CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 31, 5 February 1910, Page 12

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES.

The Key. Dr. Bevtun, of the Congregational Church, Collins-street, Meltxmrne, has tendered his resignation in order to accept the position of principal of the college for training of Congregational ministers at Adelaide, which is endowed with aji income of £1,000 per year under the will of the la-te Mr. William Parkin, of South Australia. Dr. Bevan has been pastor of Col-lins-street Church for over twentythree years.

Eev. Dr. Woodswxxrth, -who wa3 sent by the Methodist Church of Canada to England in order to obtain 100 young men for the Methodist ministry, has returned, having secured 63 men, mainly candidates for the English ministry, for whom there were no openThey have been carefully selected, and are said to be very suitable.

Colonel and Mrs. Lindsay have been appointed to carry "Blood and Fire" into China for the first time. Colonel Lindsay is an old-time Salvationist, haying done active service in Australia and the West Indies, besides going through, mush turbulent warfare at Hornet "~ V

Cardinal Mo rail's silver jubilee recalls the fact that he and Cardinal Ca-po-celatro are the only survivors of the flvo Cardinals created by Leo XIII. at the Consistory of July 27, ISBS, and above them in. the lirt of the present members of the Sacred College there are only two names—that of Cardinal Oreglia, the Dean of the Sacred College, who has worn the purple for tlrirty-six years; and that of Cardinal Neto, who, although still a young man as Cardinals go, has been a Prince of the Church for nearly twenty-six years.

The Wesley Guild movement in England continues to grow. Its aim is to get into touch with every young man, jtoung woman, boy and girl in the Sunday School, congregation, and the community. There are now 2,602 guilds, having a membership of 176,202.

On February 10th the Rev. Father Symons, "who has been assisting in the work of the Waima-te parish for four years, takes up his new appointment to the teaching etaff of 6t. Patrick's College, Wellington. Father Symons takes a keen interest in both athletics and music. -

Such are the dimensions of the work of the British Wesleyan Conference that the last report of its proceedings, called "Minutes," fills up a printed volume which numbers 769 pages.

America is the country of big things, and at Pittsburg an open-air ceremony took place lately under the auspices of a recently-formed sect of religious enthusiasts, -who call themselves the "Disciples of Christ." Adherents to the number of 25,000 assembled on the gTound of the Pittsburg Baseball Club and partook of communion in the presence of a huge crowd of onlookers. The communion wine was handed round to members of the sect by scores of elders, and altogether no fewer than 11 barrels of gra-pejuice were used.

The Rev. J. Scott-Lidgett has been emphasising what he terms six "indispensable features of Methodism." He says they are: a deep experience of God, illimitable hope, broad humanity, moral emphasis, unresting energy, and" unflinching courage. The Dean of Worcester (Dr. Moore Ede), preaching at Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, made the statement that "no one would leave out of a list of English saint's Elizabeth Fry, the Quakeress; Spurgeon, the 3aptistj oi General Booth.

Speaking regarding the falling off of Sunday worsnip, at the Methodist Conference, in London, the Rev. J. Morgan Gibbon said: "The old-time idea of preaching that it is wrong for a man to get shaved on Sunday, or that a schoolboy should not go bird-nesting on Sunday, has disappeared. All that sort of trash has gone, and we are left face to face with one great duty, the duty of preaching the love of God and love of our fellowmen."

By the death of the Rev. R. Roberts, the Wesleyan Conference has lo3t the only Welsh-speaking minister who occupied the presidential chair. It is said that since John Wesley's day no preacher travelled so much, preached so many eermons, opened so many chapels, or conducted so many anniversary services. H» travelled 20,000 milee annually, and preached oveT 300 times each year for a period of 43 years. Out of 749 circuits he preached in above 700; and during the whole time of his ministry he was only free from engagements on five* Sundays. His Celtic temperament gave his preaching a fervour and picturesqueness which appealed with marvellous effect to the popular imagination.

The oldest Anglican Church in Melbourne is the old Cathedral Church of St. James', in Little Collins-street. Once the Governor and the Bishop sat in two small galleries on either side of the church, the Governor coming from his house in Little Bourke-street. The Bible from which the lessons are still read Tvas the first sent' out by the S.P.CJC, and the font was 'bought by Governor La Trobe from an English Church, and is more than 200 years old.

A magnificent church has just been opened at St. Philip Edgbaston, Birmingham, having been erected to the memory of the late Cardinal Newman. The full length of the alifice is 184 ft, and it is 70ft 6in in width. The nave is 88ft long and 34ft wide, with an extreme height of 40ft 2in, the aisles being a little more than half that height. While tho general form of the early classical basilica is preserved in nave and aides, transepts and sanctuary, a 'barrel roof and dome have been substituted for the flat roof of San Martino, of which the edifice is in the main a reproduction. Marble columns of the antique Breccia violet description divide the aisles from the nave, and the remainder of the interior stone work has been carefully chosen to harmonise with these.