TRINITY CHURCH

Evening Star, Issue 17086, 3 July 1919, Page 2

TRINITY CHURCH

ANNIVERSARY SOCIAL. The anniversary social gathering in connection with Trinity Methodist Church was held last night. Rev. M. A. Rugby Pratt presided) over a- good ntte-nuance. Mr W. Penrose gave <n. brief report of the financial position. The anniversary collections, he .said, would amount to something like £l5O. This would leave the church debt .it about £460, which would, he hoped, be wiped off before very long. Mr Penrose then traversed the various branches of church work, and expressed the opinion that each one "rang true.;' He urged his bearers to stick up for their church and to be proud of it. Mr W. Hj Puke, in the course of a few remarks, welcomed, on behalf of the officebearers of the church, the Rev. Mi- Rugby Pratt, whose first anniversary of Trinity this was. The speaker then commented -upon the signing of the peace treaty and upon the glorious deeds of Brita.ni and her Allies whieh had brought about the glorious victory. The Chairman, in an interesting address, dealt with Church work in general and tho Christian progress of tbe world. We asked ourselves, he said, was the church doing its' work to-day with any adequate measure of success. Sometimes we fell justified in saying it was not. _ But when we took a broad and longer view of the question, when we looked back not four or five years, but 50 or 100 years, or further, we could realise''" the marvellous progress that had been, made. When wo saw things in the proper perspective we could not return a negative answer to the questions: "Is the world improving, ami its th.i» Church carrying on its appointed workV" It was recently stated that one in every five persons in London habitually attended public -worship. Yet in John _ Wesley's time the condition of the people was appalling. One in every five of the whole population of Great Britain were in receipt of parish relief; degrading sports were the rule ; men were invited by certain innkeepers to "get drunk for a penny or dead drunk for twopence"; agricultural laborers were paid foui-pence a day and their food. All this took place no further back than the eighteenth cemwy. Could we not. t?ay, then, that, though the. position to-day was perhaps acute, that the battle was"an uphill one, that we were fighting a winning light. The speaker concluded by urging all to do their full share to male© their Church a potent influence for good. The. latter part of -the evening was spent in social intercourse. Among those contributing to a most enjoyable programme of musical and elocutionary items wore:—Miss Lucy James, Miss Come Aslin. My J. Patterson (songs), and Misj Jessie Gillies (recitations).