THE CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1109, 24 April 1911, Page 8

THE CHURCHES.

$ ST. PETERS'S PARISH, WELLINGTON. THE AX.NUAL KEPOKT. The following is the report , of the Churchwardens and Ycotry of St. Peter's Anglican Church, Wellington, for the year ciulins March 31, 1911:— We have much, pleasure in reporting that the annual statement of accounts tor the year ending March :)1, 1911, shows a surplus of .C2S ss. ill. This we must consider fatisfaclory, ;is we have had several items of extraordinary expenditure this year, besides the extra stipend for an assistant curate for the last nine months (JiliiO). The repairs and alterations to the vicarage cjst JJSS 9s. lid., towards which Die Ladies' Working Party kindly handed u> £lo out of their funds. Tlia caretaker of the gallery was paid fer two years, as he had not been paid for the previous year. Legal expenses for tins Taranaki Street Mission wero SSi 25.; rental's and alterations to church buildings and seats, J'A'l is. lit!.; coutri butions to Cieneral Synod expenses, ,C 8 passage money'lor assistant curate, .£10; amount paid to (lie liev. D. H. Jenkins, .i' 10; total, J27S His. Sd. | The cost of lighting the church is etill excessive, and has besn considered by the Vestry. An estimate and report on the installation of electric light v/as submitted to them, but the question was postponed. The cost of gas lighting has again increased, this year being .£35 6s. lid., as comnared with £'31 2s. Bd. in U'lO. Part o"f this increase was due to the General Mission. We have again to report a falling-off cf .£l3 13s. 4d. in pew rents, but the offertories have improved by J;75 Os. lOtl., which has more than compensated. Bo Brooklyn, we have paid X 32 10s. out of the .£SO we had in hand from the Ladies' "Working Parly last year. The balance of <El 7 10s. is to be paid over during 1911-12. Items of expenditure which have increased during" the last fifteen years are city rates, from «£I6 ss. 3d. to <C 37 15s. Bd., and insurance from .£4O 11=. 3d. to .£l3 Is. The. last item should bo considered by the incoming Vestry with a view to reducing this heavy charge, especially as we have such an excellent Fire Brigade and up-to-date.appliances, which are paid for.out of the city rates. The long-expected General Mis-ion wa{ begun in the Town Hall on Sunday, September 25, 1910: On October 1 the Mission opened in St. Peter's Church, and was carried on for ten days, the missionCTS l.'oih" the Rev. J. C. Fitzgerald and the Itcv. G. C. Crnickshank. All the services, wero well attended. We feel sure that many benefited by the Mission, not only in our own parish, but right through the Dominion. Prior to the departure of Canon Stuart from New Zealand, a hvo-dayV mission was held on December 7 and S. These meetings also were well attended. The thanks of the Church are due to those who first suggested and organised the, Mission, and more especially to ail the niissicners.w'ho came without pay or reward lo help our Church. We have to record (lie loss of our former vicar, the liev. G. P. pa\ys, who resigned and left us in November. On November 7 a large gathering of parish ioners bade him farewell and God-speed, and wished him every happiness in his new homo in England. Ho received several valuable gifts, and also one for his bride, from the congregation. On November 17 our new vicar, thn Veil.' Archdeacon C. C. Harper, was formally instituted, and after the service he and Mrs. Harper were welcomed by the parishioners in the- schoolroom, when there v:?.s another large aliendance. Ths Rev. C. G. Mutter, assistant curate, arrived from , England on July 9, 1910, and on July 1, 1911, Hie Eev. 'W. Koine will be with us. We shall then have three clergy to look after tho spiritual needs of our large parish. AVe regret to announce (hat Mr. Wai ton has tendered his resignation as mis sioner at the Taranaki Street Mission. He has done a great work, under very difficult circumstances, among a class of people Hint had been neglected by the Church. AVe (rust that he may do,even' better work in some other snhcro of labour. In November last the verger, Mr. AVil liams, resigned, and Mr. Power was appointed in his place. Owing to some complaints against the ringing of the church bells, wo have discontinued tho ringing for early services. Alterations are being made in the belfry, which are an improvement. The thanks of the parish are due to the Eev. D. H. Jenkins for his assistance at several of the church services, to the Ladies' AVorkini Party for their financial help, also the Rev. G. P. Davys. Colonel Pcarce, and Miss Pcorce (of England), for donations for various parish purposes. AVo also thank Mr. Harrison for continuing his valuable services in AA'ellingtou. Our sincere thanks are due to Mr. Erlward Anderson for undertaking all workin connection with the pew rents and the management of the schoolroom account. THOMAS BALLINGEE, AV. LLOYD, Churchwardens.