CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 3, 21 April 1880, Page 2

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

A meeting of the members of the Church of England was held on Saturday evening at Lloyd's Empire Hotel, for the purpose of listening to an address from the Yen. Archdeacon Thorpe regarding the Church organisation throughout the Diocese, and also to take into consideration matters connected with the proposed church building at Hawera. Mr. J. ft. Lysaght was voted to the. chair, and briefly introduced Archdeacon Thorpe to the meeting.

The rev. gentleman stated that he had come amongst them for the purpose of arousing a little better feeling amongst Church members. Most of them, were acquainted with the way that Church matters were conducted in the old country. A good many came to this colony expecting to find an endowed Church, similar to the one which existed in England, and they were not aware that they had to exist on the voluntary principle. When the colony was a Crown one, the

Church had an existence similar to the one at home. While all other religious organisations were habituated to maintain th^ir own Church, the members of the Church of England came here without any bond of union except traditional custom. He (the rev. gentleman) thought that the charge levelled at their members — that they cud not take as great an interest in religious matters as other bodies — was entirely without foundation. Although he admitted that there might be some grounds for the charge, he felt that there were men belonging to the Church of England who took a deep interest in its welfare, and who strove very hard to do good. It was in the hope that he would arouse new life amongst the members that he travelled through, the district, in order to get them to look at matters from something beyond a parochial point of view. They had the power of regulating their own affairs, and deciding as to what the Church of the future should be. A man could hardly be considered a good colonist if he did not take an interest in the laws that were being made ; and the same remarks would apply to the members of the Church. They had a wide representation, and had the power to regulate their own affairs. The laity in this colony had power which they never dreamt of giving to it in the old country, and they should be aroused to the fact that they were a part of — and an important one — of the Church. The question was not as to whether they should have a church at Hawera, or a minister afc some other place ; but it was a question how to bring life into the Church as a whole. A large number of their members were scattered away from the centres of population, and»if these people could not come to the Church they should endeavour to bring the Church to them. He had often heard off-hand expressions from some of the laity as to the kind of men that soould be obtained for the Church's work ; but the matter lay entirely with the laity themselves. Up to the present time, the Church at home supplied their wants ; but the kind of men that were to be obtained for the future would be decided by the whole of the members of the Church cooperating throughout the Diocese. There was abundant material, and it was for them to say whether they would weld it together or not. The Diocesan Synod had decided upon a very serious experiment — namely, to take chai'ge of the different revenues, except the offertories, which were to be used for the maintenance of the Church ; and the Synod, in return, made itself responsible for the maintenance of the staff of 'clergy thi'oughout the Diocese. Hitherto, the laity felt that, if they had any dispute with the minister, they had what was vulgarly called " the power of the purse." The Synod now plainly and honestly said to the laity : " The tone produced by such a state of things is not a good one, and tends to lower the standard of the ministry." The standard had been kept up so well, because the clergy had been principally brought out from home, and they were generally men who could, from their education, place a charitable construction upon almost anything that was either said or done. But there were young men now growing up amongst them, who could hardly be expected to act in the same manner. As regarded Church organisation, wherever there was a parish, the laity would have the right to say who should be appointed. The laity had proper channels of expressing their opinions — through their representatives in the Synod. He had- often heard very open expressions at some of the meetings of that body. Tlie whole of the scheme which he came there to advocate was in its first stage. Nothing like it had been tried within their knowledge. The Synod had pledged themselves to do certain things, and they were determined to give the scheme a fair trial. It was open to apprehension, because new ideas were always so. The experiment was a serious one ; but they were trying to solve a difficult problem as well as they could, and if they succeeded, they would be deserving of the best thanks of the members of tha Church throughout the colony. Bishop Abraham, formerly Bi&hop of Wellington, had written out to say that if the scheme were successful here, it would be followed by similar efforts in all the British colonies.

lv answer to Mr. Hobbs, Archdeacon Thorpe said that the first responsibility that the Diocesan Synod took upon itself was to meintain the clergy throughout the Diocese, and also to help in the building of new churches. The Synod would meet in June, and he would then have to furnish a report as to the progress made in connection with the movement. If the people here were able to assist it, he believed the Synod would be able to help the district all the more.

The Chairman said that one great advantage resulting from a Diocesan Fund would be to show who were Church members. The scheme was a general one. The Synod would be the means of providing the ministratiens of the clergy. They were commencing at a bad ■ time, when money was scarce, but he had no doubt things we uld soon mend. Instead of holding the Synod at Wellington, he thought it might be found advantageous to change the site to Wanganui, or some more central place.

After some further remarks, Mr. Periy proposed that the meeting should express a wish of joining in with the scheme, and request the Synod to embrace this district within it. They might n °t be able to do much just now, but in a year.pr two they might be able to do much more.