ST. PETER’S CHURCH

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 180, 26 April 1921, Page 6

ST. PETER’S CHURCH

PARISHIONERS’ ANNUAL MEETING

"A DECIDED IMPROVEMENT”

The annual meeting of the parishionera of St. Peter’s Church was held in the schoolroom, Ghuznee Street, last night. The Ven. Archdeacon H. Watson presided over a fair attendance.

“It is with great thankfulness and pleasure that I am able to report a distinct improvement in the position of the parish,” the vicar stated. “Twelve months ago, things certainly looked very black, and the position really was very serious. Judged by all the usual standards, we were steadily going down hill, and it seemed only a matter of time and the old parish would expire through weakness and decay. . . . The only hope of continued existence for a parish is to make and continue to make an effort. During the past year we tried to do . this, with the result that the condition and health of the parish shows a decided improvement. But there must lie no relaxation. The position is still too serious. Among the signs of renewed health one might mention an increase in the number of communicants and larger congregations at the Sunday services. The financial position is much iin proved. • “Last year I begged you very earnestly to make provision for the future. I am very grateful that a start has been made. A gift of £97 in weir bonds was made by one who has always most 6®nerously helped this parish, to be tn® beginnings of a rebuilding fund, and during the year the churchwardens have been able to set aside .£450 to start an endowment fund. This has been made possible chiefly through the generous response to the Free-will Offering Fund. . The above amounts are mere trifles compared to the expenditure that will have to be faced Jn the future, but they are a beginning.” . The chief difficulty facing the parish, the vicar continued, was still the lack of a curate. “This need brings very near to us,” he said, “the serious position of the Church in this country. A church that cannot provide its own ministry is in a very sad and serious condition. It is a fact that every New Zealander should ponder on, not without shame and reproach. . . • The work at the mission still goes forward with astounding rapidity The questionarises whether the time has not arrived to have the mission made into a separate U The annual report (already published), together with the balance-sheet wms adopted. The state of the various ac counts at March 31 last was shown as under Church choir: Assets, £-38, Im bilities, nil. Renovation Account. Receipts, £795; payments, £773; balance in hand £22. School Society: Excess of assets over liabilities, £3780. On the date mentioned, the P aTlsh were £3O 95., and the bank balance £56 T.’ Ballinger referred to a report that church P ro P er^ in ., A /•?not to be sold. He hoped that it was not C °The Ct ’vicar said that the projret had fallen through. He was afraid that the work at Mitchelltown had no of expanding, as the population of that district could not ferow appi-cmaWj larger. Two cottages had been acquired with tho idea, originally, that the noik would go ahead, and 'that the sites of the two buildings could be used later on for tho erection of one larger builtinc The prospects being what they were, tho vestry had thought recently of selling one cottage, and paying off the debt on the original purchase but the negotiations had fallen through. Canon T. F. Taylor described the work of St Peter’s mission. He considered that some time within the next ton years the mission would have to spend £2O 000 on the erection of a building. He moved: “That this, meeting, ns in favour of St. Peter’s mission being established as a city mission along such constitutional lines as are or may > available, and passes on this expression of opinion to the incoming vestry. Nobody could cell the work m the miss ion work,” Mr. Taylor said it is an extra-parochial work. . . • I dare not suppose that the Sunday night crowds at th© King's Iheatro bclcn to St. Peter’s parish. My name would be ‘mud’ if they did. ’ T „ vlor Both the chairman and Canon lay! expressed tho hope that the mission would bo the nucleus of a church army throughout the dominion and having its headquarters in Wellington. The motion was carried. The following motion was also carried by the meeting : That it be a re commendation to the incoming ° vestry to suspend seat remits from Septembei 3 Mention was made of the proposal to place tn the church a memorial to the Fnen of the parish, who had Men in the war. The cliairman said that ne was disappointed with the way in which the matter hod been neglected. If the memorial was to be of any value it must be really representative. He had asked again and again for the names of the fallen, but he had received only 16 That could not bo representative. The following officers wore appointed for the ensuing year: Vicar’s churchwarden, Mr. W. E. Bethune; peoples churchwarden, Mr D. W. Anderson; vestrymen, Messrs. H. F. -Allen, V. J. Atkinson J. L. Barnicoat, G. Lawrence, p“r, A. Richards, G. W. Robinson R. Wilberfoss, L. H. B. Wilson and Captain Chudley; auditors, Messrs. A. II Hollis, and AV. G. Faulkner.