NEEDS OF MISSION FIELD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1531, 29 August 1912, Page 5

NEEDS OF MISSION FIELD.

ST. MARK'S PARISH TO GIVE .£2OO A YEAR. In the. September issue of St. Mark , .* Parish Magazine the vicar (the R-ev. C. P. Askew) writes:— ' Tho Vestry, recognising the great and •mpenous needs of the mission Hold, fe-els that tho time has come when St. Mark's I arish should maintain a priest on foreign service, anil pledges itself to do nil in is power to carry out this ideal. This plan is atoplod in several parishes in JOnjlan.l, where, priests aro regarded as on the still ot the parochial clergy, and kept by the pnnsrt tor service in tho minion fbld. It is a. noble ideal, and perhaps it is liunece*fary to say that tho parishes which arc supporting priests abroad are just the parishes where tho spiritual life is stron- ami vigorous. During tho rreent visit of the bishop.of Melanesia to Wellington, in the course of a conversation o:i this paint 1 e told me that the Rev. W. I'ortesciio Loii", 8.A., of Lewis Parish Church, is comin"' out to join toe staff of the Melanesia!! -Mission, and so .confident am 1 of t-Jio willingness of this parish to do all in its power to assist, that I have pledged the parish to contribute his stipend. Mr Long- fill in all probability spend n few days in Wellington on his 'wuy to tho McJanwian r slands, when we shall hope to have an opportunity of hearing and <?,«.- T S f V m - , 'l! lle J?! sh °P of Melanesia lias stated that he will regard .CIOO a year as the equivalent to looping our own prkst, but I have a very strong objection to ke°pnig a pi-ieet on the cheap, mid I am goum to iisk the parish to contribute ,£2OO a vsat -iIOO towards tho stipend of a priest in .Melanesia, New Zealand's own mission— and ,tloo towards tho support of a pries' in Indin. There aro islands in the MelnnoMnn {troup where the wicrcd ■ name ut Jesus has not yet been heard, whil=t in inclia. tlio day of opportunity is at hand, breaking in London a few weeks ago, the bishop of-Madras stated that C 0,000,000 In-dians.-(nearly «ixiy times the population ol S\cw Zealand) would be gathered into (ho Church within thirty years, if tho men ?v!'./T lt T wpre forthcoming, and Bishoji Whitehead speaks from an experience ol India, extending over thirty years. If c f y r : " T . l , l J?. l Ki th<! ,!! ay of opportunity in India.' Will the Church of Christ nspontl? Will tho people of St. Mark's Church and parish respond? I believe they will. But some uiny say, can the parish raise .£2OO a year in addition to the sum required to curry on the parochial work? It can and it will. And that without onvcire ieelingit a drain upon the purse, p.ir what decs it moan? It moans a little additional effort and n little extra support in connection with our sale of work It '? mouth? since wo landed on the shores of New Zealand. During that time I have carefully marked the spirit pervading the parish, and if our people tloMiot respond I shall confess fh.it I have madthe mistake of my lifo. I look to this parish to support the scheme whole-heartedlv ond it can do so by making tho salo of work a peat success. It is a pleasure to record that our vestry was unanimously in favour of the scheme, and it will be a proud day to mo, as vicar, when I <an say, ■St. Marks Parish is not merely living foifcelf, but it contributes .£2OO per annum for the support of priests in tho mission

[Since writing my letter the English inail has brought news to the effect that Canon Tnpper Carey has secured a priest for St. Mark's-the Rev. Leonard i'enn Mr. Fcjiii is a married man with two children, ajid they hopo to arrive in Wellington on December 24. Our thanks ore duo vkST" pcr y for his kind 5 "