CHURCH EXTENSION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 2, 2 July 1926, Page 7

CHURCH EXTENSION

V"A PRESSING PROBLEM

AUCKLAND'S EAPID GBOWTH.

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to |the "Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day

The rapid growth of Auckland creates many problems for the organisations/, .which are trying to keep pace in the.,' .'provision of services. The ■churches especially find it difficult to keep" step in the march of progress, because.they cannot, as the local bodies do, borrow large sums to finance their .undertakings. Probably every denomination in Auckland to-day is embar-rassed-;by the pressing need for church extensions, especially in the suburbs. :The. problem is recognised, and each 'church is working vigorously to attempt a solution, although as Auckland declines to stop growing tho effort has to bo'continually renewed in new directions. The Anglican Church, particularly,' haying to. care for almost half 'thers.jj.jjds in tho metropolitan area, has .its organisation stretched to the utmost'to keep pace with a city that ■adds.--.35,000 to its population in five -years. Over 43 per cent, of these, that is, about 15,000, are new parishioners for the Church of England. ;-;-;The;'-nced for church extension is made'^the subject of a leading article iii the" latest number of the. "Church Gazette," which says now that the new .Waikato diocese has been established,- the Archbishop will be able to give closer, and more continuous attention -to the smaller and more manageable "diocese, of which he now has charge. He spoke of this matter at a recent meeting of the Standing Committeej which was set up to assist him in his efforts to ensuro that church extension shall keep pace with the growth and, movement of the population in and around. Auckland, and to reorganise the work of the church in sparsely-populat-e<l country districts so as to ensure greater'efficiency, and at the samo time to lessen the strain on the over-worked country clergy. This means a consider-able-amount of subdivision and rearrangement of parishes. The rapid growth of the city and suburbs during recent years has created a difficult problem for the Archbishop and the Standing Committee. Much church extention work has been done in a more -or-less haphazard way. A number of new parishes have been formed, and others'are in process of formation, but the' yine has come ■ for attacking this urgent problem in a more thorough and systematic manner. It is vory largely a question of finance. Sites have to .bo .purchased for churches arid Sunday .schools and vicarages, and financial. assistance must be given until the church ■work in' the new districts has been sufficiently organised and established to become. self-supporting. Good financial backing means quick financial independence. ■ A vigorous and well-considered policy of church extension is ono of the most urgent needs of the church in tho diocese of Auckland at the present moment.