CHURCH FIGURES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 11, 13 July 1943, Page 4

CHURCH FIGURES

"DISQUIETING FEATURES"

Referring to the statistical return* presented to the Anglican Synod which opened its session today, the Bishop of Wellington said that one of the disquieting features was that the number of Sunday schools had dropped by ten; the number of male Sunday school scholars was fewer by 156, and the female scholars by 293. The reason for this drop was not to be found in the diminution of teachers, as although, there were 32 fewer male teachers, there were 39 more female teachers. "With this falling-off in our Sunday school work," continued the Bishop, "there is associated a diminution m the number of Confirmation candidates. Last year I confirmed 1436. This year I have confirmed only 1229, of whom. 251 were aged 20 and over. I must say I do not like these figures and they will form something of the background of what I hope to say about youth later on. Bible classes, however, show a movement in the opposite direction. The number of classes is greater by nine; the number of male students greater by 78; the number of female students by 65; the number of male leaders is greater by two and of female leaders by nine. The Mothers' Union likewise shows a steady increase, two branches and 38 members having been added during the year. • "For the first time since I became Bishop the Easter Day communicants show a diminution—from 11,897 the previous year to 11,307 this year. The acts of Communion- during the year were less by 12,666, only 149,029 having been recorded in the schedule. For this drop many reasons can, of course, be found. With the fewer clergy at work there must have been fewer op-, portunities for Communion, and with, the increasing use of Sundays for pur-i poses connected with the war, many of our best church men and women have been prevented from attending their. Communions. DISAPPEARANCE OF SUNDAY. "In this respect I should like to quote a' letter which I have just received from Canon James in which he reveals the tragic transformation of Sunday in the Old Country. 'You will know our Church news at home. But the great fact which is not sufficiently stressed is the appalling assault on Sunday: parades, meetings, classes, everything is put on Sunday; and the Day has receiyed a blow from which it can hardly recover, anyhow in our lifetime. The Archbishops and Bishops have submitted to it as. a necessity of war; if so, it is one of the bitterest of all sacrifices.' His words back up She strong statement made by the Bishop of Chelmsford in the Church Assembly, quoted in our own daily Press. 'On the one hand we have the complete disappearance of Sunday. It has gone as a day of worship/ "Our figures do not suggest that the evil has gone as deep in this country as it has in England, but at the same time ought we not to ask ourselves with intense seriousness how it is that our.hopes that the war would lead to a great return of our people to God through the Churches have been disappointed and that we have been able to do little more than to keep things as they were?"