PRESBYTERY MEETING

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 February 1947, Page 9

PRESBYTERY MEETING

DEACONESS APPOINTMENT APPROVED The Moderator, the Rev. T. G. Campbell, presided at a meeting of the Presbytery of Westland in St. John’s Hall. Greymouth, yesterday. A motion of sympathy was passed with the relatives of the late Mr W. J. Houston, of Hokitika, who for many years had been a member 01 the Presbytery. Reference was made to his lengthy and valued service, both to the Presbytery and to the Hokitika Presbyterian Church. Correspondence was received from the General Assembly’s New Housing Commission, intimating that a sum. of £25,000 will be raised to facilitate the establishment of Presbyterian churches and halls in new housing areas. Mr J. Tennent was appointed Pr esbytery representative at a conference to be held in connection with this matter in Wellington on March 20. The Presbytery gave its approval to a proposal of the Auld Lang Syne Club to raise a fund to provide, some article of furniture suitably inscrioed for the new theological hall buildings in Dunedin. This gesture will be in recognition of the approaching jubilee of the club. The Rev. W. S. Brettell reported on youth activities within the Presbytery. The Presbytery sanctioned an application to the Department of Internal Affairs for a grant towards additions and alterations to the Peebles Presbyterian holiday house 3”t FvOSS The Youth Convener reported on steps being taken this year to strengthen the church’s youth work throughout the West Coast. The annual meeting of the district committee and a senior group meeting to be held on February 21 and 22 will be devoted to a discussion of these plans. The appointment of a deaconess to work in the Central Westland and Greymouth parishes was approved by Presbytery and will be submitted to St. Johns session tor further action. The Rev. C. W. R. Madill, missions convener, reported that from April 25 to May 8, Miss Elliot of the Punjab Mission staff will be visiting the West Coast. The Moderator of the .GranityDenniston charge reported that Mr J. Lochhead had been appointed for another year in the Granity-Dennis-ton charge. Mr Lochhead was commended by members of Presbytery for his good work in that area. The interim-moderator of the RossKokatabi charge indicated that there was no prospect of an early settlement of the parish. The clerk of the Presbytery was instructed to write to Dr. J. Henderson of the Presbyterian Theological Fall, Dunedin, inviting him to hold a~ refresher school of theology in Greymouth in the first week of the May holidays. . For the Grey Ministers Fraternal, the Rev. W. S. Brettell reported that the annual ministers’ retreat will be held at Maruia Springs this year and that the chief speaker will be Principal L. H. Jenkins, 8.A., 8.D.. of the Baptist Training College, Auckland.