CHURCH AND RADIO.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 285, 1 December 1928, Page 11

CHURCH AND RADIO.

TYPES OF SERVICES.

THE ANGLICAN VIEWPOINT.

EFFORT AT SYNCHRONISATION.

The subject of "Wireless and the Church" is discussed by the Rev. H. M. Smyth in an article in the "Church Gazette." Commenting on the fact that it had been felt the Church of England was backward in making use of the facilities at its disposal in New Zealand, the writer says that the great difficulty in the past was the uncertainty about the I type of service which was likely to be on the air on any particular Sunday.

"This difficulty," says Mr. Smyth, "is not so great in the case of the separated churches, but when it comes to the reproduction of a service in a consecrated church, the difficulty must be apparent to all churchmen. There is a strong and growing feeling also, with the Presbyterians and others, that if this public service (which costs the company nothing) is to be .of real benefit to the churches which provide the broadcast, there must be a certainty as to what service is to be on the air. Finality has been arrived at as far as IYA is concerned, and definite Sundays have been allotted to each denomination for every ■nonth. An attempt is being made to introduce a definite system into the other stations, and to synchronise the whole, so that the principal denominations in the Dominion may get their own church service from one or other of the four stations every Sunday. This is the present ideal and is within reach, but until it is a reality we can only depend upon the first Sunday in each month for a Church of England service from station IYA.

"The experience of a suburban parish which recently reproduced S. Matthew's service in one of its churches, shows that the benefits of modern wireless are not confined to the country parishes. In any parish where there are mqre centres of worship than one, and there is only one clergyman, very effective use mar be made of the service broadcast from on* of our city ehqjwhea. it Is at present hard to find aomeona'^o

take the place of a sick vicar. When we turn to the scattered country parishes „ and the backblock services, the subject takes on fresh aspects. Those who live or have lived in the country and attended our church services under the difficulties that our faithful priests and people have to contend with, realise what it would mean to such districts, to hear for the first time a pipe 9rgan and a trained choir. With- the means of reproduction at our disposal to-day all these finer points—the expressive rendering of the musical portion of the service, the feeling that you are part of a great mass of worshippers—these finer points can be brought home to the faithful few gathered together in so/ie country church hall or school room.

"Two years ago a very large number of churches tried to reproduce the services held by the Bishop of London. Admitted that his voice was not one suitable for broadcasting, yet the result was that those who heard ther / bishop over the wireless heard him better than I when they went to one of the churches I where he was preaching. Varying results were obtained in the country, but [the majority were good. During the two vears since the experiment, wonderful progress has been made in reproducing wireless broadcasts for huge audienccs. Recently in Sydney, services were reproduced, so that close on one million people heard every word that was said and sung, and took a full active part in the service."

At a recent meeting of the Auckland Clergy Association, the opinion was expressed that the time had arrived for every church to own suitable equipment to reproduce a wireless broadcast in the narish hall or church; secondly, that the church should make more use of Hie prosent broadcast; and thirdly, that clitircli people should be kept in closer touch with the progress of wireless by regular articles in its cliurcli papers.