FIRST CHURCH

Evening Star, Issue 20592, 18 September 1930, Page 17

FIRST CHURCH

ANNUAL REPORT The following is a summary of tin eighty-second annual report of the Kirk Session and Deacons’ Court of the First Church of Otago, to bo presented at the annual meeting on Sep tember 24: The Selection Committee decided U recommend that a call be addressed t< the Rev. W. Allen Stevely. of East St Kilda, Melbourne. At a meeting oi the congregation held on April 15 tin call and concurrence were largely signed by office-bearers, members, and adherents, and in due course these were forwarded by the Presbytery ol Dunedin to tho South Melbourne Presbytery. Air Stevely accepted the call, and”was dulv inducted on June 26. In the course of the past year Dr Charles Everard North was appointed to be First Church own missionary. After only a few months the nows came that owing to the serious illness of Mrs North, she and her husband bad been ordered to return immediately to New Zealand. They are at present in Australian waters on their way home. Several special services were held during the year—harvest thanksgiving service, college Sunday, and the anniversary services. As in former years, the mayor and the City Councillors, with their wives, attended the evening anniversary service, and members ol the Early Settlers’ Association were present at both services. These were conducted by Mr Stevely. Acknowledgment is again made of the services rendered by the choirmaster and choir. Although it was as recently as June 24 that the Rev. W. Allen Stevely was inducted into the charge of First Clxurph, he and his wife have already established themselves securely in the affections of the members and _adherents of the congregation. An impressive induction service and a welcome social of unmistakable heartiness initiated a ministry from which there seems to be every reason to expect that the congregation will derive many years of happy united service. Sister Elinor lias proved her worth during this year, which has been a very tx-ying one in many respects. Her work consists of no eight-hour day, for she is busy bringing comfort and consolation to sick and sorrowladen folk at all hours. Twelve rapnths ago the elders numbered twenty-one. After the; death of the pev. Professor R. E, Davies a minute was placed on record expressing the session’s deep sympathy _ with Mrs Davies, its high appreciation of- tho services rendered to the church by the Rev. Professor Davies, and its sense of the great loss suffered by his death. Since tho close of the year tho session has been greatly strengthened by the election of Alessrs J. Wallace, J. Walker, C Fraser, J. Clarke, A. Milne, H. P. West, and Dr Iverach. The usual meetings of session have -ill been vvell attended, and earnest attention has been given to tho interests of the congregation. The membership of the congregation is now 649. During the year ten members were admitted on profession of faith and eight by certificate. There have been thirty-three removals by purging the roll, by certificate, and the following deaths: —Rev. Professor Davies, Air P. G. Dick, Airs Henderson, Airs H. Thomson, Alisa Burns, Aliss A. S. Reid, Airs W. Couston, Mr 'George' Swann, Mrs Smart, Aliss Johnstone, Airs Keith Ramsay, Mrs ‘Menzics, and Air Tinndek. The session would express its sincere sympathy with all connected with the congregation who have been bereaved. The number of deacons at the beginning of the year was 30. It is now thirty-four. During the year Air Peter G. Dick passed away. -The court placed on recoi'd its appreciation of Air Dick’s work in First Church. Mr D. C. APlunes, for business reasons, has removed to Timaru- The court lias held the usual number of meetings, and members have been faithful in their attendance and in the carrying out of their ’duties. No work # of magnitude has been undertaken during the period under review, though over £IOO has' been spent in renovating Burns Hall. The grounds and buildings have kept in fail’ repair, though nothing has yet been decided as to the raising of the funds for the work that must "shortly be undertaken on the outside of the church and the church hall. TREASURER’S REPORT. This year tho bank overdraft has been reduced from £479 16s lOd to £256 19s Bd, and donations to the endowment fund are £3O and to the debt extinction fund £2l 10s. These figures mean an imprpvemenb in the congregational finances of £274 7s 2d. The ordinary church collections have been slightly larger, and include £173 16s 7d received from the anniversary collection. This latter sum compares very favourably wtih £loi> 17s sd, the amount subscribed in Alarch, 1929. The envelope subscriptions show a small decrease, but special donations to the working account have reached the satisfactory total of £lO9 10s. On tho expenditure side there has been a considerable saving. The salaries show a reduction of £3OO 13s 4d, against an increase in pulpit supply of £152 11s Cd. A special renovation of Burns Hall cost over £IOO, and has more than exhausted the balance of money (£33 11s 6d) which remained in hand from the previous year’s sale of work. In tho special fund account it has not been possible to give as much assistance to outside objects as was the case last year. Afost of tho headings show small decreases, the largest being in sustentation fund, the subscriptions to which have declined from £l4l 6s Od to £lO5 17s 6d. Donations to home and foreign missions both show a slight decrease, and tho same remark applies to the P.S.S.A. the organisations connected with the congregations have, as usual, helped tho total of giving to missions, etc., but here again the totals show slight deficiencies. It is very gratifying to report that an old member (Aliss AI/Glashan) remembered our own missionary in her will, and the sum of £250 was received from her executors. Tho amount lias been invested in debentures, and the annual income will be used to assist in paying the salary of our own missionary. In tho above comparison this sum has not been taken into account.