CLUTHA PRESBYTERY.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXV, Issue 1274, 16 December 1898, Page 5

CLUTHA PRESBYTERY.

The Glutha Presbytery met in the church here on Wednesday. Sederunt : — lievs. Allan, Spence, Curric, Fairniaid, Will, Reid, Kilpatrick, Somerville and Eraser (moderator) ; find Messrs Jas. Somerville, Fyfe, M'Lay, Paterson and Bruee, elders. After the usual preliminaries it was decide d to take up as first business the CALL TO THE REV. ME KILPATEIOK. The clerk intimated that the clerk of the Dunedin Presbytery had forwarded to him a call from the Ravensbourne congregation to the Eev. Mr Kilpatrick, which had been sustained by that Presbytery. It was was agreed the Commissioners in support of the call should be heard first. Rev. Mr Sutherland said he was sorry to find ' himself alone in this business. He understood that Mr Wise would also have been present in support of the call, but for some reason or other he had not come. His (Mr Sutherland's) business was to prosecute the call from the Ravensbourne congregation to the Rev. Mr Kilpatrick. His reasons for urging that the call be placed in Mr Kilpatrick's hands were first,— the call was unanimous. Every member heartily signed it, with the exception of one or two who were absent. Such a call was a very serious matter, and he looked upon it as an' evidence that God had guided the people to call Mr Kilpatrick. The people had also reason to believe that God was guiding Mr Kilpatrick towards them, and under the circumstances it would be a very serious matter if it all ended in nothing. The people thouglrfc Mr Kilpfvtiiek hfid given them to understand that if the call was unanimous he would entertain it. He referred to Mr Kilpaf.rick's letter to the Dunedin Presbytery, in which he said he did not think it would be wise or expedient on his part to accept the call, and asked the Presbytery to depart from the matter so far as he was concerned. He (Mr Sutherland) held that Mr Kilpatrick was not then in a position to come to an intelligent decision in the matter inasmuch as he did not know the mind of the five parties interested. There were the two congregation 1 ?. the two Presbyteries, and Mr Kilpatrick himself. The Dimerliu Presbytery thought Mr Kilpatrick should accept the call, and he believed the Clutha Presbytery would be of the same mind. The Ravensbourne congregation had had a somewhat chequered career but some people say thnt it has great possibilities before it, and that these will be realised if Mr Kilpatrick should accept the call in which the people of the congregation were very hearty. Mr Wise stated to the Dunedin Presbytery that he had a letter from Mr Kilpatrick, in which he said that if the calt were unanimous he would entertain it, but Mr Kilpatrick says that he only stated in the letter that he would seriously consider it. Mr Sutherland concluded by expressing the hope that the Presbytery would place the call in Mr Kilpatrick's hands. Rev. Mr Kilpatrick said that nothing had ever given him greater annoyance than some matters in connection with this call. There had been a serious misunderstanding all through. An impression had got abroad that he had laid himself under an obligation to go to Ravensbourne, but this was absolutely false. The circumstances were that the Rev. Mr Ash being in ill health had asked him to supply his pulpit for a month. This, he explained he could not do, but he would take his services for one day, which he did. He arrived at Ravensbourne at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, and Miss Ash then informed him that she had just received a telegram from her brother saying that he had decided to resign his charge. When he agreed to give a day's supply he did not know there was to be a vacancy ; he merely went to assist a brother who was ill. Then he had a letter from Mr Wise (which he read) and in his reply he stated that if the call were unanimous he would seriously consider the matter ; that he was entirely opposed to Gfindidating ; that he knew very little of Ravensbourne and was very comfortably settled at Warepa. After reading the report of the Dunedin. Presbytery he wrote to Mr Wise asking him to correct the statement as to his having said he would favourably consider or entertain the call. Mr Wise had never replied to that letter. He (Mr Kilpairiclc) had asked Mr Wise to bring his letter to the meeting of Presbytery go that it might be read, but he had neither come nor sent the letter. With regard to sooner stopping the call, he had never heard from ..Ravensbourne or seen anyone of the congregation regarding it so he could not stop it sooner than, he did. He read a letter he had received from Mr Allan, the clerk, intimating the call. Being from home at the time, he wrote to the session clerk at Warepa, also wrote to the

Dunedin Presbytery, asking that the call might be fallen from. Mr Sutherland had said that God had guided the. Bavensbourne. people to their decision, but it was necessary there should be guidance on both sides. He had also to be guided towards Eavensboume but he had not been so guided. He might have allowed the call to go through the usual routine and then decline it, hut, as he had made up his mind; he wished to save all parties trouble. He had been very much annoyed by the construction that had been put upon his letter by Mr Wise and some members of the Dunedin Presbytery. Mr Sutherland in reply said the Ravensbourne people thought they had reason to think that Mr Kilpatrick was being guided ■towards them. He also mentioned that .Mr Ash had intimated to the Eavensborne congregation that they could regard as open to a call all those who had supplied his pulpit during his illness. . They, 'had thus been misled in the matter. Eev. Mr Fairmaid said Mr Ash had also asked him for a month's supply and he had agreed to give a day. Mr. Ash never hinted' at anything about a call. He gave the day simply to assist a sick brother and he was surprised to hear that ministers who assisted were to be regarded as open for a call. Several other members said that they had been asked by Mr Ash to give supply but that there was no hint given as to a call. The Eev. Mr Currie moved to the effect that a,fter considering Mr Kilpatriek's statement it is inexpedient to place the call in his hands and that the same be fallen from. .Eev. Mr Allan in seconding the motion said the only ground on which the Presbytery could insist on Mr Kilpatrick accepting the call was that he was committed to accepting it. But he- bad not convnitted himself ; he did not feel that God had guided him towards Ravens^ourne. A misunderstanding had taken place over the whole matter. Eev. Mv Somevville saicl he was extremely sorry that the misunderstanding had occurred. On the evening of the meeting of Presbytery in Miltnn, Mr Kilpatrick and he had talked over the matter. Mr Kilpatrick said h.3 would seriously consider it, but that he was in no way committed. He, Mr Somerville, was sorry Mr Kilpatrick b?.d not accepted the call as hs believed it would have been best both for minister and congregation. The motion was then put and carried unanimously. Rev. Mr Somerville moved — "That the Presbytery further considers that from the evidence come before it to-day, Mr Kilpatrick did not in any way pledge himself to accept the c ill to Ravensbonrne." He said an impression had been created and had gone abroad that Mr Kilpatrick had so pledged himse'f and this impression was calculated to do Mr Kilpatrick injury with nis own congre"atinn. The impression had boen proved to be fal' c and he thought it was due to Mr Kilpatrick that the Presbytery should plainly say so, and thus remove the false impression that had beei created. Rev Mr Allan in seconding the motion said Mr Kilpatrick had not played false and loose with the Bavensbourne congregation, as had been nssertsd, and he thought the Presbytery should pass the motion. A brief discussion ensued in the course of which the opinion was expressed that the motion was quite unnecessary, as for a minister to say that he would seriously or even favourably consider a call did not commit him to accept, for after the fullest consideration he mijjht find it would not be expedient and would not be his duty to accept it. Besides the decision of the Presbytery not to placn the call in Mr Kilpatriek's hands showed that in their opinion Mr Kilpatrick had in no way committed himself and thus the object the mover had in view by the motion had already been accomplished. Ultimately at the request of Eev. Mr Kilpatrick, Mr Somerville and his seconder agreed to withdraw the motion and the subject dropped. [We are obliged to hold over the remainder of our report till next we"ek.]