REV. A. H. SCRIVIN WELCOMED

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20937, 18 August 1933, Page 10

REV. A. H. SCRIVIN WELCOMED

METHODIST MISSION SECRETARY gathering of men Men of the Methodist Church gathered last evening at the Durham Street Church to welcome the Rev. A. H. Scrivin, the newly-appointed general secretary of the Foreign Mission department. The Rev. Clarence Eaton, chairman of the district, who presided, spoke of the importance of men to the church. The work of the men stood in the forefront, he said, and its importance shoulu be realised. It was time something was done for a better organisation among the men of the church. . Mr Eaton apologised for the absence of Mr Frank Thompson, who, through illness, was unable to attend this gathering which had been organised by him. A letter of apology was read also from Mr Henry Buttle, of Sumner, a grand old man of the church. A Popular Appointment. j Mr W. Charles Francis, of Linwood. welcomed Mr Scrivin, on behalf of- the older men, all of whom, he said, were t delighted to hear of Mr Scrivin's appointment as general secretary. The new secretary had had experience in Papua, which would especially fit him for the position of foreign mission secretary. He had been known as "the peace maker of Papua" and he would be able to present to persons in New Zealand the viewpoint of the missionaries. Then again, he had a winning way, which gained the confidence of everyone. Mr Francis suggested that a mens missionary prayer circle should be formed, for in this way more than in any other could they help Mr Scrivin and show him that they all stood behind him in his work. Welcome from Young Men. Mr Alan Dingwall, president of the Young Men's Bible Class Union welcomed Mr Scrivin, on behalf of the young men of the church. He endorsed the remarks of Mr Francis, and expressed the opinion that there was a need for more leadership among the j young men of the church. Before thanking the gathering for its welcome, Mr Scrivin expressed his appreciation of the work of Mr Frank Thompson throughout North Canterbury, as foreign mission district secretory. , , Mr Scrivin said he hoped that out of the meeting would spring something definite for the furtherance of the foreign mission. Most movements in the church were too spasmodic and he thought it w'ould be a fine thing if some real movement would develop from this, to gather and discuss foreign mission work. It would be to the increase of missionary enthusiasm if such a meeting could be arranged. The work of evangelising and Christianising the people of the Solomon Islands had been undertaken by the conference in New Zealand, and this duty the church was bound to carry out. He described the work of instruction as w"ll as the work of evangelising the islanders, tß&t was being carried out by the missionaries. The one thing that mattered with them was that the people of the Solomon Islands should know and share the Gospel. New Ministers. A welcome to ministers newlyappointed in the city was extended by Mr Herbert Chapman, of Cashmere, on behalf of the laymen of the church, The Rev. C. B. Jordan responded. Tea was provided before the speeches by the Women's Missionary Auxiliary. For the hymns sung during the evening, Mr Murray Jones (Papanui) was song-leader with Mr John Corbett at the piano. Mr H. Bosomworth was in charge of the financial arrangements. Mr C. C. Sandford moved a vote of thanks to the ladies, to the song-leader, to Mr Corbett, and to Mr Bosomworth. Mr G. Bowron replied on behalf of the Women's Missionary Auxiliary. In his closing remarks the chairman expressed the hope that something concrete would come of the suggestion made of a men's missionary prayer circle. He asked those who were interested in the formation of the circle in Christchurch to hand in their names to their ministers.

After the ceremony of welcome, Mr Scrivin gave a lantern lecture in the church ©n New Guinea, showing slides of the country and the natives for whom the missionaries work. He told of the natives as they lived in their own villages, and described the great work carried on by the mission not only in evangelisation, but also in supplying medical attention to an everincreasing population. He emphasised the particular care taken by the missionaries to train the natives and show them how they might look after themselves spiritually and physically.