ST. JOHNS CHURCH

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 42, 17 August 1918, Page 4

ST. JOHNS CHURCH

WORK OF THE YEAR

The annual meeting of St. John's Presbyterian Church was held on Wednesday evening—the minister, Rev. Dr. Gibb, presiding. There was a large attendance of the congregation. The report stated: —The roll of honour contains 252 names, of whom 27 have been killed, 60 wounded, and of the wounded 37 have returned to New -Zealand. The absence of so many young men makes itself felt in the activities of the church, and even in the attendance at public worship, but the work of the year has been, nevertheless, very successful in most respects. There are 26 elders in the kirk session, and special mention is made of the signal honour that befell one of their number, the Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, in his election as" the first layman Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. The communion roll contains 887 names, of whom during the year 38 were added by profession of faith, 65 by certificate, 93 were removed (9 by death, 53 by certificate, and 31 otherwise). The quarterly communions were attended in September by 485; December, 480; March, 485; June, 533^-tho highest recorded attendance. The sacrament of baptism was administered to 20 infants and 3 adults.

The Women's Association has a membership of 46 working and 37 honorary members. It acts as the congregational Dorcas Society, and as such has made and distributed a very large number of garments among the poor, also socks and stockings for the soldiers, and for the children in the orphanage. Blankets, clothes, and boots have also been given away, and a sum of £54 was spent in the purchase of milk and coal for deserving folk. The wounded soldiers in the hospital have been treated to motor drives, gifts of books, and musical entertainments. The association has also assisted at the Red Triangle Room. The sum expended in this way has been close upon £100.

The contributions of the congregation to foreign missions amounted to £317, to Maori missions £19, to home missions £281, a total of £617.

To patriotio funds the sum of £98 was contributed; to the orphanage, £165; to the poor, £87; and to various other philanthropic and religious objects, £316, or a total of £568. Including certain other sums the congregation haa given away for purposes outside its own work upwards of £1200. In purely congregational finance, the Sunday collections amounted to £1354, or £25 10s lid per Sunday. Adding special collections to this, the total was £1700, or £32 Is per Sunday. The total income for congregational, purposes was £1850, the expenditure £1854. A very considerable sum had been spent on repairs and improvements to the property. The total revenue of the church for all purposes—congregational and altruistic— was £3061.

The report also gave detailed informa tion regarding other activities of the church.

The adoption of the report was moved by Mr. S. Clarke Johnson, seconded by Mr. W. Allan, and agreed to. The fol lowing motion was also unanimously adopted : "This meeting records its appreciation of the great abilities of the minister, of his pulpit and pastoral work, and of his untiring energy and devotion in carrying out not only the duties pertaining to St. John's, but also in the service of the Ohtrrch and community." Mr. T. H. Gill' moved a motion with regard to thoir soldiers at the front, "recording deep satisfaction that their sono and brothers were not only fighting valiantly in the cause of their own country, but also witnessing a good confession in the cause of Christ." This was carried unanimously. Rev. Dr. Gibb said surely no on© could ■read the record of the year's -work without a,feeling of thankfulness to the great King and Head of the Church to whose grace they owed everything; He desired to thank all those""who had assisted him during the last twelve months. It would be as invidious as it was unnecessary to mention individual workers, but one name he must mention—that, namely, of Mr. Snodgrass, who gave the whole of his time to the service of the Church and was in a very real sense the minister's assistant. He moved a vote of thanka to Mr. Snodgrass, which was carried with much heartiness.