MISSION WORK IN SYDNEY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13390, 5 April 1909, Page 5

MISSION WORK IN SYDNEY.

A VETERAN MISSIONER

An interesting visitor to Christchurch is the Her. William G. Taylor, the veteran head of the Great Central Methodist Mission in Sydney. Mr Taylor came to New Zealand about a month ago, to be present at the opening of tho new Centra! Mission hall in Auckland. He intended also taking a short holiday in the Dominion, but instead of leading a life of ease and leisure at. one of New /.ealand's resting places, he has been following the strenuous vocation of lecturer and preacher. He lias given his. Holiday up to the interests ol the mission into which he has put the best years ot ! his lifo Mr Taylor was the founder, and is ! now tii. superintendent, of the Central Methodist Mission in "Sydney. It is twenty-five- years since the Mission came into being, and it has grown from a small beginning into the big- ! gesfc thin_; of its kind in the Southern ; hemisphere. From it. birth the Mis- | sion took up a part of Christian work | which appeals to the dweller in cities. The growth of suburban Sydney had the effect of depleting the congregations oi city churches, and the aim of the Mission was to get into touch with the great non-church going population. The Mission seems to have mado a rather unorthodox, if not dramatic, entry into the ranks of things that I count in Sydney. Mr Taylor found, in [ 1881, that tho congregation of tho ''Cathedral Church of Australasian Methodism" in York street, a building which had seating accommodation for 1200, had been depleted to 60. It tvas a case calling for unusual treatment, so Mr Taylor, rinding that tho crowd did not come to the church, took the church to the crowd. In other words, ho took his stand on the street, and got into touch with "the man on the kerbstone." It does not tako much time for one to realise that Mr T.iylor possesses what one might term the attribute of personal magnetism. Having got hold of the crowd on the street, he drew them to the church, and soon he was back in the old "Cathedral," with a very solid array of humanity occupying the benches in front of tho pulpit. Three years' later the New South "Wales Conference decided to pull down the old building, and in its place there was erected a Central Hall, with seatfor 1800 people. This sufficed for twenty years, and then, through the generosity of the late Hon E. Vickery, M.L.C., tho Mission entered on a new fortune, and new spheres of ii-ofulnivs. Tho Mission was put in possession of tho magniiicont property iormeiiy known as tho Lyceum Theatre, in Pitt street. There is an auditorium to seat 2500, and it is filled every Sunday night, chiefly by non-church-going people. There is a small hall used for week night work, and suites of rooms for all kinds of religions, social, and philanthropic work. The whole income of the Mission, which is between £5000 and £6000 per annum, is spent in aggressive work among people not ordinarily found in Christian churches. There is a very vigorous Seamen's Mission; a Training Home for Evangelists; there was established the first Protestant Sisterhood in Australasia; tho Mission runs orphanages and rescue homes, dealing with the sad cases of vice and triendlessness which are to bo found in every city. One of the most attractive features of the Mission is the organisation known as "The Lyceum People's Own." The members, numbering about 1100, meet every Sunday afternoon, many of them bringing their friends. The weeknights are devoted to pursuits of a social nature, and various classes hold their gatherings. An important branch of the Mission's work is the provision of 120 beds every night for poor men, and the supply of three-course meals daily, for the small charge of fourpence. Mr Taylor will leave for Sydney towards the end of this week, and will at once commence making preparations for the celebration of the silver jubilee of the Mission. The meeting is to be held in the Town Hall, and the Gover-nor-General, Lord Dudley, is to preside It is some few years since Mr Taylor visited New Zealand. The progress made by the Dominion surprised as well as pleased him, and he was much impressed with the evidences of prosperity which he saw. He took particular interest in mission work, and hopes to hear, before leaving this city, that steps will be taken to initiate a Central Mission.