A BAPTIST LEADER

Feilding Star, Volume 9, Issue 3849, 4 October 1932, Page 6

A BAPTIST LEADER

World Organisation •SECRETARY ON TOLU ARRIVAL OF DR. RUSHBROOKE FIRST VISIT TO DOMINION (Per Press Association.! M'olllngton, Oct 3. With the object of participating in the Jubilee Assembly of the New Zealand Baptist Union, anil, to express by personal contact the unity and fraternal feeling of Baptists throughout the world, si distinguislie 1 Church leader is visiting the Dominion. lie is Dr. J. IT. Rushbrooke, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance. On his arrival in Wellington today as a passenger by the Monowai from Sydney. Dr. Rushbrooke was welcomed by a number of his colleagues, including the Rev. W. S. Rollings, New Zealand’s representative on the World Alliance Executive. At mid lay he was tendered a civic reception, and later a luncheon by the New Zealand Club. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ‘T am looking forward keenly To this my first visit to New Zealand,” Dr. Rushbrooke saitl. "I once narrowly escaped becoming a citizen of this country. When I was nine years of age my father l»ooked a passage to New Zealand and intended to settle there. He cancelled it in view of my mother's strong objection to sea travel and her concern at the prospect of breaking up our family fellowship in England.” As the holder of one of Ihe most important offices created l»y Ills Church Dr. Rushbrooke has travelled extensively, an.l made a wide study of .present-day conditions. His* field of activities covers the world, and his pulpit is to be found wherever there is a Baptist Church.

"We are a community of some 12,000.000 Church inemliers include] among from 10 to 45 millions of j Church adherents,” he said. "It Is a question whether the Methodists or the Baptists constitute Hie largest evangelical denomination in tiie world. In Cbureh inumbershlji the Baptists undoubtedly lead—by about 400,000, according to the figures I secured recently.”