CHURCH MEETINGS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 3

CHURCH MEETINGS.

PARISH .OF BT. MARK. I ' The annual meeting in .connection with St. Mark's Church was hold on Thursday night. Over 60 parishioners were in attendance. The vicar (tho Itov. ,A. -M. Johnson, M.A.) - occupied the chair. In moving tho adoption of the report and balanco-cheot (a summary of which has already appeared in The, ...Dominion),'.. the chairman said .that one thing which came homo to him was the wonderful spirit 'of. tho parish. He wished esj>ocially, to thank tho ohurchwardens for their oonstant, untiring, and loyal support. - Owing -to the system whereby' l a; churchwarden could, not hold office for more than two years in succession, Mr. Hueston, who had been of invaluable assistance to him, was retiring; He wished : also to thank tho. members of the vestry for'the .excellent manner ■. in which, thoy had carried , ont their duties. Mr. Johnson also . referred' in' glowing ' terms _to the work of the choir .and: .teachers during the past'year.'- With regard to tho; results of the examinations 'he stated that two or three of the papers would,havo done credit in any' first:-grade. theological examination.; Mention: was then made by Mr. Johnson of' the good-work done, during the year by the 'ladies of the. Sewing' Bee: and St.':' Martha's Guild. Thanks: were; also duei.to 'the, young men who had arranged to ring the' bell and to the, Decorating Guild. Turning to the .spiritual -side, ;.Mr. Johnston-said .the." year, had been a heavy one. During the twelve months there had been ■ 135 baptismc, as against 92 the previous year, and 98 the year before that. .Then , again there had been fifty marriages, compared < with 32.-'tho ■year-, before, and 31 in.1906-7.. - Deaths had unfortunately numbered 50, the, figures for the two previous- years boing 32 and 41 respectively. The liverage attendance of communicants was 'just about the same as. for the previous' year, 'but at the great festivals he regretted to say tho. attendance was considerably less. Year after, year a large number of young people were confirmed, but it, was . noticeable that after a time , many drifted away-.froin Holy..Commumon. :Inorder to try to keep thoso who were newly confirmed from absenting themselves, communicants' guilds,-which it was hoped would bo successful,; wero being " established. In the course, oi his apprecialaon of the work done v by ; the lay,readers,.Mr.' ; Johnson made, specisd .'rsferenos3 to the services , of;' Mr. Chatwin. TTiere was a part of the parish— bertweein Taranaki Street and Cambridge Terrace—which required to bo . worked up: In conclusion, Mr. Johnson paid a tribute to the ■ -work', accomplished: by-the' assistant curate (Roy. C. E.., O'H To bin). "Without discussion the report-and balance-sheet were then adopted. .; ;'- The - election. of officers of the . parish' re-' suited -as under Churchwardens:. Clergyman's, Mr." W. J. Gaudiri ;'• parishioners,' Mr. Jas. Besant; vestry,- Messrs. G. W. Barltrop, -W. L. Meek, C. H. Chatwin, E. J. Hylton, R. E. Rawnsley,.F. ,J. Caterer; A. Longmoro, G. J. Clapham, W.. J..': Hueston, and G- Snoad; and auditors, Messrs. H. D. Vickery. and G. T. .nail. ' . Votes of thanks were accordcd Mr. W. J. -Hueston (the retiring churchwarden), the vestry,' the; churchwardens, -Mr. Bray (lay-reader and' superintendent..' of the Sunday.'School), > Mr. -A. Stace, and all others who had assisted to carry out tho work' in connection, with', the various brancheisi of the Church. v ■ ' ' . - ;The parishionors decided to place on record their appreciation of the valuable services Tenderod to tlie parish by Mr. and Mrs. G. Shirtcliifo, who have removed to St.Paul's Parish. ;-i. Upon' tho recommendation of . tho. vostry,' it: was resolved; that the sum of £100 be added to the rc-building fund. .n Tho services of tho vicar' (Rev. A- .-M. Johnson) ' .during the year were recognised by a'hearty vote of. thanks. : VST. CHURCH. - ■ ' . About forty ; parishioner3' ; atten'd^--thb , .'Mfc nual: meeting 'in'ooiiilection Church-last- night, '.the Kev. John Walker, M.A. presiding. .' . ':" : ~ • It was .stated .in .tho ..annual report : that' •tho .soryiobs 'had' not- been -quite; at-., tended, 'as '-.last year, and. the,:_nnmber of co'mmunicants had been well maint;iincd. Although the year had 'concluded with a 'small, liability,tie 'matter •of expenditure... had received' every care economy. It was unfortwiato that the offertories showed a .decrease of ';£56 and' the -suhsoriptions to the Sustentation.vFund duction of £12 compared with-the"previous year. The .special" offertories; fo;- missions and' non-parochial purposes had. been maintained; •: Tnrough'-.the.' Church. Debt' Fund the overdraft now disappeared, as-well as. an old debt- of .many years' standing. As the'grant from synod towards the .assistant curate's stipend was for- only {one year, ;the vestry was endeavouring to-' place the; Sustentation Fund on a firmer-basis! Good pro l gress had been inado at the - Island Bay end of the parish. No difficulty : had been found. ■in raising .tho additional '£50 towards . the :a'ssossment,'. besides - which; '£lso.. had.' been' paid off .tho ; mortgage ,oh the \churchroom,. leaving a debt 'of 0n1y.;.£50: on the .build- ' ing. Tlio committee' 'at i Berhampore hoped,with the aid of; a special effort next , month,; to reduce 'tho debt of £650 on their churchroom. Further precautionii:' had'been taken to prevent; damage from . rain to . tho organ.:' A (marked improvement had- taken place in the choir sinco Mr. Webb had assumed* office.; as. organist', and choirmaster. The' .debt .oil' tho new ' Sunday.; School had' been reduced . appreciably during. the year; Mention waif'also made- to- the-good work done by St. .Thomas's - Guild,', St.. Agnes's Guild, the Missionaiy' Association, tho Par-, ish' Magarine, - and 'the 'Sewing Bee. -. The. last Diocesan Synod,had drawn attention to. the obl'gation to" provide a vicarage. : In, i' this ■' connection .-the': vestry had applied .to, the Diooesan Trust' Board, for: a lease of tho ground between the church and the infant school.' Tho whole matter was now xefeiTcd to the parishioners • for their consideration. Special, efforts .would! be made' during' the ensuing yesr in .fclio direction of extinguish.*, ing ; the, liability i on itho; organ. .the.: extension!- of iho .churcli . porches, and renovation- of interior of ; infant, 'school... •Thanks' were also expressed; to; all who had assisted in. the. work: of tho church during the 'year. V- .• v . . .•* •fn moving the adoption of tho report and balance-sheet, the chairman mentioned that, sine© the close of the'year, tho organist,' Mr. ;We6b, - hadi resigned, having been - appointed to a similar position in : connection with Christ Church, Wanganui. As was stated ;in': the report;;.his'' services' had .been. very successful;"--'' He hoped that everybody , would assist the. committee, at Berlianiporo in its 'efforts to. rediico. the debt on tho churchroom there. His .'best; thanksV were due: to. all . who had' given assistance during the year. '■ Special mention .was . made by ' the; vicar of the work done by Mrs. Lee and* Miss Kemp. In conclusion ho refeired to the effort which was. to be .made 'next year, to stir churchmen throughout the Dominion to .a 'higher senso of their responsibilities. ' The success of a mission, ho said, depended not ■only on. the personality of. its; members, but also on tho amount of work that was done beforehand. , . Seconding the motion, Mr.'Bland remarked that probably the decrease.in tho offertories had' been duo to the depression wbich .had prevailed during the past few months. Tho report and' balance-sheet wero unanimously ■ adopted.. - .■,.' The election of office-bearers resulted as trader.:—Churchwardens: clergyman's, Dr. J. H. Kemp; parishioners', Mr- J. W. Salmon ;; vestry,. Messrs.' Jrlaylock, Neilson, Butler,. Jeffs, 'King, MfCaul, Proctor; and auditors: . Messrs. Chapman and Christie. .;'■ Votes of thanks wero accorded the ladies who : promoted the Butterfly Bazaar, the guarantors of the overdraft, the / churchwardens, vestry, the ladies and gontlemen who decorated tho church for' the festivals, and tho vicar and-ciirato.- , RefeTenco was made'by a lady parishioner to . tho lack' of interest " that was taken in absent scholars of tho Sunday School . She maintained that attendance could bo ma:torially augmented, if families who'did not attend wero visited. This mot with hoarfcy approval. ..