ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH.

Evening Star, Issue 11605, 19 July 1901, Page 8

ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH.

The annual meeting of the parishioners of bt. .Martin's Church (North-east Valley) was held in the schoolroom of the church last evening. The Rev. A. Neild, M.A., vicar, occupied the chair, and there were * !^} r nmnDer of parishioners present. The annual report presented bv the Committee was as follows:—"The financial position of the church, as disclosed by the balance-sheet, is not too satisfactory. The offertories and subscriptions bsar comparison with the figures for the previous year, but the donations show a marked falling off. The decrease under this latter headjne. with the legacy of debt left on the Magazine' and 'Guardian' from the last term, together with necessary repairs and extra furnishings in connection with the church and schoolroom, gives a deficit in the operations for the year of £l4 2s. In expectation of this the 'Magazine' was discontinued in December last, it being found that its publication coald not tie carried on without charge npon the general funds of the parish above the amount paid by subscribers. The effort made to increase of £2O the amount now paid in respect of stipend to the Cathedral chapter has not resulted as anticipated, a sum of £5 os only being collected. The debt upon the organ has been diminished by £9 9s 6d after payment of interest and bank charges, nnd thanks are due to Mr Towsey, the fhoir, and the members "of St Martin's Club for special efforts in this direction. This leaves £45 17s 5d due on the organ fund. The Ladies' Guild has, as formerly, provided the major portion of the choirmaster's salary. The members of St. Martin's Club have given indefatigable help in various ways, and thus relieved the Committee from considerable expenditure which must otherwise have been incurred. As you are all aware, the vicar (the Rev. A. Neild) paid a visit to England. During his absence the services were regularly maintained by the Rev. W. Ronaldson. Our grateful thanks are due to him. In conclusion, your Committee des're to point to the necessity of increased effort on the part of parishioners duriug the forthcoming year in the way of providing extra funds for the due maintenance of the parish. The church and schoolroom are padry in need of being repainted, the lighting of the church should now be improved throughout, and there are manv other longfelt wants. An extra 5s or 2s 6d apiece donated during the year will go a good way towards effecting these requirements." The balance-sheet disclosed a credit balance of £ls 19s 2d on No. 1 account, the liabilities amounting to £3O Is 2d, and the assets to £933 9s 2d. The St. Martin's Ladies' Guild balance-sheet showed the receipts* to have been £2l 15s Id, most of which had been spent on the church. The following address from the vicar was also included in the printed report:—"l think the year has been on the whole one of fair progress. Debts have been reduced, more money has been raised, and the congregations have been fairly good. My absence during half the year caused a certain amount of difficultv, but .thanks to the kind help of Mr "Ronaldson the services were well maintained. 1 should like to express here my gratitude to him. The choir, under Mr Towsey, continues as efficient as ever; and has every right to our thanks. I trust that when St. Martin's Day comes round we shall all remember that choirs need money. The Sunday school is doing excellent work under the devoted care of Sister Geraldine and the other teachers. Order, reverence, and intelligence all mark their work. But it is not satisfactory to see that the girls outnumber the boys. Parents might well note this. It was a great joy to me to present twenty-two candidates to the bishop for confirmation a few days ago. When the time comes for them to receive the Holy Communion for the first time, I earnestly hope that as many as possible will be with them at the Lord's table. This brings me to one of the weak places in our church life, and one which causes me profound anxiety. There is a fallingoff in the number of communicants, partly, no doubt, because there has-, been longer interval than usual between confirmations, but partly, I fear, because some are less regular in their bounden duty as Christians than they used to be. Our own religious life cannot be healthy and our parish cannot prosper unless regularity marks our attendance at public worship as much as our attendance at business." The Vicar said he hoped that the church would be clear of the organ debt by their next annual meeting. He mentioned that the ladies proposed to hold a bazaar for this purpose later on in the year, with the co-operation of St. Martin's Club, and he again hoped that they would realise sufficient to clear the debt. Personally, he loathed and abominated debt, and he was beginning to fear that his bugbear, the organ fund, which had been with him wherever he went in New Zealand, would never leave him. On the motion of Mr J. A. Walker, seconded by Mr Tyrrell, the report and balance-sheets were adopted. The following were elected to the various offices of the church: —Churchwardens, Messrs. T. Tyrrell and J. A. Walker (reelected) ; Committee—Messrs W. T. Milward, H. Clarke, T. Moore-Wright, S. E. Hubbard, J. Tattersfield, H. F. H. Murray, G. Springer,, and S. M'Donald. The meeting closed with,a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee and all the church workers. ,