METHODIST CENTENARY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17411, 23 March 1922, Page 12

METHODIST CENTENARY.

About 700 people sat down to tea in the Durham street tea-room yesterday aftenicon, when the Metnodibt district centenary celebrations were concluded. The tea ' was provided by the Christchurch Ladies' GuildIn the evening, good-bye was said by the congregation to the Rev. Grainger Hargreaves, the representative of the Jbrit-ish Wesleyan Conference, and .a number of addresses were given. 'JL'he Rev. T. A. Jouglnn presided over a gathering which tilled the church to overtiowing. At seven o'clock an organ recital was given by Mr E. Firth, and it was followed by a prayer by the Rev. W. J. Williams. Tho chairman addressed the gathering, and greetings from the sister churches were given bv the Ven. Archdeacon Haggitt (Council of Christian Congregations), the Her. Dr- Irwin (the Christchurch Presbytery), and the Rev. J. J. North (Baptist Church). An apology for absence was received from i3ishop Julius. The president of the Australian General Conference, the Rev. A. McCallum, then gave an . address on Methodism. He stated that Methodists lived under every sky and under all sorts of conditions. When in Bergen, Norway, he had discovered that there was a Methodist Church there, and in Italy the religion was flourishing. I n Japan, Korea, and China, the missionaries were doing good work, and the churches had firm foundations. The speaker had received hearty welcomes i from the natives of Samoa, Fiji, an( j Tonga, and he was struck with their deep religious feeling- Christianity Was also making strides in India. Tho Rev. E. D. Patchett, at the close, thanked all those who had helped in the celebrations. A telegram of congratulation was tv> ceived from the Rev. C H. I, awg " president of the New Zealand Confer.! ecco.