Baptist Calls For Spiritual Renewal

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30896, 1 November 1965, Page 9

Baptist Calls For Spiritual Renewal

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, October 29. Concern, conviction, courage and consecration were the factors of the spiritual renewal which was evidently needed today, the new president of the New Zealand Baptist Union (the Rev. F. H. Carter) said in his presidential address at the opening of the annual assembly at Lower Hutt last night. “It is simply facing facts to admit that there are evident signs that the position, of which the union council

has been conscious of for some time, still exists. At heart the denomination is healthy and sound, but there are warning signs. We need a spiritual renewal.” Mr Carter said youth work was a case in point. There were “bright spots here and there” but Bible class camps, which once provided drive and impetus to youth work, seemed in many places to have lost much of their spiritual and dynamic impact. Week night meetings for young people were also proving a major problem. Young people generally seemed to have reacted against the standards required by the “Christian endeavour” type of meeting and nothing satisfactory had been found to replace it “The fact remains that somewhere there needs to be an infusion of new life and vitality into young people’s work generally,” he said.