AN INNOVATION

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 67, 13 December 1926, Page 10

AN INNOVATION

BY AUCKLAND MISSIONER . TAKING THE CHURCH TO YACHTSMEN Dominion Special. Auckland, December 11. Yachtsmen’s services are to be held on Sunday mornings throughout the summer, and Rev. Jasper Calder announces that he intends to follow the yachting fleet on each of - its weekend excursions, with a view to conducting services of half-an-hour at 9 o’clock each Sunday. “I have wanted to do this for years,” he said to-day. “Wherever I the biggest crowd of boats go I will go.” Mr. Calder claims that the yachting service which he conducted in Islington Bay, on the shores of Rangitoto, on Sunday, November 21, was the first of its kind in New Zealand. It was a rocky shore where the yachtsmen assembled, just after 9 o’clock, to be addressed by the missioner, and 156 were there. The service lasted for thirty minutes. “Some of the men smoked during the sermon," said Mr. Calder, “but all dipped their ‘fags,’ took off their hats, and stood to attention for the concluding prayers.” If possible the missioner intends to hold the next service on December 19, and he has received a request from the Ponsonby Cruising Club, and also from a • number of private yachtsmen, expressing appreciation of his initial effort, and asking him to continue. Archbishop Averill said to-day that the services had his entire good-will, and also that of the Evangelistic Council. About two months ago the Rev. Calder was presented with a yacht, the Ngaro, and he intends to have a new engine installed to make sure of getting back to Auckland to conduct his Sunday evening service. There is a movement on foot among yachtsmen to have him appointed honorary chaplain of the fleet, the idea being that the services be entirely undenominational. Mr. Calder is himself an old yachtsman, and still has trophies that he won in Sea Horse and Rona 25 years ago. As part of the week-end excursions he hopes to give an openair lantern lecture to the yachtsmen each Saturday night on old-time yachting.