for the consideraSon/ of the congregation, when it was . i /nimously agreed to insert the name of • i,if Comrie in the call. The clerk then ■'X a d the call which eighty- three lembers and thirty-nine adherents had -iened -Mr Hamilton, an elder I *i the Waiuku Church, gave informaikon as to the prospects of the church ; they yfould offer £150 and a manse, and hoped l/firv soon to give the minimum stipend re/ouired of £200 a'-year.-On the motion /of the Rev. Mr Monro seconded by the 1 "Rev Mr Staele, the call was sustained, and 3sßi£cW in the hands of Mr Comrie, hvho signified his willingness. It was •esolved that the trials recently gone tirough" :'brM : r Comrie for his license bo 'ojjLed as sufficient for his ordination. . accJjp1-,^.^^ fche ec ii c t on the next two The reat*£ «^ e d in the hands of the Sundays ™. plai^orator a the .country Rev. Mr 1 inlay, M nteW6romado for -. 6he .Beraion. Arrangemb , tak g place ab Wa iuku ordinatioh which.i« to ftli . ■■■£. 2 O ' c iock. The on Wednesday, May IST-£^ ftp mnted as people, the Rev. Mv Ajams# ..The next business ofV^ 16 naeeting was to consider an application »or admission to the presbytery. This w aß ffom the Rev. R. J. \\ illiams, a Cong r0 £ a vtiona.list minister,

Williams came out from England three or four years back, and after ministeiing in Parnell held •an appointment at Tiuiaru before he was shifted to Nelson. His application showed that he wished to leave the Congregational Church to join the Presbyterian body from pure conviction, and not from convenience. He enclosed testimonials and gave references, but stated that he had not a very extended knowledge of Greek. The application roused very considerable discussion ; stress was laid on the fact that Mr Williams acknowledged an ignorance of Greek, and it was shown that at present thero were no vacancies, while there were a number of young men, duly qualified, who could not obtain work. One party of the Presbytery took up the grouDd that it they encouraged Mr Williams they were taking upon themselves a responsibility to find him employment, particularly as Mr Williams, in his application stated that he intended to settle down in Auckland. Another party in the Presbytary urged ■ that they had nothing whatever to do with that. If Mr Williams was going on conviction, as he seemed to be, they should not throw any obstacles in bis road or give the world to understand that they were averse to receive men from other demoninations when they joined on conviction. They should let Mr Wiiiiams plainly understand that it was for the General Assembly to admit him to the Presbytery, and, from its tone at the last session, it was not much in favour of such steps, but let Mr Wiiiiams understand that they could not hold out any hopes of his receiving employment if he were admitted. Finally a committee, consisting of the lie vs. Messrs Carrick, Somerville, Monro, and Macnicol, was elected to correspond with Mr Williams, and report at the next meeting of the Presbytery.