METHODIST CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 137, 4 March 1908, Page 7

METHODIST CONFERENCE.

v ; HOME MISSION'S. \ "SPIRITUAL DESTITUTION. I '' . ' ! '• 1 (b*. TEi,r-aiurH,—i-resb association.) Auckland, March 3. At this evening's sitting of the Methodist Conference a discussion took place on Home missions.- The President, in introducing the subject, said that, what was wanted now was' not a Now Theology, but a ,new enthusiasm. The Secretary drow attention to the report showing that the numerical'strength of tho. Methodist Church in New Zealand was 16,203, an ,increase of 401 during the year. The special committee'appointed to draw up a report on ' the Home Mission policy, stated that tho circumstanccs of the Dominion, and especially of the North Island, called for a policy of vigorous aggression on the part of the Methodist Church. The Rev. W. Slade alluded to, the spiritual destitution of the great majority of the people of the! Dominion. After a lengthy discussion a resolution on the subject of Home Missions was carried on the lilies of tho committeo's recommendations. i" • Duriiig the course of his remarks upon tho ■Homo Mission and Church extension policy, tho Rey. W. Slade niado allusion to his previous statement that there were ■ 700,006' non-church goers in the Dominion. This declaration, however, was mot with cries of " quory." Whereupon Mr. Slado explained that lie got his figures from the Registrar-General. " But," pointed out another momber, " those figures include babies I" "Very woll, then," retorted Mr. Slado, "wo will inalto it half a 'million, which will allow for the babies, but babies, 1 might say, arc gotting very scarco now." (Laughter.) '