OBITUARY

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23053, 22 June 1940, Page 12

OBITUARY

THE REV. A. C. LA WRY The death of the Rev. A. C. La wry occurred yesterday morning at his home in St. Albans street. He was a son of the Rev. H. H.- Lawry and a grandson of the Rev. Walter Lawry, who was the first Wesleyan missionary to Tonga and the second Wesleyan missionary to Australia. Mr Lawry was born at Auckland on August 22, 1862. He entered the Methodist ministry in 1885, and for 46 years was in the active work of the ministry. He was superannuated in 1931, but spent the subsequent years as minister of the churches at Geraldine and at Bryndwr. _ In 1883 Mr Lawry married Miss E. J. Spence, a sister of the late Rev. W. G. Spence. He was educated at the Auckland Grammar School and Auckland University College. He spent

REV. A. C.LAWIRY

three years in commercial life and subsequently entered the Methodist Theological College for training, exercising an influential ministry in a number of the chief centres of the 330minion. In 1922 he organised a movement in celebration of the centenary of Methodism in New Zealand, and raised a sum of almost £42,000 for church extension work. . • In 1913 Mr La wry represented New Zealand at the British Methodist Conference, and in 1916 filled the presidential chair of the conference of ms church. He has held many important positions, including the chairmanship of Synods and the office of associate editor of the “Methodist Times. He also gave good service for some years as a chaplain to the forces. The death of -Mr Lawry completes a ministry exercised over a span Of 123 years by himself, his <*nd his grandfather, who began his ministry in 1817. The actual period of service of the three generations aggregates 158 years, as their work was corvtempor* aneous for many years. _ Mr Lawry leaves a widow and five children.