PRESBYTERIAN REPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 588, 17 August 1909, Page 11

PRESBYTERIAN REPORTS.

KENT TERRACE CHURCH.. Tho twenty-second report of the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church, to be presented at tho annual meeting to-morrow night, states, that tho Communion roll is rigorously .arid regularly revised, and now consists of 301 names. Hie additions have been, by certificate, 24; by examination, 10; and tho removals by death,. 1; non-attondance, 6; and by disjunction certificates, 28. The attend- : -ancos wero as follow:—July 210, October 190, January 197, April 174, average 195, The ordinance of, baptism 'was administered to 58 individuals. ■ A varied social work haß been conducted steadily, and the heartiest appreciation is expressed of the work of the. women of the congregation. The Sunday school roll'has now 221 Bcholars, with, an average attend-, anceof 165'. Tho number of teachers' is 22,: A cradle roll department lias recently been inaugurated with Miss Campbell as superintendent. ... ' • ■■•'•-.. The church attendance is well maintained; but many content themselves with.just coming to church once a day. No attempt is made to attract people by outre and sensa-' tional methods. "Our minister," states the report, "preaches tho : old evangel faithfully and fully, i and places. Ms reliance- on the steady, patient teaching of Divino truth." The senior Christian Endeavour Society, under the leadership of Mr. Mills, has a membership of 35—an increase of 4 over last year. . Tho honorary list remains at 30.- Services arc held at tho Obiro Home on two Sundays in tlio month, and a monthly service is conducted oh the wharf. The - Sunshine 1 work is carried on as usual, and the Victoria Homo and Seddori Shelters visited every Sunday afternoon. After hearing Mr. Powell's address on his work among the lepers of",lndia, t!io society decided to help in this work and provide for one leper.' TheChristian Endeavour stall at the sale of work held in September realised £16. Tho sum of £6 16s. sd. was collected for Homo, and Foreign M.issions. During tlio year six members .joined the .church. Tlio Young Men',6 Bible Class continues to flourish, under the leader-, ship of Mr. Clias.S. Falconer. The-roU.iipw 'number* 30, the, books in the library dose on , 300, During the year a sum of £4 was subsWbod to'tlie Youth of tho Church Fund lls. towards tho new Sunday School; I'||iml. The members hnvo'bcen very successful in, their university examinations'; whilst one member topped the list 'in..'the Junior University Scholarship examination for New Zealand. J Besides tho ordinary class meeting, the "Sliarman Course on the Life of Christ':is. studied:at a Sunday morning : "meeting.. The syllabus is well selected; and'consists of interesting Bible studies. Periodically tlio class remains for tea, at which strangers are welcomed. Sometimes the programme is variofl' by. invitations to gentlemen to 'speak on special'subjects. His .Honour Mr. ,,, Justice Cooper w.as one, speaker. \ Tlie Junior Boys' Bible Class is under tlio able leadership of Mr. H. Horlor.: The Young -Women's Bible -Class has had some difficulties- and' losses. During the year both Mrs. Mills and Miss Watson, M.A., retired, having accopted the,'superintendence .of other Christian work. At.a sooial.meeting held.in the_ ball a pre-sentation-was made to those ladies; in token of appreciation of the able way in which they acted as leaders. , Tho vacant leadership is now-filled by Dr. Elizabeth Macdonald. 'file Girls' -Bjble Class: is--.under the.directionof Miss Siinderjand. The Literary and Debating Society has been discontinued,' but ',«i 'Saturday Night .dees. praeticaUy the. same. work. A Ladies' Circle haa, , been farmed, with Mrs. Elliott as: president. -The sum of £135 has been contributed ,to'missions. '

During -the- -year it ; was'- resolved--to : aim 'at raising £3000'-for. buildings to accommodate the.'Sunday'School.. _ Aii v effort was to lie made to raise, if possible, 'half of this' sum, and then, the congregation was again to bo summoned to' decide as ■to property' , arid buildings. A canvass for subscriptions has been made, and , , at date the'church', has: £GGI in promises and £104 in actual cash.- '• It is hoped that the contributions will bo generous. Extensive repairs have been made on the;ohurch'pT'operty"-at'a'cdst"bf r £l7sos..sd:' This 'outlay explains' the fact that for' this year close l with £75- os.-'7d. on-the wrong side; Tile 'total irevenue;'for .the year has been.£lo7r.3s:.6d. ( '■•• ' : ■ .■■;■;.. ■•• ST. JAMES[S GHURCH. ■ ; : Eleven members ■ have been- added'-'to , the-' communicant' membership•; of- ■ St. James's Presbyterian Church"- during tho-year, ,and the membership'now , stands at 339. -The , quarterly' Communion services , wore "attended as follow , :—September 211, : December; 178,; March 165, June-220, an avbrago : of 191. Baptism was administered .'daring , 'the- year to.BB children and one adult. Tho report to be presented at the :■ annual '-meeting on Thursday niglit gives; 'the .following figures relative l to the congregation?— Communicant members, 339; members qver 16 yeara.of ago, 131; ypung persons under 16 years- of ago, about ,830; families j reprcsentecl by communicant and non-com-municant members;-200; other families, 150. Systematic pastoral visitation !'■'has. been Steadily pursued arid special attention, given by the minister to 'all known cases-of sickness or distress, and aid rendered in many cases pf need. , In'tho'work of visitation the minister has "continued :to be greatly 'assisted by Mrs. Sliirer; -. Iα the course of'the year thirty burial services were conducted by tho minister. ""The.Senior Division of the . Young l'wple's Society, of Christian Endeavbu'r ; has now twenty-two '.active and five ... honorary members. ' The membership of the Junior Division of the Christian' Endeavour Society has .increased, to 114, a not. addition .of .six for, tho year, notwithstanding many removals to other places. The society raised the suin of £6, which was'equally divided-betwfeoii Church Extension Fund and Maori Mission'.

The Young Men's Bible Class has mm 30 active members. Interest in the Young Women's Bible Class has been.well sustained." The Junior Young.Men's Bible Class has a roll. membership of 23. The work 'of tho Sunday .School.-.has. beon .carried on ,w.ith gratifying success, the roll. • meniborr ship \ being , 334, an; • increase of 56,with- an. .average , .'' attendance: of 214. An addition of fifty-five books-was made to the_ school library, maldng 585 volumes to available. The- finances of the school are in a satisfactory condition. A large increase is ..shown in the collections for school purposes, which totalled £25 2s.,,and £8 4s, Bd. was raised by collections for missions.: A considerable sum was expended on additional equipment for fhe school;.and a balance of £4 3s. 7d.; is being cai'ried forward, Facts emphasise more. strongly the disadvantages under which ■' tho work of teaching '. has to bo done,-in the'lack of suitable accommodation for classes. , The provision for' tbo primary department \ of the school, to which particular attention is being devoted, fg 50 utterly inadequate that it has been necessary for some time for tho scholars _to assemble in the clvurch. Towards the minimum cost of. £550, necessary for the ■ commencement 6f a new sdhcolroom, £290 has been raised and promised, of which more than half has been contributed by office-bearers. As a result of the efforts of the- St. James's, branch of the . Presbyterian Women's Missipnary Union, there , were paid over the fol lowing sums: —Canton. Villages Mission, £5; Madras Mission, £5; Milne momorial oil-launch, £1; Church extension in New Zealand, £5. The annual • missionary- tea resulted in the dispatch of a box with con-, tents valued at £11 to tho Santo Training Institute, New Hebrides. In connection with the work of the branch, gifts of clothing arc invited. . The Maori Mission Birthday League- raised' £5 9s. Commendatory reference is made to tho church choir and Literary aid Debating Sociofy. The total gross revenuo from all sources, including the Sunday School, was £860 12s. Tho Debt Extinction Fund, has now standing to its credit £489 ss. 3d. towards the liquidation of the mortgage of £700 on_ tho church property. Tho amount raised during tho year as the outcomo of persistent and arduous efforts of the Ladies' Sowing Bee -and Guild, and the investment of tho accumulated fund, was £156 12s. 4d., the largest sum raised in one year for this object. • The .work of the new year will 1» devoted, to assisting the fund for a new schoolroom. The services at Island. Bay have boon conducted regularly by the Rev. W. Shirer,' with encouraging results. Tho members on the .Communion roll at the close of tho year numbered twenty-four. The Sunday school has continued to be- coil-, duotcd by Mα , ,: R. Poaxwa. with, gratifying, success. .'..., ■ ... .