YOUTH TRAINING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1942, Page 7

YOUTH TRAINING

METHODIST CHURCH

For the purpose of freeing men and women from administrative tasks to enable them to give more time to spiritual youth training, a co-ordina-tion plan put forward by the youth board has been adopted by the Methodist Conference^

The report of the board was presented by Mr. N. R. Seddon. He said that under the new scheme, which had been before the youth board for several years, the aim would be to simplify this branch of the work of the church. The freeing of men and women from administrative work would enable them to give more time to the vital spiritual youth work of the church. Under the new scheme the separate organisation of the two Bible class movements would be merged into the district youth councils.

Mr. A. E. Bate, Auckland, in presenting the statistical returns of Sunday schools, said that where decreases were reported they were mainly in the senior classes, showing the imperative need for- reorganising the senior work.

The statistical returns for Bible classes showed an increase in the young women's movement of 77, while the young men's movement showed a decrease of 110, mainly brought about by the fact that 459 Bible class members were in the military forces.

A return of Maori members of the church showed that there were 3381 senior members, an increase of 126, and 3637 junior and infant members, an increase of 232.