Church Army officers in New Zealand

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32531, 15 February 1971, Page 6

Church Army officers in New Zealand

A little known evangelistic and welfare organisation is the Church Army, a society within the Anglican Church. The chief secretary of the Church Army in England (the Rev. Prebendary D. M. Lynch) and his wife, Mrs Jean Lynch, were (in Christchurch yesterday.

“There are 400 officers in the army in England, half of them are involved in evangelist work while the other half attend to welfare,” she said. There were only 18 officers of the army in New Zealand, three of them in Christchurch.

Before her marriage Mrs Lynch was an officer involved ' mostly in parish work, but ' with four stepchildren, three married and one son at home, most of her Church ’ Army work was now with ’ the Wives Fellowship. I However, she spends one 1 day a week at the army head- ( quarters in London doing 1 secretarial work and gives speeches on the army’s work i to various organisations. I “The Fellowship is an 1 organisation for wives of Church Army officers. MEETINGS “We meet once a month in the London headquarters and have speakers, or discussion groups amongst ourselves, on different aspects of social work and related subjects.” Training for the army took three years, followed by three years of work in some field. If a woman married she resigned her commission, but now women army officers who married other officers could retain their commissions, she said. “We can’t get enough younger officers to replace those who are retiring. I think it is mainly because many women are marrying earlier, and because the numbers of men and women in the population have equalled out. “There are also many more opportunities now for women in jobs.” Even though membership might have fallen off, the organisation achieved a great deal for its size, she said. She described some of the schemes the women of the army were involved in. HOSTEL In London there was a hostel for unmarried mothers who were all schoolgirls. “Teachers come in and give lessons so that these girls can finish their education. “There is a woman army officer who has come out of retirement to help women alcoholics in particular.” In the East End of London was a hostel staffed by army officers that catered for the methylated spiri drinkers, she said. The aim of the organisation was to win mem- • bers to Christ and in the case of the welfare officers it was done through example, said Mrs Lynch.

Some of the evangelists, took missions at the invitation of a parish minister and women often took missions! for children, she said. Hostels for the homeless ( were also run for men and! women. They catered fori those just out of prison, and! mental institutions, and: others looking for a temporary place to stay, she said.

"In the centre of London is a big women’s hostel which holds about 90 people and is I open all the time.

“It has a tremendous variety of boarders, some are visiting relatives* in nearby hospitals, some are stranded in London while others are runaways from home, often from the north.” FLATS

Buildings m which women 1 , had individual flats was a new scheme being investigated, she said. Already there was a hostel for girls in London, where they looked after l themselves and shared kitchens but had an army officer there to turn to for help and advice if necessary. There were Churchill houses (named after Sir Winston Churchill) for elderly people who could still look after themselves, where they had small flats with an army officer to help when one fell 111 or some problem arose. I They usually housed about; 112 tenants, she said. ■ The organisation relied on; voluntary subscriptions for its 'financial basis, she said, and ithe old people’s hostels were [not allowed to make a profit. I “The elderly people pay what they can afford and they lean receive grants from local I bodies so that the hostels pay their way,” she said. Mr and Mrs Lynch are in

(New Zealand on a tour ofj (Church Army areas. They! (have just come from Africa! land Australia.