BAPTIST TABERNACLE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 199, 22 August 1919, Page 11

BAPTIST TABERNACLE.

AXXUAL MEETING. J Tiie annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle was j held last evening. There was a. pood ! attendance, under the chairmanship of ! the pastor, the Rev. Knowles KemptomThe annual report for the sixty-fourth. Tear tc.< read by the secretary. Mr. T. F. Hi!!. This .showed that the total membership on the roll on July :51st was i 550. made up as follows: town 371, sub irban 07. country and overseas 131. Tiiis represented an increase of 22 on the year. After an allusion to the services of members who had passed away during the year, and to the men who had given their lives in the service of their country, the report recorded the success that had attended the various services, ami went on to refer to the work of the Sunday School, where, durinjr the past year there had been a falling-off in the junior and primary attendance, Oirins. however, to the energy of Sister Beth, the newly -appointed deaconess of the school. ov,-r 100 more scholars had been brought to the school since Marc-n. The C.E. Society had a roll of 36. with an average attendance of 22. while a fine work had been done by the Boys' Club and the Young Women's Literary riiib. Various other activities of the church were reviewed, and. passing on to make a reference to the recent prohibition poll, the report stated:—'"April last, saw the people's effort for the emancipation of this young country from the drink curse narrowly defeated, the soldier's vote giving the majority against our side. Our men. whom we have lauded for their bravery, we do not condemn for their action at the referendum. A one-sided case was presented to them, and a grotesque perversion of the true position. 'Liberty.' cried the Trade, as it filched the fair name as a motto for banner, booth and car. but the word 'bondage' would have better fitted their baneful cause." The report paid a high tribute to the work of the retiring pastor, the Rev. H. Knowles Kempton, and with regard to the vacant charge expressed hope to be m a position to announce satisfactory arrangements for the temporary occupancy of the pulpit.

The financial statement for the year v. as read by Mr. YV. H. Lamb, the church treasurer, and showed a revenue in excess of any previous year. Oi the £3200 received, £1.129 had been usual weekly church offerings. £143 for Sunday School. £43 for poor fund, £43 for renovations. iIOH for Indian missions. £2SS for home mission, and £27S for prohibition campaign. The total amount given for church purposes was £1300. and for missions and outside causes £ 1900— £500 of this was an anonymous donation to'the Baptist mission field in East Bengal. After meeting all accounts there was a balance in hand of £41 5/5. The secretary's and treasury's reports wore both unanimously adopted.

Offico Bearers.—Messrs. TV. Batts and R. H. Crocombe retired by rotation from the diaconate. Mr. J. A. Hart retired from the eldership, and "Mr. IV. P. Oailvie from the position of envelop? distributor. All these gentlemen were thanked for their past services. To the meant post of elder Rev. W. T_ Salter was appointed, and the ballot for deacons resulted as follows: Messrs. YV. E. Bush. K. J. Edmiston. YV. T.ambourne. P. Williams. Messrs. T. E. Wilson (choirmaster). YV. H. Lamb (treasurer), and

Thomas F. Kill (secretary) were re-

On Sunday the services in observance of the sixty-fourth anniversary will he held, and on Tuesday evening there will be a public- farewell tendered to the pa-tor. Rev. Knowles Kempton, who is proceeding to Dunedin.