THE CHURCHES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15717, 9 September 1911, Page 12

THE CHURCHES.

Dr J. Q. A. Henry, the American evangelist, lias completed his mission la Australia and left for the United States last week.

The reports of the agents of the Sydney Mission Zone Committee working in the slums of Sydney show that for tno month ended August 31 2000 visits were paid to the homes of the poor, and 285 meetings were held among non-churchgoors.

Much activity is being displayed ini the erection of new buildings for the Salvation Army work in New South Wales. Plans are being prepared for new buildings at Cessnock, West Wallflend, East Maitland, and Aslifield.

Mr H. G. Payne, who has been working in the no-license cause in New Zealand, lias accepted a call to th» Hornsby Church of Christ, New South Wales, and will take up his duties after tho licensing poll is over in tho dominion.

Tho R oman Catholic Bishop of Christ, church (Dr Grimes) left Sydney for Melbourne last week. H© was to return to Sydney this week and remain to take part in the ceremonies in connection with tho month’s mind for tho lato Cardinal Moran.

Recoutly, says the “ Sydney Morning Herald,” the churches have been devoting more attention to open-air services on Sundays. Missions hnva been conducted on the beaches and at different points where large crowds congregate on holidays. Generally the reports as td the result of these efforts have been of a satisfactory character. This interesting feature of church work is not confined to the Evangelical churches.

A new departure in the work of the Sydney Young Women's Christian Association is that by means of correspondence every girl obtaining a tion through the Association’s Employment Agencv is nut in direct communication with the church of her own denomination of the parish into which she is entering. Immediately an engagement is fixed the clergyman or minister is asked to call upon tho girl. Although winter is always a quiet season, there is a marked improvement in the numbers of engagements made, compared with the corresponding months of last year, at tlio Young Women’s Christian Association.

After reciting his views on religion before tho Brooklyn Presbytery, which' met in the Central Presbyterian Church, New York, recently, G, E. Bevans, a graduate of Union Seminary, was not accepted into the minis, try, as had been expected. His ordination )vas deferred pending conferences to bo held between tho applicant and a committee of tho Presbytery. Mr Bovans’s opinions were considered too “ modern.” A portion of his views stated: —" Jesus was willing to leave his teaching to His disciples; He did not establish any Church. Christianity was to him pre-eminently and simply James, Paul, John and Matthew”

The Rev William Powell Is at present touring New South Wales, raising funds for the unfortunate lepers of India. Ho has had nearly a quarter of a century’s experience in missionary work there, and for twenty-two and a half years of that time has been helping some of the many thousands of afflicted lepers. Mr Powell established a lepers’ homo at a place called Bapatla, in the Guntem district of the Madras Presidency, South India. When ha left India on March 29 there were 133 lepers enrolled—men, women and children of all ages from fifty years down to the smallest infants, in various stages of tho deadly disease. Leading members of the medical profession therfl told Mr Powell that there was no ourl for leprosy within sight.'

Fanny Crosby, the blind many of whoso hymns are in all thd mission selections, was ninety-one years old on March 24, but she was present* at the American Christian Endeavour Oceanic Convention at Atlantic City recently, and surprised everybody by her vigour. Hymns such as “ Blessed Assurance,” “ Pass Me Not,” “ O Gentla Saviour ” and “ Saved by Grnco ” were frequently started. She was introduced to a wildly cheering audience bv Dr F. E. Clark. In a brief speech sne said: “ I have already caught an inspiration from this meeting that will fill my heart with ecstasy, that will bring forth hvmn3 that I have never written' vet. Oh, my work is not done. I feel it in my heart that the good Lord is going to spare me to see 103 years, and if He does I will go where He wants me to go; I will say what He wants me to say; and, praise His Name, I will be what He wants me to be.”

The appointment of Canon Long to tho vacant Bishopric of Bathurst affords an example of the capabilities of the native-born, and of the extent to which, the Australian mind is beginning to recognise and employ them.. Tho earliest case of an Australian being appointed to a bishopric was that of Bishop Parry, bora somewhere in tho thirties at Government House, Sydney. He was the son of Sir Edward Parry, superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Comoany, and was appointed suffragan Bishop of Another instance was Samuel Edward Marsden, the first Bishop of Bathurst, a grandson of tho Rev Samuel Marsden, who came out to Australia in 1793 as one of the first colonial chaplains. Dr Stretch, formerly Dean, and now Bishop of Newcastle, who succeeded tho late Bishop Stanton, is. also an Australian, born at Geelong in 1855. Arthur Vincent Green, on the other hand. Bishop of Ballarat, was born Now Zealand, and is an LL.D. of Sydney University. He was formerly Bishop of Grafton and Armidalo.

At the fortv-sixth annual meeting of tho Otago Bible Society last week th« president. (Mr W. Brown) gavq an interesting address on the work of the National Bible Society of Scotland.and the British and Foreign Bible Society, Ho said that the issues by the National Society during the past year cams to over two and a half millions,, and by the British and Foreign Society to nearly seven million copies of oomplet* Bibles, Testaments and portions. Of the British and Foreign Society*■ issues, 96 per cent were in the -Authorised Version. Tho Society, had thi« year translated the Bible into eigh» more dialects, making a total of 432 languages and dialects. The expenditure of those big societies had largely increased of late. The income of tho National Socioty had decreased. Both in their cash accounts showed considerable deficits—-tho British and Foreign £6003 the National Society about £6000.’ That did not make them bankrupt, because they held certain reserves, but if the shortage became regular it must have a serious effect. Tho number of colporteurs at work waa very large, 720 representing the National and 1100 the British and Foreign Society, and between them they had placed about throe millions of copies. Last year these colporteurs were selling on the slopes of Vesuvius, at th* railway stations and barrack rooms in Siberia, in tho banana plantations of Guatemala, in the diamond mines at Kimberley, in tho rice fields of Bengal and many ether places. It seeme4 that m China there was greater free* dom for the circulation of the Scrip! ture than in many Christian oountridtt,