SCOTTISH SAINT

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 128, 26 November 1940, Page 5

SCOTTISH SAINT

MEMORY OF ST. ANDREW

WELLINGTON CELEBRATIONS

The annual St. Andrew's Day service at St Andrew's Presbyterian , Church —the mother church of^Presbytejrianism in New Zealand — on Sunday ;night was a prelude to other celebrations to be held on November 30. Sunday's service ' was attended by Mr.; J. G. MacKenzie, president of the combined Scottish societies of the city,, by Mr! J. Aitken, vice-president,- and ~ by 'a large number of officials, and {. members of the societies. '• ' '

[ Before the service the pipe bands oS, Wellington paraded from the Post Office to the church, and afterwards they played outside the church and then returned to the Post Office. The pipe-major in charge was Piper N. J. McPhee, of the Wellington Police Pipe Band. He led the parade and at St. Andrew's played the Rev. A. B. Kilroy into the pulpit, which was draped with - the Scottish national flag. Mr. Duncan MacDiarmid read Psalm 23 in Gaelic, and Mr. James B. Thomson read • a passage from St. John. St. Andrew, said Mr. Kilroy in his - sermon, was loved because he was not envious of others and tried to see their point of view. He was left out of the" band of disciples, but went on doing work for. Christ and the world, showing a wide sympathy and a quality of human interest that was so- sadly nejedcd at..the present time when many turned the frozen side of their nature toithoso whom Ihey met. The friendly side was- needed in the social community and international spheres and might well be increased among the people of the Church, in" whose ranks' there should be no quastion of race, colour1, or creed. All should be included in their love for the Master. , In that, people should take a lesson from St. Andrew and* so bring into being more interest, sympathy and co-operation in the Church. St. Andrew should, inspire all to go out and give the spirit of friendliness to all with whom they came in contact.

Mr. Kilroy stressed the need of much more cordiality to those in need of friendliness and said he would like to see in Wellington a large central Presbyterian Church from which missions could go out to the dwellers in flats and boarding-houses, to make, people, specially the young, feel the warmth of welcome Christ would give them.

"Do as St. Andrew did," he said, "and bring others to Christ, find your brpther—and that takes a bit of doing —and interest yourselves in strangers and foreigners so that you may, carry into effect the words of a beautiful hymn, 'Jesus Calls Us; Christian, Follow Me.' Give a message that will go down through the ages to those who are to come after."

The National Anthem and Benedio* tion concluded the service.