METHODIST CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 49, 26 February 1921, Page 6

METHODIST CONFERENCE

READJUSTMENT OF CIRCUITS

PROBATIONERS AND CANDIDATES.

The annual inference of the Methodist Church was continued to-day, when the Rev. C. Frost presented tho reoort of the committee dealing.with tho circuits. Decisions were made as follow: —

. That the North Taranaki Rural Mission be eliminated from tho list of stations; tha-t Ngapuhi be divided into two circuits, to be called (1) Whangaroa; (2) Hokianga; that Te Kuiti be separated from the King Country Rural Mission, and that an ordained minister be appointed ; that Huntly be worked on mission lines, and that a suitable Home Missionary bo appointed; that the members s of the district executive be a commission to inquiro_ into the readjustment of circuits m Chnetehureh and suburbs, and report to the next Synod and Conference; that Edendale be left without a ministerial appointment, and placed under the supervision of tho Goro Circuit; that the prewar staff at Avondale be restored; that a probationer or. home missionary be appointed to Kaikohe; that, i 5 possible, an un.married_ home misisonary be appointed to Motauiti to assist in tho Meantime- afc tho south ertd of the Taumarunui Circuit; that a probationer be appointed with a suitable grant to Wanganui North; That officials of Palmerston North and Feilding meet during the year to draft a proposal for tho formation of an additional circuit and report to next Synod; that a probationer be appointed to work Picton, Queen Charlotte Sound, Waikawa Pa, and adjacent places with a suitable grant; thfct a home missionary bo appointed to Dovedale-Tapawera if possible; that a third minister bo appointed to tho Christchurch East Circuit, to be stationed at ■ Linwood ; that an unmarried Home Missionary bo appointed as.second agent to Boslyn; that a second married minister bo appointed to Avondale Circuit;, that .the following circuits be relieved from providing for a.n ordained minister: Auckland East, Opbtiki, .Tauranga, Waimarino, Palmerston North (second minister), Timaru (third minister), and St. Albans (2nd minister); that married homo missionaries be appointed to Hotitika and Motueka, and a probationer to Reefton. At the conclusion of the 'committeo's work the Convener (Rev. G. Frost) was accorded a Tiearty round of applause for the expeditious work of the. committee. The following. ministers having completed t.ioir probation wore admitted as ministers in full connexion: Revs' W T Blight, J. Dennis, T. Dent, J R Nelson" F V J. Parker, E. B. Chambers, and R. E. Fordyce. _ They will be ordained on Tuesday evening.

Tho following ministers are to remain on probation:—Rev. Thos. Skuse, W. B. Cuming, W. Gafcman, H. F. Ford, A. E. Jefferson, J., W. Parker, Victor S. Mercer, and W. B. Pickering, and Rev. H. Bonny was admitted on probation. The following remain in the Theological College :—Messrs. L. A. G. Brooks, T.- H. Burton, A. F: Attwood, E. W. Hames. The following- candidates for the ministry were accepted for training for the ministry :— Messrs. J. Bailey, E. H. Brooker, H. G. Brown, and H. L. Fiebig.' Mr. H. H. Uawiri was admitted as a native probationer for the ministry.

Tho Revs. A. A. Bensle-y and R. X Pordyco offered for the foreign mission work in tho Solomons. . Mr. Bensley's offer for 1921 was accepted, and Mr. Fordyce's for 1922.

It was agreed that owing to physical reasons the Rev. J. E. Parsons be allowod to re6t for a yeav. Tho same concession was granted to the Rev. P. Paikea.