RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 95, 22 April 1922, Page 18

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

The young Methodists of the Dominion have set out to raise £1000 for the Centenary Fund, of which £545 is already promised.

Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, Christchurch, has had a record year. The roll shows 521 members, and during the past twelve months over £2000 was subscribed.

Professor H. R. Mackintosh, preaching at South Morningside U.F. Church, Edinburgh, compared a Christian who kept his religion to himself, to "Robineon Crusoe on his desert island, with neither imports nor exports."

The National Bible Society of Scotland during the past year circulated 2.146,051 copies of "the Scriptures, being 16,334 more than in the previous twelve months. India, absorbed 300,000 copies, and France 276.000. A legacy of £2000 was announced.

The Rev. A. McCallutn. who recently visited New Zealand, has been selected to succeed the Rev. Dr. Morley, well known in the Dominion, as managing treasurer of the Australian Methodist Ministers 7 Supernumerary Fund, with bis home in Melbourne.

One of the incidents of the present visit of President Laws to the South is the opening of a new Methodist Church at Cashmere Hills, Christchurch. The church is of brick-, with stone facing, and slate roof. It will seat about 120 persons, and the cost, including site, will be £2400.

Among the congratulatory messages received during the Methodist Centenary celebrations, was one from Rev. Dr. Morley, now of Melbourne. He has now retired from active service, but thirtynine years of his life was given to Xew Zealand, where he was one of its most influential ministers, lie was n man of great administrative ability.

At the Methodist Centenary Conference, the Rev. B. T. Rotwell was elected as president for the conference of 1923. He has been nearly 40 years iii the ministry. He lived for some years in the Waikato, and during the earlier years of his ministry was an assistant to the late Rev. Wm. Gittos in the Maori work. He is now stationed at Masterton, having been transferred from Dunedin by the recent conference.

Bible Class difficulties were considered at the recent conference of the N.Z. Anglican' Bible Class Union. The aptitude of a boy of sixteen to shirk was touched upon, and it was held that Christianity is the leveller of all men, that while the man-made social barriers were ever existent there should be a whole-hearted attack made upon them, by the movement. The discussion was summed up by the chairman in the remark: "The Young Men's Movement is to regenerate the Church."

The many friends of the Rev. Alexander Grant, Dannevirke, throughout tbe Dominion, will regret to learn that he finds it necessary to retire from active service. The congregation feels most deeply the. parting with their beloved minister. Mr. Grant entered the ministry in 1872, and came to New Zealand in 1883, and laboured in Waipukurau till he accepted a call to Dannevirke in 1900. Recognising his work and high spiritual character, Mr. Grant in 1914 was unanimously elected Moderator of the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand.

The Yen. Archdeacon Haggitt speaking at the annual Congregational meeting of the Baptist Church, Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, advocated closer co-opera-tion between the different sections of the Christian Church. While he considered uniformity was not possible, he thought unity was essential. A divided Church, each going its own way indifferent to all the rest, would never accomplish the God. He added: "No opportunity should be missed of seeking a better understanding and a keener appreciation of the labours, difficulties, and triumphs of the different battalions of the one great army, 'the Church Militant here on earth.'"

Many friends of Sister Mary Joan of Arc, who was for a time at both Ellers- j lie and Hamilton convents, will regret to learn of her death at the age of :!0 years. Deceased was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. McClone, of Taradale, Hawke's Bay, and had a brilliant scholastic career at Napier Convent High School. She then joined the Mission Convent at Chriatchurch, and was for a time at. Hamilton and Ellerslie convents. She was latterly at the Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt, being teacher in charge of the convent, many of her pupils successfully passing examinations with honours. The interment took place at Karori Cemetery, and was attended by a largt number of the clergy of the diocese.

The Rev. B. Nicholas, vicar of Spalding, speaking at the Lower House of Convocation of Canterbury on the ministry of women in the Church, said the Lambeth Conference had put before them a splendid vision of a united Church, but subsequent events were tending to shatter that ideal. "If women are granted the privilege of restricted- ministry, all hope of Teunion would be doomed in this country," he said, "and the Church will be rent in twain. All this talk about priesthood for women and ' about the interchange of pulpits, all this superficiality and artificiality, all this pandering to this and that set of opinions, and all this questioning of our creeds. i 3 having today the very worst possible effect, and if it is allowed .to go on much longer, the only result will be a large cleavage in the Church of England and a large accession to the Roman communion." On the other hand the Dean of Ely thought it most important at the present time that opportunity should be given tq gifted- women who felt they had a call to speak to others.