SOUTH DUNEDIN CHURCH.

Evening Star, Issue 9834, 24 October 1895, Page 1

SOUTH DUNEDIN CHURCH.

The annual meeting of the NorthT)nnedia Presbyterian Cliurch was held in the Howe street Hull last night, a fair proportion ci the congregation being present. Xbo Rev. I. K. M'lutyre (minister of the cliurch) presided. REPORTS. The following are coiidensatioES of the various reports i—'j he Session report congratulated the congre-ss-ion on the hapfy termination or the vataucy by the tcttltmenfc of the Bev. I. E. MMntjre, of Tasmania, who, in response to a Jairfy unanimous call, armed hete curlr in March last, and was inducted as our.rrmrister oa Match 28. Fifty-seven new members had bcea added to the communion roll during tbs year—fourteen by profession and fifty-three by certiticate; thirteen Ind received lines of disjunction, one had d'.- d, and thirty-nine were struck off i«» September, when >n carefully examined aud pureed the roll. There were now 300 members on the roll, as agaiust 275 last year. The Bible class had eighty member* on the roii. 'ihe Sabbath school report ehowed a total cumber of scholars on the roll oi SCO, wi;h au average attendance of 240. The Eaud of Hope report showed the membership to total 411, with a balance in nana of ±!1 3s sd.

The report of the Committee of Management stated that the amount expended on xhe-church and manse had been unusually large—£lol lbs 9d ; but liotwithstaMUn? that the balaace Lad by £5. 'J hey suggested _ that- the energies of "the congregation be directed to increasing the amount contributed to the subteutation fund and a vigorous and persistent effort to extinguish the church debt.' The Rev. Mr M'lntyue, speaking to the report, said that the laso few months La<i naturally been an anxious time to him. Itwas always a critical matter with a mink f .er who had been working elsewhere to take up new we: k ; there were considerations to make him rather diffident. There waa_ the consideration of what had been, what might have been, and what is. He knew when be came to North Dunediu that all these considerations uouid take shape, and it was very much to their credit that he had got on so well since he came here. He had had great pleasure indeed in the services of the church. Alter alluuhig to the good work done by the Bible c"ia=s, Sabbath school, and Band of Ho;;e, he went en to praise the services of the choir, saying mat good singing was a great stimulus to good preaching. The congregation had a st'tr task before them financially, but ha had iiO doubt that with a. an 1 a p-.-.ii altogether they would iiv.ir-.-.-.'to pe:{o:;>i it. He had sometimes been u^;.' 1 \b> a trienaor that caused hi;n tome f.ui...i whether !its people were cuurrvhiog yet, a:i<", thocgb he did not pose as a prophet, he iuA always ventured the opinion that thsy vac hvi going to miarrtl.—(Applause.)

THE MINISTER'* STIVESD. Mr Ep.ni.sl Wh.thuicw attention to the item in the balance-sheet "Minister's stipei-d (seven months). £l7s.'' When was the stipend rpiiiiu.': 1 from £350 to £300? Mr Adams (treasurer) said the Session and a cuinriii'.Ue ..ppc-inled to confer wii-h thtm. had fixed ta<> salary a'. £3OO per annum before Mr M"lniyrs was culled. The Utv. Mr M'lsTVKEfcai'l the reduction in his iviht.:y did siot. put him about at ail. At the :-i!ii!e thee, he might say that he hod accepted 'h'-; f.idi a»d started work here before he Ira:;: th\t the alteration had been made. It was cut the lois of the £SO, but he did tbbik at the time that the Deacons' Court had been guilty of doing a rather smart thing. At iasc he look Mr Eider into his coaiimiice on the matter, ami thai geutlennn removed the unpleasant feeling from his (the heart. Mr Elder explained that the Deacons' Court was uuder the impression that he knew of the reduction from the first. However, he wa3 satisfied now, though it had put him about at the time. The congregation were hardly able to meet liabilities, and the Deacons' Court had done the wisest thing. At the same time, the matter should have been settled before the moderation. - (Hear, hear.) When he was first communicated with in regard tc coming to D-inedin he asked for particulars and received a ccpy of the ohmeli's balar.ee-s.licet. which showed the salary to be £350, aud that was the only intimation he received us i<i .salary. Mr Evans thought the Deacons' Court were to blame. The rnodeiator was distinctly told to intimate to all candidates that the salary was to be £3OO. After several gentlemen had expressed the opinion that the moderator was lo blame, The Rev. Mr M'lNTvm; said the mailer should be dropped. He was sath.tied ; but next time he hoped that they would tell a minister what his salary wiu to be before tncy c;dkd him.

Mr ELSEit did i;ot agrsc that the Committee were not to i.Ume, and as one of them he took his sium: of th.J. blame. Nobody was more a:.d grieved than hi was vlu-i; Mr M'Jniyre told him thai, he understood his fcahoy waa to be £3oo.

After several othi.-r mom'octd had spoken, each giving his opinion as, to who was to blame for ihe nnsuucicrs'iiiiiding,

Mr E. Whit:; moved aii amendment to the adoption of the report to flu. Ethel that the stipend of the minister be £ifsU us previously. Mr Lumlky seconded the amendment.

Mr J. Ks.w'TOi moved that the stipend remain as at ptesi-nt. He pointed cut that the Rev. Mr Smith only received £3OO when he first came to Dunedm, a;id the salaiy was raised a eontiueiatac time afterwards) to £350.

The Cu.ukman rub d that Mr Hunter's amendment was cut of oid-T. Mr T. HrVjEii would iiky to increase the salarv to £SOO, but ih-y ii.nl :">i fie money to increase talarii -. It wo'ji'i be absurd i« vote what they had not got. Mr Ada:.:s was also or (.'pinion that tlity were not iu a position to ii;ereoe the salary.

Mr Andekson moved as a further amendment that the meitmg adj-urn, aud that a special meetiag of ihe congregation be called to consider the matter of the stipend.

On a vote being taken as between the two amendments, the one for the adjournment was carried by a I?rge majority.

Mr AXDKRSON then v.icimrev.- Lis amendment, and the report :\n.s uocpted, the Chairman remarking that he thought the meeting had adopted the vj.-irst curse. He hoped they would nor. thii.k that Mr While's amendment had been br-''"gi;t foiv;v-rd with

hie consent. Mr E. White then moved--'*That a special meeting of the eongrtgauou be < ailed to fix the minister's salary for the ensuing year." Mr Lu.mley seconded the motion, which was lost. (.■jtNLi:.*;. Messrs Blown and M'inioi-h Wfre appointed auditors for th-i ensuing year, and the retiring audi tots, Metsra Wa'.-oa aril Hunter, were accorded a htatty vote of thanks for their past services.

A vote of thanks wis accorded to Mr G. Ferguson, church officer, for his services during the year.