MELANESIAN MISSION.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10988, 11 June 1901, Page 3

MELANESIAN MISSION.

ANNUAL FESTIVAL.

At St. 'Michael's Church last night the annual festival in connection with tha IMelancsitui Mission -waa celebrated.

Tho sermon was preached by the Bishop of ChriKtchurch, who srfeeted his text from 17th chapter of St. John's Gospel—"As thou didst send, mc into tlie world, even w> send I ,lheo into the world." After some preliminary remarks, .his I_ordship strongly exhorted his. hearers to lake particular cars that, their missionary zeal was not a mere hobby. New Zealand churchmen, ho S-iid, need have no question at lonst about some pari of the duty that i.elonged to thtrm, fr,v if over a mission was laid upon -part of tho body of Christ, tho Mc-lajiesiai. -Mission tuid been Laid upon them. .There was much to do, and this was a work tt> % be done cheapest of all by thorn. In'doing it tlu'-re need be no question of principles, but j-.st tho question how they could best and most earnestly and faithfully do tint little p:_oa of work which tho Master had Irft. them to do in His nam*., and as a pxit of tho budy of which Ho was tho head. .

After thr. service hi tho church, th. annual'meeting was held in the schooircom. Tlie report mentioned that at th* Cast annual meeting the Bishop- of,Christchurch, aftor stating that over £600 had 'been raised in the previous -year, (.aid. he luul »-t !*_. fore liiin as an aim that ihey should raise £1000 a y-ear for'the mission. As £1060 had been remitted to. tha treasurer in. Auckland, this' aim had already been reached. Although over £400 bad been subscribed towards the new ship, tho ge.iM.ral fund 'had been ratb_rmore than kept up. The parochial offertories for the year were £308 18s, against £252 8s 6d in" the previous year,, and the donations and other collections, as also the Sunday ■school contributions, were about '■ tho'same.

Tbe fo_lowing officers wero re-elected:-— Secretary,- Mr JnTtief. BJyth,-. treasurer, Ms K. Y. Cox ; log secreta_ry, .Miss' Hockley ;' commit..-., Mrs Julius, Misses Julius, Gressnn, and Foley. Revs. _\. W. Averill, Canon Knowlos, and J. J... Blnekbume, and 'Mr G. G. Bridges. , After .lie election of officers 'had finished. Bishop Julius, who was in the chair, stated! that something over £10.000 bad -bean rai&od towards the -cost of a n,ew mission ship. He added that ships were extremely difficult to purchase at tho present time, and tho cost was very high- Personally he hoped -hat a good second-hand ship, would be found, for he was afraid that thara. we-re no branches ci trade in which t_her_a was more trickery than in' ship-building. He did trust for Hie sake of the mission and for the safety of £ho«e engaged, that, a year or a year aiid.a luili would' sec them with a new "ship on tho Melanesiiin. waters*