CHURCH JUBILEE

Evening Post, Issue 113, 10 November 1930, Page 11

CHURCH JUBILEE

ST. JAMES', LOWER HUTT

SPECIAL SERVICES <

The jubilee, services of St. James' Anglican Church, Lower Hutt, were held yesterday, the church ■'being filled loth in. the morning and in the.evening. In the evening seating- accommodation had to lie provided in the^.porch and vestry. On each occasion . the preacher was Canon Watson, who was assisted by Archdeacon A. L.'Hanselland'the Eev. W. E. Davies. Archdeacon A. M. Johnson was present at the evening' service. Mr. Hansell announced at the morning service that there were' present Mr. Sherwin, who wag organist at the consecration service, and Mr. H. T-. Beck, who was the builder of the church. Amongst others present were, the Aeting-Primo Minister (the Hon. E. A. Bansom), whose- father was people's, churchwarden when the church. was built, Mr. W. Nash; member for the district, Sir. A. F. Roberts, Mayor of Lower Hlvtt, and Councillors A. M'Bain, F. Campbell, and J. Mitchell, and the Town Clerk,- Mr. B. S. Knox. , There were also present a few ; who : were members of the church when it -was built, and deseendants-of -Messrs.--Fitz-.'Herbert, Collett,- Wilkinsj iaoad Captains Hewitt and Johnsto'ii, who 'were' closely connected-ivith the""church-fifty* years ago. ■'■ '•' v; '■ . ■ . ■ The services were all appropriate to the occasion, tho'readings in the morning being > from Bcclesiasticus 44 and Ephesians 4. . .In the morning the text was Mark 11-17, "My house- should . . .be called a. house-of prayer."•-'•'" ■.-•■'■.' After tracing the ": Ancient jubilee celebrations, Canon--Watson, speaking of prayer in tho broad B-ens^ of communion with God, emphasised the need of using the as a place where not only corporate communion should be held, but a place where individual communion should be made.... Mention -was made of "the far-sighted policy ;of the. original pioneers .who built 'the ''churchj and of the need for present members' to contribute"to a-fundioT-'tho erection of a permanent building. . s . The text of the evening address was taken from Genesis 28, 16-17. A reunion,of old members was afterwards held in St. James-Schoolroom.