THE CHURCHES.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 67, 21 March 1910, Page 4

THE CHURCHES.

METHODIST SUNDAY SCHOOL

ANNIVERSARY

Yesterday was the anniversary of y the Methodist Church Sunday School, > and the occasion was marked by special services in the church. The children, under the able tuition of Mr Gaulton, had been taught special anniversary hymns, and the choir was strengthened for the occasion by the addition of Mr A. E. Savage, and several members of his orchestra. The children of the Sunday School were accommodated on temporary seats behind the choir platform, and the singing was of an especially spirited nature. At the morning service solos were rendered by Miss V. Punch, Mrs Dunn, and Mr Pearce. The preacher at the morning and evening services was the Rev. J. Richards, one of the finest preachers the Methodist Church possesses in the Dominion. Mr Richards was formerly stationed at Sydney and Christchurch, and is now in charge of the Norsewood Church, his object being" to recruit his health.

In the afternoon, Mrs Richards, who is an especially good speaker, gave an address for the children's benefit. At this service a duet was rendered by the Misses Gaulton. The church was very nicely decorated by the lady members of the congregation . At the morning service Mr Richards took as his text the latter part of the 26th verse of ,4th chapter of the second book of Kings. "Is,- it well with the child." The" subject'of child life and the value of child life was being, the preacher remarked, impressed upon every Christian nation and men and women are waking up to the fact that we cannot neglect our cfiildren without doing considerable injury to ourselves. Christ's love and sympathy for the young was very marked. In Him there were evidences of a higher nature, with a truer and a better conception of the' value of human life .than in an v., other man. -His almighty power was the power of virtue and of holiness. To a nation the life of young manhood ' meant the building •of the country into greatness. Nowadays, we do not build walls round our cities as the ancients did. Our protection and safety are not in massive walls of masonry. Our protection, our lives, our safety and our prosperity are in the lives Of our young people. A nation is wise that takes care of its young life.. We have been losing too many through neglect in this respect.. We have not valued the lives of the children as we should have from a national standpoint. The late Premier, Mr Seddon, estimated that 20,000 lives were annually lost in this Dominion through neglect and carelessness, and we are only waking up to the fact that human life is valuable. The late Premier's efforts to stop the death-rate were among the wisest of his works. The noblest, the wisest and the best of us are those that appreciate the value of our child life as the heritage of a nation. What is the value of child life in the home circle. How they take the bittei-ness out of life. Surely the peopW are to be pitied who have no association with child life. Longfellow shows a beautiful and true idea of the child life in his poem What would the world be to us If the children were no more, We should dread the desert behind us . -

Worse tlian the darkness before." Then again there was the importance' of child life to the church. Christ loved the children, for we are told he took them up in his arms and blessed them. Recently attention has been directed towards the children, and men recognise the fact that in them will depend the future strength and aggressiveness of the Christian Church. Was it then well with their children ? THE EVENING SERVICE.

At the evening service there was again a crowded congregation, the large number of children who were participating in the service being one of its noteworthy features. The text of the discourse was taken from the 20th chapter of St. John and part of the 19th verse, "When the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst of them," the preacher prefacing his remarks by asserting thatChrist was as great a reality in the wrold to-day; and perhaps greater, than he was 1800 years ago. His followers were not entirely dependent upon the Bible story for the proof of his reality, for contemporary Roman history was still available to confirm the fact that Christ lived, was crucified and rose again on the third day. The resurrection of Jesus was graphically pictured, and the words of the text, "The door being shut," was used as a simily in human life, for, said the preacher, there were many who unwittingly were closing the door of their hearts against the call of Christ. Two causes commonly contributed to this result—absorption in some work 'or study and evil companionship. But in spite of these influences, the preadier asserted, it was impossible to shut Christ out of his own world, and so whether we liked it or not he came knocking at our door at some time

and in some way. The question for us, then, was how far and how soon we were prepared to receive Him and His love, which meant a higher ideal, a nobler ambition, a purer faith in the life of to-day, and the promise of eternal peace in the life to com?. The music at the evening service was of a very enjoyable nature, the children taking their full share with the choir, which was again assisted by an orchestra led by Mr Savage. The anthem was "Lord hear me," the bass solo being taken by Mr Pearce, and the soprano by Mrs Dunn.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

At the Presbyterian Church yesterday the pulpit was occupied -by the Rev. J. Patterson, formerly of St. John's Church, Wellington, "but now retired. In the evening the rev. gentleman preached an especially 'eloquent sermon, taking as the. 14th verse of tie " 3rd' chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; of whom the family in heaven and earth is named; that he would grant you. according to the riches of His glory, .strengthened with might, by His spirit in the inner man."