‘Life-Line’ Listing As Emergency Service

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30681, 22 February 1965, Page 9

‘Life-Line’ Listing As Emergency Service

The telephone number of Life-Line, the Christchurch Methodist Central Mission’s emergency aid service, will be included among the emergency numbers on the front inside cover of the next Christchurch telephone directory, the superintendent of the mission (the Rev. W. E. Falkingham) told the quarterly meeting of the mission board of management. This had been approved by the Postmaster-G e n e r a 1 (Mr Scott), he said.

About 40 persons had taken a course in counselling earlier this month for Life-Line counsellors and others interested, Mr Falkingham said. Several members of Anglican and Presbyterian churches and the Society of Friends had been among them. The course was conducted by the Rev. Dr. D. O. Williams, of Trinity Theological College, Auckland. The demand for the LifeLine service and its associated prayer-and-message service continued to increase, Mr Falkingham said. Even during January, which could have been expected to be an

“off-month,” 7390 calls were recorded on the prayer-and-message machines. Miss G. H. Fleming, a member of the mission staff who initially receives many daytime emergency calls, said many of those who rang were “just lonely.” A common need was to match those who were living alone and would like a companion. Another common request was for a housekeeper to look after the children of a working wife, a widow, or a deserted husband.