ELLERSLIE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 66, 18 March 1907, Page 3

ELLERSLIE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

FOUNDATION STONE LAID.

- \jj c fonndaiion stone of the new Pres- ' irterian Church at Ellerslie -was laid on sifandey afternoon. Rev. G. B. Monro, Lake's. Remnera, Chief Moderator o f the Piesbvterian Church in New Zea■}«i presided over an interested audience. -Sefoie asking Mr. W. F. Massey, M.H.R., s the ceremony, the chairman ; Q»e history of Presbyterianism ■ . -gjersJie. He said that the services : Trtre first held in a private house by the Bey. 3fr. Brown, of Onehunga. Aftera small church was removed from ™ whicll services were teld iniil recently. In the year 1884, the • lev Mr. Boyd ministered to the congregation, and continued till 1885, -when he wss removed to Hamilton. After Mr. • Sovd lrft » *^ c v " r " ones continued the services. Between the date of Mr. ■ 'Jones' departure and June, 1888, the pul- ,; -pit was supplied from various sources. I, June, 1888, Mr. A. S. Morrison, student, was appointed to supply Ellerslie • and Epsom, and continued until June, •■IBB9. After this period the supply was i larady furnished from town by Mr. I. to whom the congregation is 'largely indebted in the way of substantial jjeip. Towards the close of the year r a new site was purchased, and the ; church. was removed to a site near the '. jailway station, when, the church was jaiuied and repaired. In February, 1906, the Rev. H. W. Johnston, M.A., was jnpo'inted to -the charge of Ellerslie, and ■ jjadTcontiiraed to minister to the congregation from that date till the present lime. In September of last year, the Government gazetted the Presbyterian property, for -which they gave . flw sum of f 400, by means of which the committee had been able to acquire that site with about £200 left to form the ■ nucleus of a church building fund. Re--jKlitly a unique meeting was held, the I Bey. Mr. Monro presiding, to receive the amonits collected by means of cards dis- '. jtnbiited two months before. That meetJjig revealed the pleasing fact that £150 ijd been collected by the congregation towards the building fund, leaving a bal-•sMe-of 5100 to open the church free of ifSt The contractors were Messrs. TSiyers and Cook, who were capable and 'painstaking workmen, and were doing the 'jibrk to the entire satisfaction of all. .llie architect was Mr. J. M. Walker. . 'Tbe chnrch -would seat some 200 worship- ■ jei He' hoped they -would soon need jlp enlarge the church. Speaking of the progress of Presbyterianism in New Zea- : Hand, he said it was the second largest r «Hi6ninration. They had 372 churches, •"sal 569 preaching stations, 50.000 wor- ■ tappers, and the income last year was Vimbont £120j000. In regard to their work ja in Auckland, they had 31 regular : /ehnrehes, 6 home mission stations, and the I -income last year was about £12.000. In ;ahd around Auckland the Presbyterian idnrch had been growing very rapidly; ■still there were many thousands of people entside the church, and there was abund■;**Bt£ of room for earnest work. He had ■ ;jreat pleasure in calling upon Mr. Massey ijta lay tie foundation stone. V Mr. ilassey congratulated them on the Jippearanee o"f their new church, which promised to be both comfortable and comjnodious. -<When completed, it would be idredit to all concerned, and an orna- - .jijeat'.to that district. The Presbyterian Ckffltcb.-'bai-Biatde tremendous sacrifices ■---iorirtat it believed to be its rights, and lad stood for progress, education, integ- . iity, "honesty of purpose, and all the .qualities which went to build up the .Christian, and tended to the improvement and advancement of the race. Although he did not beßeve in one church interfer-

ing in the duties or functions of other churches, he believed that even in religious matters a certain amount of competition did good, and tended to a spirit of progress. As the city developed in the direction of EBerslie, that place wonld be- : conie particularly prosperous, but if it ■was to be prosperous as it deserved to be, the people would have to stand side by ifide and shoulder to shoulder for the -good of the church and the commun-

'-Mr. Prank Lswrie, MJLR., in a brief address, said they all had one interest in TOew if they were true.to their comm6*n ;ChristianitT,-and that was to advance the test interest of true religion. As the son inf.a Wesleyan minister, he congratulated

them for the_ enterprise they had shown

in the erection of that building. If ever j Jhey needed help to make their churches as sneceesful as Mri Massey had wished, jtey could always call upon, him for assistance.

:Amongst -the- clergymen present were She Bera. K. L. Walker (St. James' ■ «hnrcH), F. W. Walker (Ellerslie), R. JF.Nichol (Epsom), A. Doull, M.A. Afte the ceremony tea was served up by Mis. C. H. Hill, Miss Ferguson, Miss E. IFergusoa, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Basire, "the Misses Waddell, Miss Weir, the -3iiises Hill, Mrs. Hard; and others.