TUESDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 58, 4 March 1909, Page 3

TUESDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

(N.Z. Times.)

On Tuesday the annual conference of the Methodist Church.of Australasia in Ntew Zealand was continued.

A special committee was set up to consider the interests of the work of the denomination at centres along the Main Trunk Line, to make recommendations regarding the same and to report- to the conference. With a view to promoting the general interests of Christchurch. Method-, ism, it was recommended that the Christchurch Mission, Durham Street South, be re-incorporated with the Christchurch Durham Street Circuit; also that a probationer be appointed in place of a married minister, providing the exigencies of the station permit.—Carried. Appointments were sanctioned as follows: —Manakau Circuit, probationer; Hamilton, Home Missionary (if one is available); Napier, probationer ; Richmond, Home Missioner ■appointed to work Motupiko, Tapawera, Stanley Brook, Tadmor, Sherry, Kiwi and Wangapeka, with a suitable mrant from the Home Mission Fund; Blenheim, Home Missionaa-y appointed to Flaxbourne, with Home Mission grant of £50; Greymouth, Home Missionary appointed to work outside districts in the circuit, with suitable grant; Canterbury, Home Missionary appointed to St. Albans. The Rev.- J. H. Simmonds was reappointed principal of the , Native Training College at Three Kings, a special vote of thanks being accorded him for the splendid manner in which he had carried out his work during the past twelve months. The Rev. W. A. Sinclair moved: That the conference notice with pleasure the indications of an upward movement amongst the Maoris, and urge its ministers wherever possible to hold services amongst the natives in their circuits. The Rev. J. H. Williams, in seconding the motion, uro-ed that they could not regard their work as being complete until they took up the training of Maori girls, and he hoped that ere long they would have a training college tor girls similar'to their institution at Three Kings for the Maori youth. — The motion was carried. PASTORAL SESSION. It was decided that Revs. F. Copeland, A. C. Randerson, M.A., and R. Richards be received for ordination. Resolved—That the Revs J. K. Clark, P, R. Pads, and C. Roberts, who had travelled three years, pass in their year; that the Revs. W. H. E. ftbbey, W. W. Avery, C. Blair, H. A. G. Keck, W. G. Maslin, W. B. Scott, G. Smadden, who had travelled two years, pass in their year: that the Revs. E. Cox, C. B. Jordan, 8.A., J. F. Martin, i. Rands, W. H. Speer, R. B. Tinsley, J. B. Beeche, who had travelled one year, pass m their yeair. It was decided that Messrs A. *. Burchell. C. L. Clyde, N. Turner,.M. J. Evans, R. Gosnell, G.B. Hinton, W. Lea, A. H. Scriven and W. A. Watson be received >as candidates for the ministry, Messrs Burchell and Turner to be given immediate employment in circuit work. Messrs Gosnell, Scriven and Oaar expressed their desire to enter the mission field. ,Mr D. Wilson was received as a native preacher on trial. The Rev. A. J. Seaner was fcranisferred from the Maori to the English \v<jrk. Applications for superannuation, recommended by the (respective synods, were approved for one year as follows:—Revs. W. C. Oliver, D. McNiooll, S. J. Garlick and T. E. Thomas. THE BIBLE-CLASS MOVEMENT. Conference proceeded to the consideration of matters affecting the recommendation, "That in view of the need for the placing of the finances of the Bible-class Movement on a sounder basis, the collectioms at the, morning services on young people's' day be devoted to this work." The Rev. C. Porter strongly supported the report of the Synod, and urged the necessity for- further exertion in this direction. The Rev. J. J. Lewis said many young men seemed to think that adherence to the Church interfered with their physical and social pleasures. In his view the work carried on in connection with the Bible-class movement showed them the possibility of being at once young men in the best jsense of the word and also true Christians. After a lengthy discussion the report was unanimously adopted. On the motion of the Rev. W. A. Sinclair, seconded by the Rev. C. Porter, a vote of thanks'was passed to the Rev. A. B. Chappell, M.A.. for his services as organising secretary of the Bible-class movement during the past year, and it was resolved that he be reappointed to the same position for the ensuing year. It was resolved that in view of the work done by the organising secre-

tary on behalf of the Sunday schools these schools be strongly urged to make definite annual contributions to the Bible-class movement, the amount to be not less than 2s 6d per fifty scholars, and that superintendents be directed to bring this matter before their schools.

That in view pf the need for placing the income of the Bible-class movement upon a more secure basis than at present, the Synod recommends that collections at the morning service of tjje Young People's Sunday be devoted to this object. On the motion of the Rev. C. H. Garland, it was agreed that an annual appeal should be made on the third Sunday in October on behalf of the Bible-class movement, and that the collections above the average be given to that fund.