KAPONGA METHODIST CHURCH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 20 August 1925, Page 6

KAPONGA METHODIST CHURCH.

VISITED BY DOMINION PRESIDENT.

Ain event of considerable importance to Kaponga Methodists vtais a visit of Rev. T. Iff. Richards, the president oi Methodist Church of New Zealand, foil 1 the Church Anniversary services on Sunday last. Large congregations assembled morning and evening to listen to the messages delivered by the preacher. The morning .subject (based on Matt, v., 21-22) was “Christ’s authority as a Teacher and His jilacement- of religion in daily life/’ The preacher emphasised the fact that Christ’s standard is always higher than that of the woaid, lor it is concerned with the motives which lie behind the actions of men. The Christian .religion, when rightly understood and applied, made it possible for love to be dominamb in the relations of men. Auger, malice, evil speaking were inconsistent with the high standard of Christ. Before we can pay our obligations to God we must be in harmony and goodwill with all men. Sine© God bad stooped to deliver man from sin and exhibited a readiness to forgive him, man must be ready to imitate tlie Divine example, to forgive amd forget the injury. Christ when, lie was reviled, reviled not again. In the concluding portion of his sermon, the Rev. Richards stressed that religion was a matter of life springing from holy motives.

In the evening the subject chosen was “The Ago challenge to the Christion Church and her response to that challenge.” The text was Psalm cxxxvii verse 5, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let jny right hand forget her cunning.” The preacher pointed out that notwithstanding all the criticism of the Church through the ages the Ohiuircli still persisted. Some had said that the period of usefulness of the Church was past, but no one would deny that all the great movements 1 for man’s amelioration look to the Church lor inspiration and assistance and did not look in vain. The Church rose always to the challenge of sin. In many realms man looked and longed for change, but the Church, with still the same message to declare, met the deepest needs of man.