RAPID SPREAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 44, 22 February 1937, Page 9

RAPID SPREAD.

* METHODIST WORK.

IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.

MANY NEW MEMBERS.

The rapid spread of Methodism in the Solomon Islands was referred to at the annual conference of the Methodist Church of Xew Zealand this morning by the Rev. A. H. Scrivin, general secretary of missions, who said that there was a danger of forgetting men away in lonely parts of the mission field. He said that there was a possibility of the foreign field work eclipsing that of the home work. At the present time the membership in the Solomon Islands was 20 per cent of the Church, and the time was not far distant when the Solomon Islands membership would be 50 per cent of the total membership. During the past year they had added r>oo members, and they had opened 32 new teaching stations. Although there was a disquieting drop | in meml>ership at home, there was an | extraordinary growth of the young | Church in the Solomons. Methodism j was now a power in the Western i Pacific. Tribute to Workers. The chairman of the mission district, the Rev. J. F. Goldie, paid a tribute to the members of European and native staffs for their self-sacrifice. They now had 200 day schools, and splendid work was being achieved by the medical school. The medical unit is to lie restored •with the appointment of a doctor next year. It was considered that they could look confidently to the Church to augment the fund to make that possible. It was decided that Dr. Allen Rutter should be designated for the appointment, and congratulate him on his election as a fellow of the Royal Society of | Tropical Medicine and the award to him of the Balfour Studentship^ It was stated that the contributions [ from the Solomon Islands from the field i itself amounted to £3013, an increase of » £1328. The total contributions from the ; home Church for missions last year were i £10,462, of which the women's auxiliaries contributed £2871. The conference by resolution expressed s appreciation of the Rev. Mr. Goldie's [ work in the Solomon Islands. i An address on Christian fellowship t w«« given by the Rev. C. H. Olds, whft , said that true fellowship presupposed a s conscious personal experietace of God, 1 and a community of interest between - the parties to the fellowship. Fellowt ship also meant coqiradeship, mutual e helpfulness, not excluding the spirit of i candour inspired by love, a sharing of s faults arid aspirations that one might help to achieve the other. There was s too much diffidence about sharing exj 'perience. There was perhaps too much e shyness in talking to others about , religion, and some fear of cant, but there { should be a passion to communicate spiritual knowledge.

Employment Question. It was decided to allot ten minutes during the discussion on public questions on Thursday morning to the Auckland placement officer to bring forward the question of finding,suitable positions for some of the unemployed. One of the ordinants at Sunday's service, the Rev. B. M. Chrystall, moved thanks and appreciation to the expresident, the Rev. E. P. Blamires, for his timely and effective charge. The president of the Auckland Methodist Women's Missionary Union, Mrs. A. White, reported that 2960 members were registered, an increase of 117. There were 59 auxiliaries affiliated, three more than last year. The rncome for eleven months was £2773, an increase of £231. The object for 1936-37 was to raise £1300 for overseas work.

Mr. W. E. Donnelly gave an address on the work in Fiji. He said that the work there had passed the primary stage and they had now entered on a secondary stage in different problems. A great "number of village schools still functioned, and they were trying to move on to a more permanently established system. They were endeavouring to maintain the teachers' training work.

During the past seventeen years there had been great progress with the Indian people, although the majority were nonOhristians. The Christian Indians were less than 2 per cent, but it was believed that the Indians would be won through the Indian Christiana.