ANNUAL WESLEYAN MISSIONARY MEETING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2118, 4 October 1867, Page 7 (Supplement)

ANNUAL WESLEYAN MISSIONARY MEETING.

The annual Missionary meeting in connection with the Wesleyan Chnrch, took place in the Wesleyan Clmrcli, Lyttelton, on Monday the 9th wit. The Church was filled with a numerous anil attentive audience. The Rev T. Buddie, Superintendent of the Circuit occupied the chair, and on the platform were the Revs F. Knowles, J. D. Ferguson, Bavin, Campbell, A. Reid, and other gentlemen. The Rev. Mr Campbell, having opened the proceedings by reading it portion of scripture and by prayer. The Chairman rose, and gave a highly interesting account of the present state of the mission in these Islands, and called upon the Rev A. Reid to read the report.

The Rev A. Reid said that he had endeavoured to make the report which he was now about to read, as concise as possible. It was as follows :

The Wesleyan Australasian Missionary Society embraces as the sphere of its evangelistic operations tho Fiji Islands, a portion of tho Samoan group, New Zealand, and the Chinese portion of the Victorian golddelds population. In Fiji the society employs 12 European and 38 native missionaries. The church members number 18,000, and the aggregate of hearers is 90,000. In tho Friendly Islands there are G European and 8 nativo missionaries, 7012 members and 18,000 hearers.

In Samoa we number 3 European and 1 native missionary, 1000 members and 5000 hearers.

New Zealand still finds employment for 3 European and 5 nativo pastors, and reports 540 members and 2700 hearers.

On the Victorian goldfields 2 Chinese agents arc at work, and during the past year 7 converts from heathenism have been baptised. The cost of the missious for the year 18GG was £15,279 os 3d. Tho receipts from all sources were £11,2517s 7d, leaving a balance of £102117s Bd, to be granted by tho parent society in London. Of the receipts tho sum of £IO7O Os 3d is the contribution in oil from tho Fiji and Friendly Islands, this oil being the collection of two years. In addition to this the Friendly Islands have contributed £533 2s 'ld in money. The sum of £225 17s ort has beon remitted to tho British and Foreign Biblo Society, on account of Bibles bought by tho Nativo Christians belonging to tho several missionary stations. Tho amount raised by the European churches in tho Australian colonies and New Zealand, is n little over £O3OO. New Zealand has contributed of this £oool2s 7d, boing at the rate of a little under one shilling per annum of each member of our congregation, The receipts of the parent socioty in England have been during tho past year £llß,l-10 Us I'd, and (ho expenditure for tho same period £117,031185. Tho new missionary banpio John Wesley is now on her way from England, and has cost upwards of £SOOO, towards which tho children of the Wesleyan Sunday-school, Lyttelton, havo collected i' 7.

Mr Ukid then read some extracts from a letter written by a missionary in Samoa. The Chairman then called on the Hev J, 1), Ferguson to move the first resolution. Mr Kbrgusojj said ho.should follow the praiseworthy example set by the Kev Mr lieid in the report they had just read, and bo as brief as possible. The resolution which hart fallen to his lot to propose was as follows :

That the report now read be adopted, and that this mooting hereby desires to record its gratitudo to Almighty God for the measure of success with which it has pleased ltim to crown the efforts of tho society's agents in the islands of the Pacific, where thoy are labouring to evangcliso tho inhabitants, and for the disposition which lfe has bestowed on His people to contribute of their substance towards the maintenance and support of the missionary enterprise. 11l moving that resolution, he must express his gratitude at being permitted to take part in the proceedings that evening, lie considered there was much to he thankful for in the report that they had heard read. It could not tt.ll them all their missionaries had to go

through; it whs, as it wore, merely a skeleton, —ii record of what had Leon done, 'l hey ought to join in thanking (Joil f, )r the large measure of success with which they had been favoured, and he would earnestly impress upon them the necessity of vigorously prosecuting the great work of missionary enterprise while the opportunity remained to them. He hedged to propose the resolution he had read.

The Rev Mr Bavin said he had much pleasure in seconding the resolution. He had come there that evening with two objects—one was rather a selfish one, namely, the securing of their pastor, the I lev Mr Iteid, for their missionary meeting at Kaiapoi on Monday next. The second was his intense interest in the great work of missionary enterprise, lie thought they in New Zealand, as colonists, owed a debt to the missionaries who had, as it were, come before and prepared the way for them. lie wished to impress upon them all, younjj and old, the necessity of doing what they emild, however little, towards the spread of missionary influence. The CiiAiiiMAs- having put the resolution it was carried nam. i:nn. The liev. V. Knowi.ks rose to propose the second resolution, which wa< as follows ■.— 'Persuaded that the efforts of the Church are not equal to the necessities of the licillien, mid that tlicy do not serve us an adequate expression of sympathy with our Divine Jtedceiw-r, and are by no means exhaustive of the resources available for the prosecution of the evangelistic enterprise, this meeting hereby pledges itself to greater prayerfulness and increased liberality in the promotion of the cause of Christian missions.

He could have wished that then solution had fallen into ah'er hands than his to propose. He trusted his friends would excuse him making a long speech as he was suffering from severe indisposition, lie took the word Church in the resolution to mean in the broad and enlightened sense which lnppily prevailed in these days of religious liberty, not quarrelling on minor points of detail, but all concentrating their efforts in common against the one enemy. Three things were wanting to help on the great work—men, money, and prayer. Perhaps some of his young friends he saw before him might in vcirs to come, from hearing the truths that evening, be led to give themselves to the work. That was a work of time. He trusted that all there would help heartily, so far as was in their power, in carrying out the great work of missionary labour. Mr Koimn.so.v seconded the resolution, which was put and curried unanimously, A collection was made, which amounted to £lO 7s 2.Vd. The Kev A. Keid announced that the total amount of collection on Sunday and that evening amounted to £26 ISs 9Jd. The Cif.viKMA.v sal they had now arrived at the conclusion of the business. He was sure that the noble example set by the people of Lyttclton would stimulate congregations in other parls of the circuit t.t go and do likewise.

The meeting was then closed with prayer.