Springston Methodist Church.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXII, Issue 3822, 2 August 1916, Page 1

Springston Methodist Church.

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS.

Saturday, July 29 lh, is a date that should long be remembered by the residents of the Springston district, for, not oily was it the jcb lee of the local Methodist Church, but it was actually the jubilee of the township of Springston, for the church was the first bui'ding erected in the village. It was fitting, therefore, that the occasion should be marked by the residents observing a half holidty and by the holding of a jubilee celebration in the Methodist Church, which, as one of the speakers" reiruHced, held the largest congregation seen in- the building for twenty' five years. Every part of the buildiag was filled, the congregation including many representaives of other denominations and visitors from Christchurcb, Ellesmere, Lincoln, Fai Tapu acd various other districts, who were present to tender their congratulations and show their goodwill towards the Methodists of Spriagston, Elaborate

preparations had beed made for the occasion by ihe minister, office bearers and members oi the church throughout the circuit, who were determined that an occasion of such outstanding importance should be fittingly marked.

The Rev. W. B. Scott, minister of the circuit, acted as mas'.cr of cs emonies, and under his baton a choir cf forty voices contributed a number of anthems in excellent style, the singing being well balanced and showiog unmistakable evidences of careful preparation, Amongst those who were present were the Revs. A C. Lawry (President of the Conference), W. A. Sinclair (Secre tary of the Conference), S. Lawry (connextonal secretary and exPresident), A. N, Scotter, B A, and Harris, all of whom took part in the afternoon's ceremony. The Rev. W. B Scott read spMogies for absence from Colonel the Hon. R.

Htaton Rhodes, the Hon. D Buddo

(a former resident of the district),' Messrs O. F. Clothier and G. W.: Leadley, Revs. Penny and Aber-' nethy (former ministers of the! circuit), and Revs. C H. Garland (chairman of-the Auckland dis-i trict), F. B. Redgrave (Anglican), ! J. A. Lochore, P. W. Faifclough, H. Bull, C. Griffin, and S. H. D. Peryman, and Pastor Pratt (Bap-: tist), all of whom conveyed greetings and best wishes for the j success of the celebrations. Mr! Scott extended a hearty welcome! to Messrs Joseph Kime (one of the first officebearers and for some years Sunday School super-} intendent), Charles Overton (one

of the trustees of fifty'years ago) and R. A. Forbes (builder of the present church, in 18^3). ■ A number of very beautifui memorial windows were unveiled'; three in the front of the church, to the memory of the young men from the district who have answered the call

of King and Empire, and tfte' others to the memory of pioneers,' including the late Mrs Mutton, Mr John

Marshall, Mr James Gam mack, Mr and Mrs W. Lawry, Mr and Mrs Wilson Taylor'(Mr''Taylor having been conductor of the choir for 25 years), Mr R. Wills, Mr J. Silvester, Mr Joseph Kime and the late Mrs Kime. The Aozac memorial windows and a roll of honour of Springston district boys who have enlisted were unveiled by the Presi

dent of the Conference, the roll of honour being undenominational.. There were 115 names on the/oil, 5£ of whom were Methodists^ It was stated that the cost of the' memorial windows jj>)s,- and tbat practicaUy. ;ti»s rwf^oi^ pt thf. amouut had .been raised. Trie Ai'izac wmdows i)ore the inscriptions :

"It is glorious to die for, one's country," and,-"■■To-Hag bwye^ riotb ing is difficult." Asa matk of re spect to the fallen ire re c?, ;tbexon-i gregation stood in silence for a $;ho:t time. Then followed: the National Autbera. The. Rev,, J. W., BSyliss sang "The Trumpeter."vV -; Iv the course of an interesting address, the Pr.esWet. t ■ of. the ference said it was fitting that the jubilee of the church should be marked by the uuveiling of windows to the memory of the fine men and. women of the past who had done such splendid pioneering work, and to the gallant young men of the present who were fighting to-maintain those, principles for which the British stood. The quality of Springston Methodism had spread from one end of the Dominion to the other, and the pioneers had set a fine example to the present generation. Those gallant young men who hadbeen distinguishing themselves on" the field of battle had shown that they were worthy descendants of their forefathers. It was right that thoss who were unable to go to the front

should ass themselves whether they were really worth fighting for, Thousands of youug men had giveii up ease and luxury to assist in the defence of their home and Empire, and it behoved those who were obliged to remain at home to prove worthy of the great sacrifices that were beitig made. It was a very great encouragement to find that the young men of to»day were so willing to go forward and to fight | and die for the maintenance of those principles foT which their forefathers had so bravely fought in the paot. The future of this country, be was sure, was aafe in the hands of such worthy so.ns. The Rev. W. A. Sinclair said he did not think such a fine lot of memorial windows could be found in any other country church in New Zealand. He dealt with life in the circuit 30 years ago, and said that his first sermon as a local preacher had been delivered in one of the churches of the circuit when he was 18 years of age. The speaker made reference to some of the prominent men of those days, including Messrs Lawry, Wills, Silvester, Taylor, Kime, Gammack and others. The Rev. S. L,awry, whose parents were amongst.the first settlers in the district, also spoke in a reminiscent strain, and produced a record he had made as a boy of the first services held in the Springston church fifty years ago. One remarkable thing about those early days was that the -fathers and mothers bore the hardships of the pioneering life without complaining. He could not remember having heard so much as a whimper about the difficulties they had had to overcome, or any regrets that they had left the Old Land to make their homes in a new and little known country. The best of feeling always prevailed amongst the people, and it was a common thing for farmers to help one another with their work. He had noticed tbat day that the churchyard was largely taken up with motor-cars, which afforded a striking contrast when compared to the vehicles people I used in the early days*"~mostly . : heavy carts and even farm drays. 7 1 The people came out to New &eai land and put up with these hard- ) ships-tut so much for their own ' sake, bur. that their children might 3 have be; vr opportunities than they • would ac Home. The spirit of co9p&fc ™ Y§r| aj^ aj.

bough the early settlers often had rgatueuts amongst themselves upin theological and other matters, riendships were never broken. People ot various denominations atended the services held in the Methodist church regularly, and ent their children to the Sunday chools, and such a thing as bigotry vas quite unkown.

Cr. J. W. Kime conveyed the greetings of the Springs County Council, and Mr R. A. Forbes, builder of the church, also spoke, while the Rev. S. E. Hill, of Lincoln, tendered the congratulations of the Presbyterians. Votes of thanks were passed, special mention being made of the services of Miss Henry, as organist, after which afternoon tea was served in the schoolroom. The jubilee sermon was preached on Sunday morning by the Rev. S. I<awry, and, in the evening, a jubilee musical festival was held. The Rev. W. Lee, who conducted services on the second Sunday after the opening 50 years ago, is to preach next Sunday, and the Rev. W. C. Oliver, who was the first minister appointed to the Springston circuit is to preach on August 13th. A jubilee tea-meeting is to be held on August Bth.

The collection on Saturday amounted to .^2l 14s, and the offerings to date total £145.