PARISH MEETINGS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1618, 28 April 1879, Page 4

PARISH MEETINGS.

THE GERMAN CHURCH, CHRISTCHURCH. The annual meeting of the members of this Church was field on Saturday afternoon, the pastor, the Rev. Mr Jacobson in the chair. There was a very good attendance. The balance-sheet showed that the receipts during the year had been £IOO, and that there was a balance in band of some £G. In consequence of the absence of Mr Kuddenklau, the adoption of the balance-sheet was postponed. After the election of a vestry for the ensuing year, and votes of thanks had been passed to the various officers of the Church, the meeting adjourned until Thursday week next, at 7 o’clock in the evening. HOLY TRINITY, LYTTELTON. The annual meeting of parishioners of the above Church was held in the schoolroom on Friday night last, the Rev. J. Townsend, incumbent, in the chair. Between sixty and seventy of the congregation were present. After offering a prayer, the chairman proceeded '.o lay before the meeting a statement of the work of the Church for the past year. He said, there have been during the year just a few under a hundred of baptisms; the marriages have been fewer than in the year before, being only eight as against fourteen. Of the burials the number is happily less than in the previous year, namely, thirty-four. Of these but eight were adults, and of the eight four wore by nccicleuts. Of the Sunday School, there are 258 names on the books with a good average attendance. This success is mainly owing' to the efficiency of the superintendent, Mr Webb, to whom the special thunks of the parish are flue. There is a great lack of teachers, and I do hope some of the young men will come forward and help. There is another matter that connected with the shipping. It has been a subject of groat anxiety to me, the matter of what is called the lloating population. Mr Nolcs has kindly came forward to assist me, so that but little remains in a preliminary way to be done, when Mr Noles will enter upon his work. Of the parsonage now perched up in the clouds as it were, I am unable to associate as I should like with my pirishioners. It is altogether out of the way. I hope you will strengthen the hands of the incoming committee in the work the outgoing ones have sot afoot in reference to ibis matter. In the business before you I trust the greatest moderation will bo observed. The Chairman then read the minutes of the last meeting, and they were confirmed. The Chairman then asked whether all present had signed the churchwardens’ book on the table, otherwise they could not vote. Mr J. C Bopp said that in common fairness only those who were actually members should take part in the proceedings of this meeting. He expressed his surprise aud pleasure at there being eo many members. The Chairman referred Mr Sopp to a statute bearing upon members’ qualification, for the definition of what a member was. The subject was then dropped, and The Churchwarden read the following statement The total receipts from all sources for the year was £452 12s 4d, the disbursements, including a debit balance from previous year £OO IDs 4d, amounted to £542 5s 44, leaving a debit at the Bank of £B9 13s. An asset against the pew rents may be stated at £75. The balance-sheet of cemetery account showed a balance to credit of cemetery account, £3 8s sd. The accounts as read were passed. Mr H. R. Webb read the following report of the work in tho Sunday-school. Ho thought there should bo more children attending it considering the number of Church of England people in Lyttelton, as there should algo’ bo more teaching help. The financial account of tho school for the year showed a balance of £23 9s Id to credit for next year. The building fund showed a credit balance of £G 16s Bd. The Melanesian Mission fund had a credit balance of 8s lOd. The accounts were passed by motion. The Chairman then said the appointment of church officers would take place. Dr. Donald had acted as minister’s warden up to tho time of his leaving, and then Mr Gibson had kindly volunteered to act in that capacity. He would move that Mr Gibson be appointed minister’s warden. Mr Gibson offered some remarks, in which ho said that ho hoped those present would avoid personal reference, and look at tho office rather than at tho man. For people’s churchwarden Dr. Rouse was nominated, and Mr Graham. A ballot was taken, Mr Graham read a statement of his services to tho church as verger and sexton, in which he stated that for the first four years he returned annually the cheque of £3O paid to him to the church, and had mads other subscriptions in the aggregate to £IOO, This did not include the regular offertories of himself and family. The whole of the money paid by him for tho benefit of the church during his connection with it in Canterbury amounted to £458, Ho hoped those present would concede that after those services he had a claim to be appointed a churchwarden. Mr H. Allwright, Mr Dawe, and Mr H. N. Haider deprecated tho manner in which Mr Graham had come forward, and the statements he bad made. It amounted to a covert attack upon tho vestry of last year. If Mr Graham had anything against any of tho v- fl-ry, the most honorable way would be to s'ate it in plain terms. The balloting whs then proceeded with, the result as announced being for Mr Graham 40, for Dr. Rouse 2G, Mr Graham was dedared duly elected parishioners’ churchwarden, Mr \V. H. Eyes proposed tho names of several gentlemen for the office of vestrymen, most of whom filled tho positions tho past They individually declined to act, stating that the vote for parishioners’ warden just taken was equivalent to a vote of censure upon them. The Chairman then called for other nominations to be made for vestrymen, bearing in mii.d that vestrymen must be communicants in the church and residents in the parish. No person rising to make the nominations, the Chairman said that he feared a deadlock h. d occurred, and the only course that seemed op a for him was to appeal to the Bishop. The members of the vestry then severally asked that if Mr Graham had anything against them to out with it. Mr Graham said ho had determined to avoid all personalities when ho came to the meeting, and he proposed to do so. Mr All wright thought the vestrymen should explain what action they had taken with reference to Mr Graham, as it was certain that gentleman would not. Mr Gibson said ho regretted the deadlock now apparent had occurred. He, personally, was very willing indeed to work with Mr Graham, but unfortunately for Mr Graham, ho being a paid officer of the church, and having drawn his fees to tho end of tho month, ho was roaliy ineligible for tho office of vestryman. Considerable discussion hero ensued upon tho action of tho vestry in respect to tho appointment of verger and sexton, Mr H. N. Nftldor giving an account of the course taken by tho vestry. That course was taken in consequence of tho remiasness of Mr Graham in reference to rendering an account of the monies received by him. Mr Graham road tho correspondence sent by him to the vestry. Mr White-Parsons then related how Mr Graham’s salary had been paid, Mr Graham acknowledged that he retained the bell fees, believing ho was entitled to them, A motion to adjourn was lost. Tho Chairman hero vacated tho chair for a few minutes. Mr Graham then said that after what had fallen at tho meeting, he could not find any pleasure in being connected with holding office. Ho would, therefore, give tho meeting no more trouble, but would resign the office to which, he had just been elected, A motion to adjourn to May sth then prevailed, aud the meeting dispersed.

ST. BARNABAS, WOODEND. The annual parish meeting was held in the schoolroom, on Friday evening, the 25th inst,, the Rov. J. L. Keating presiding. Mr F. Horrell, minister’s churchwarden, read the report for the past year, stating that during the year the school had boon enlarged, at a cost of £BO, also a piano purchased for the Popular Entertainments, &c. The church had been strengthened and re-shingled, also repairs at the parsonage, making the total expenditure for repairs, &c., of about £l5O. For the last six months the parish had been without the services of a resident clergyman, the Rev. N. G, Gould having accepted the cure of Amberley and Leithfield. Nevertheless, the services had been regularly performed by the lay-reader, the Hon, H. B. Gresson. With the commencement of tbo present financial year, the vestry had secured the half-services of a minister, in the person of the Rev. J. L, Keating, arrangements having been made with the parish of _ Waikari to have half that gentleman’s services, provided the parish contribute half his stipend, until a parsonage house could bo erected at Waikari. The balance-sheet showed that the total receipts for the year had been £270 13s Id ; expenditure, £254 19a lid, leaving a balance in hand of £ls 13s 2d. The present liabilities were about £3O ; assets, £l6. It was resolved that the report and balancesheet be received and adopted. The meeting then proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year, when Mr F. Horrell was elected minister’s churchwarden, Mr John Pope parishioners’ churchwarden, and the following vestrymen —Hon. H. B. Gresson, Messrs J. Stokes, W. Stokes, B. Witte, sen., B. Witte, jun., and S. Rowley ; Mr J. M. Walker, auditor. It was resolved that the Sunday school of St. Barnabas bo affiliated to the Diocesan Sunday School Association. A long discussion ensued on the advisability of having a service once a month at Waikuku, when it was arranged to have another parish meeting to decide the matter. Votes of thanks were then recorded to the teachers of the Woodend and Waikuku Sunday schools, to which the Hon. H. B. Gresson and Mr J. Fraser responded ; to the organist and choir 5 to Mr J. M. Walker, as auditor; to Hon, H. B. Gresson, as layreader ; to the outgoing officers ; and the Rev. chairman. Mr F. Horrell stated that as no other candidate had been nominated, ho had to declare the Hon. H. B. Gresson duly elected Synodsman for the parochial district of Woodend. The meeting then terminated. ALL SAINTS, PREBBLETON. The annual parish meeting was held on Friday, the 25th, the Rev. W. A, Pascoo in the chair. The meeting having been opened with prayer, the Incumbent proceeded to review the work of the parish during the past year, which he considered had residted satisfactorily, and which he attributed in a great measure to the indefatigiblo exertions of Mr East, the clergyman’s churchwarden. To Mr East he had also to express his thanks for his uniform kindness to himself personally since his (Mr Pascoo’s) arrival in the district. Referring to the choir the chairman paid Mr Comerford a very high compliment for the manner in which ho had performed the duties of organist and explained to the meeting that in most parishes the organist received a stated salary, but in this district this was unfortunately not the case. Ho would therefore wish to bring this matter prominently under the notice of the meeting. He was glad to see, however, that he was not the only one who appreciated Mr Comerford’s endeavor to make the musical part of the service a success. He had been requested to present him (Mr Comerford) with a purse of sovereigns to-night, as a mark of the district’s appreciation of his services as organist during the past twelve months. He had great pleasure in now presenting the gift. Mr Comerford then briefly thanked the parish through the chairman for his substantial recognition of his services. The balance-sheet was then read and adopted. The receipts for the year were £282 19s 6d, and the expenditure £277 15s 9d, leaving a balance credit of £5 3s Bd. The estimated liabilities were—Church building fund, £IOO ; ordinary expense account, £6 £lO ; parsonage fund account, £4 4s 6d. The assets were about £2O. The chairman then nominated Mr J. W. Overton as clergyman’s churchwarden for the ensuing year. Mr 0. L. Davies was elected parishioners’ churchwarden, and the following gentlemen wore elected vestrymen:— Messrs J, W. Tosswill, H. Chatteris, T. Gabbites, W. H. Comerford, J. W. Anderson, O. Williams, S. Harwood, T. Forward, W. H. White. The Chairman then explained the position in which they stood as regards separation from Hals well. On the motion of Mr Tosswill, it was resolved—“ That the chairman be requested to ask the Bishop to give immediate effect to the resolution passed unanimously at a meeting of the vestry on the 11th ultimo in reference to the separation of Halswell from the Prebbleton and Templeton district.” A discussion then ensued as to the most advisable method [of liquidating the debt on the church, and on a list being drawn up, promises to the amount of £32 were conditionally given. Ultimately it was decided to defer any action in the matter until after the next vestry meeting on the 30th inst. Votes of thanks having been passed to the ladies who had assisted in decorating the church for the various festivals, and to the Sunday School teachers, T3ie meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman.