ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17179, 27 May 1916, Page 3

ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH

COMMERCIAL.

'•REV C. E. PERRY INDUCTED AS j VICAR, ADDRESS BY DEAN CARRINGTDN. The Rev C. E, Perry'was inducted as vicar of St Michael and All Angels • last evening with impressive cerc- : mony. The service was well attended. Dean Oarrington officiated, assisted by ; Canon Coates. Several other local clergy were present « The new minister made the customary declaration of adherence to'the articles of religion of the Anglican Church, ' after which Canon Coates read the Letter of Institution- from the Bishop of Christchurch. The people's warden (Mr Cole) presented the key of the church to the newly inducted vicar, who was commended to the goodwill of the parishioners by the dean. An interval of silent.prayer followed, after , which "Come Holy Ghost" was sung. The vicar, headed by a cross-bearer and | acolvtes, and followed by the members lof the vestry, bearing their wands of office, walked down the main aisle to tb.3 outside of the building. The church bell was toiler! and Mr Perry returned to the sanctuary. Evensong was then begun, special psalms and lessons being used. i Dean Carrington gave the address, taking as his text, "Jesus Christ, the same vesterday,' to-day and for ever." The dean said that the writer of the epistle bado his pooplo look back to their great leaders of the past, and to remember how they had been preserved , by the power of God. As Chi;ist was , to them so Ho would be to us. That day was Archbishop Augustine's Day. ' Augustine was the first archbishop of Canterbury. They might remember how that monk, with forty companions, came from Rome to convert the barbarous English, and of their meeting with a King of Kent. That was not the beginning of Christendom in Britain, but was an important event. What an adventure that had been for Augustine and what adventures the Church had been through since. Yet the text had proved true both then and in tho 1300 years since. That same Church came to New Zealand and founded another Canterbury, and here was built St Michael's. The settlers who built up the city found Christ just tho same as He had been to their forefathers. St Michael's was not the mother church of the dioceso; that honour belonged to a little church in' Lyttelton. Much had happened since Christchurch was tussock and swamp, and God had pulled them through many troubles. To bo a. Christian was the

greatest of all adventures, but Christ would help them. The new vicar, continued the dean, had arrived. The loss of the late vicar was a great blow to tho paa-ish and also to him (the preacher). The dean added that his message-' to St Michael's was to tell them that one of the weakest points among church. 1 people was trusting in a man instead of trusting in Christ. It was wrong to go to such and such a church because Mr A. was liked, or to stay away because Mr B. wan disliked. That was dishonest to God, v to the Church and to themselves. They should come to church on Sundays to como under tho influence of tho Holy Spirit of God. Clergy were sick at heart sometimes when they saw people following a man instead of God. The dean paid a tribute to Carson Coates, tho churchwardens, and to tho congregation for their loyalty to the church during the past few months. Tho new vicar, ho added, came as a stranger to a strango land, but they must extend to him and his wife and:children a warm welcome and their loyal support. Addressing the now vicar, the dean welcomed him on behalf of the Bishop and clergy of the diocese, and assured him of his congregation's support. A welcome social will be hold this afternoon at St Michael's Schoolroom, to give parishioners an opportunity of meeting tho new vicar.