THE METHODIST-CENTENARY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17224, 15 August 1921, Page 8

THE METHODIST-CENTENARY.

A KECOED OF ENDEAVOUR 1 I , The forthcoming centenary of the ' Methodist Church in New Zealand will' j mark an interesting stage in the religi- ; ous history of the Dominion. When i Marsden was in Australia he met a ] young Methodist minister named Leigh, j and persuaded him to accompany him , on a visit to the Bay of Islands, Leigh j was so impressed with wnat he saw of j the Maoris that he went to England to < plead the cause of a mission to the ' native races of .New Zealand, arid three ' years later, on New Year's Day, 1822, ' he: sailed from Sydney for his new ' home. At first he was the guest of the 1 Church of 'England Mission at Kerikeri, but in June he moved to Whangaroa 1 and established his mission close to the < scene of the Boyd massacre. Two chapels were built and opened in June, 1824, and '.he mission carried on its work at ' Wesley Vale till the station was de- ! stroyed by the natives some three years ■ later. A new site was then secured ; near Hokianga. and the mission rapidly extended its work to other parts of the colony. In 1840 the Primitive Methodists joined in the work, and the Bev. Robert Ward a few years later established a mission centre near New Plymouth. By 1855 the Methodist Church nnmbered 2259 adherents in Auckland, of whom 200 were Europeans, and 1319 in Wellington, of whom all except 308 were Maoris. Great attention was devoted to education, and the first native school was built in 1823, and in 1844 a grant of land in Grafton street, Auckland, was given, for the purpose of a school the site being subsequentlymoved to the Three Kings, while similar institutions were established near New Plymouth and Wanganui. ,On February 6th, 1913, the Primitive Methodists united with the Methodist Church, bringing 3000 members, while the Bible Christians also united their, membership of 609, and the Free Methodises brought a membership of 982. . ■,.,..-■• To-day this united Methodist Church of New Zealand has a membership of 27,552, with 458 churches, Besides 525 other. places of worship, and an ordained ministry of 189j besides, 61 home missioners, 783 local preachers, and 101 class leaders. A notataV feature is to be found in the Sunday school work of the (church. These schools have 285 i teachers and 27,346 scholars on 'the I roll, while the Bible Classes have a membership of 6197. The Methodist Sunday schools have always occupied a high place in the examinations conducted by the Sunday School Union, and this is. very largely due to the devotion of t%e teachers, and the excellent lines on which their schools are organised. The average attendance at church and Sunday school each Sunday ia given as 72,866 for the whole of the Dominion, figures which speak well for the devotion of its adherents. Methodism has widened its creed since the early days of Samuel Leigh, and membership of the Church is open to all those who are willing to "profess faith in Jesus Christ, and frame their lives in harmony with their profession." The centenary aims at raising a fund of £45,000 for the extension of the work, and Auckland has already raised £13,016 towards it. There is no doubt the whole sum will be Inore than subscribed before the < ; great ■ Centenary meeting in Auckland in February nest. ' ■ ' , i i i