BERESFORD STREET CHURCH.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 217, 11 September 1923, Page 6

BERESFORD STREET CHURCH.

CALL TO NEW MINISTER. REV. LIONEL B. FLETCHER, 1 Many old members of the Congregational Church, Beresford Street, will , learn with pleasure that at a meeting of 1 the members held last night, it was ; resolved to call a new minister from , Great Britain. Some months ago it was decided to close down this church, but this had the effect of rousing feeling amongst old members, who objected to the mother church of the denomination in Xew Zealand being shut. A petition was circulated asking for another meeting of members which was duly held, and it was resolved to rescind the former resolution and carry on. It was recognised, that for a city church it was requisite to have a preacher .of outstanding ability. The selection committee set up, communicated with the Colonial Missionary Society, London, with the object of getting that body to nominate a minister. ft was felt that as the Rev. .T. D. Jones had been out to Xew Zealand, and was also a member of the committee of the Colonial Missionary Society, ho would be able to advise as to the type of man suited to the position. Incidentally it may be stated that a copy of "Brett's Annual" was sent to give an idea of the city together with a plan of Auckland. A cable was received recently from London stating that the committee strongly recommended the Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, who was willing to take charge of the church for three years and would be able to reach Auckland next May. A special meeting of the members of the church was held last evening at which the Rev. Harry Johnson presided, when it was resolved unanimously to tender a call to tho Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher for the period stated. Mr. Fletcher is one of the directors of the Colonial Missionary Society. An | Australian by birth, at the age" of 10 he went to sea as an apprentice on the old clipper Mncquaric. Returning to Australia he was for some time on a sheep station. Afterwards he was a miner, then sub-editor on the daily paper of a North Queensland goldtield. In 1905 he was calletl to the ministry, and became pastor of a Congregational Church in Xew South Wales. ' His outstanding pastorate in Australia was however in Port Adelaide. In 1915 Mr. Fletcher was invited to take charge of the Wood Street Congregational Church, Cardiff, which under his ministry has now a membership of I GOO as against 24:5. six years ago. The average congregation on Sunday evening is 3000. More recently Mr. " Fletcher " has been conducting an evangelistic mission in Great Britain with wonderful success, j Recently an article appeared in the | "Christian World" on the preachers of yesterday and to-day. The names | enumerated for yesterday were Dr. Dale, I Dr. Parker. Key. Hugh Price Hughes, ! Dr. J. H. Jowitt. Key. Silvester Home, ! and Dr. Campbell Morgan. The I preachers of to-day enumerated are i ; Rev. F. W. Xorwood, Dr. W. C. Poole . ' Rev. L. B . Fletcher, Rev. S. Kenned*! ' and Rev. I. Chilvers. The fact that ' Mr. Fletcher's name appears in such I company argues well for the outlook j ' of Congregationalism in Auckland. | i