ST LUKE’S CHURCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14976, 23 April 1909, Page 11

ST LUKE’S CHURCH.

THE NEW BUILDING. At the annual meeting of parishioners of St. Luke’s Church last evening, a. report was presented showing the progress made in the building of a. ne-w church, which is nearing completion. It was stated that a. sum of about £1647 was still required for the fund, and the Rev W. \V. Sedgwick asked for the' earnest prayers and co-opera-tion of the parishioners in the effort to raise that amount. Ho said that he had undertaken to raise £647, and he was confident that tho £IOOO- would ho contributed by the congregation at the opening service. He was sure that the money would be raised, and the church would be free of debt.

Tho report _ stated that the total amount promised was:—General fund £7526 19s 9d, furniture fund (ladies) £424 14s lOd, furniture fund (children) £32 0s 3d, organ fund £l9l Ss lid. The total showed an increase of £1483 9s 3d in the year. Of this sum £7770 1.5 s 7d had been received, and £.3370 had been invested at 4 per cent. As tho amount promised exceeded £6OOO, tenders were advertised for, and the tender of Messrs uraha-m and Greig was accepted for £8633, which, with the architect’s fee and wages of the clerk of works, brought the total cost to £9250. At the same time tenders were called for the purchase and removal of the old church building, and the tender of Alessrs Graham and Greig of £9O was accepted. In the committee’s previous report it had been stated that a sum of £825 had been promised by way of loan free of interest. This amount had been reduced slightly by a promise being altered to a donation, and would be available if required, but the committee had strong hopes that tho offertories on the date of the opening would be of such a nature that the loans would not be required. A contract had been let to Alessrs Norman and Beard, the celebrated organ builders of London, for £6OO, to thoroughly renovate the organ and replace the old, worn-out action by a new tubular pneumatic action, and add certain stops. The ladies’ work party had been most assiduous during the year in gatherin'! together a laree amount of plain and fancy work, and by their untiring efforts realised the sum of £l5O at a sale held in December last. A number of tho requirements in regard to furnishing the new church had been presented by parishioners, and the Executive Committee bad ordered from England the necessary church furniture. The sum of £4OOO had already been paid to the contractors for work done.