MINISTER BIDDEN FAREWELL

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27669, 27 May 1955, Page 9

MINISTER BIDDEN FAREWELL

Cashmere Churches’ Gesture

VERY REV. JAMES BAIRD HONOURED

The congregations of St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, and St. James’ Methodist Church, Cashmere, combined this week to bid farewell to the Very Rev. James Baird, minister of the Cashmere Presbyterian Church, who after 13-years at Cashmere is shortly to take charge of the new Ngaio Presbyterian Church in Wellington. The action of the Anglican and Methodist churches in honouring Mr Baird was a tribute to the part he has played in bringing the three denominations closer together during his term at Cashmere, as combined activities among the three churches are by no means uncommon. There is an interdenominational discussion group among the meh of the three churches, and for about 10 years members of the churches have hold combined services during Lent. Mr Baird was one of those responsible for arranging these services, which are held weekly, in a different chtirch each week by rotation, with the minister taking the service of a different denomination to the church.

The observances in honour of Mr Baird began with a service of thanksgiving for his ministry in St. James’ Methodist Church. Mr Baird read the

lesson, the Rev. O. R. Bambury, vicar of St. Augustine’s, preached the sermon; and the service was conducted by the Rev. J. A. Penman, minister of St. James’. Unity of Churches Afterwards, in the St. James’ Sunday School Hall, Anglican and Methodist speakers paid tributes to Mr Baird. For the St. Augustine’s congregation, Mr N. H. Buchanan said that the function, so soon after the Faith and Order Conference at Sumner, was a further witness of the underlying unity among the churches. Mr C. H. Perkins, on behalf of the Methodist congregation, spoke of how Mr Baird had helped to bring the conception of Christian unity down to a local level. Mr Baird said that it must be unique that two congregations of different denominations should meet to bid farewell to a minister of a third denomination. He was grateful for the gesture, and moved by it. He hoped that the unity would grow, with the three churches doing still more together. At the Faith and Order Conference, the discussions had been among the leaders of the churches, and it was they who had so far taken the greatest interest in Christian unity. They had not yet gone far along the road to unity on the parish level, but at Cashmere it had been brought right down to the level of the local congregation, and the experience had shown that this road was very open.

During the function, Mrs Bambury presented a bouquet to Mrs Baird.

Mr Baird has been keenly interested in the ecumenical movement. He attended the opening assembly of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam in 1948, and has been a member of the central committee of the council. He has also served on the executive of the National Council of Churches of New Zealand.