SELWYN MISSION LAUNCH

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 89, 17 April 1914, Page 3

SELWYN MISSION LAUNCH

GREAT SUNDAY-SCHOOL RALLY

A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

FUNCTION

(By the Rev. J. Hornby-Spear.) Easter Sunday, 1914, will long be remembered in Nelson in connection with the inspiring scene which was. witnessed in its historic Cathedral, where the Anglida'n Sniit!|ay(-Schoolß in the town assembled in full strength with their teachers and a strong contingent from the Bible class in con- | neqtion .With the Nelson Girls' Col- [ lege, to inaugurate "a great SundaySchool rally" in connection with the I missionary_ work of the church; this j tims in aid of the Selwyn Mission ! Launch, and to all time, in the promotion and furtherance- of her wellbeing. No one who witnessed (the | enthusiasm of children on Sun- : day, their orderly and reverent bearing, as, accompanied by their teachers, they quietly filed into the central nave of the-Cathedral,, and'overflowed into 'its side aisles, could fail to be impressed with the latent forces at work amongst them which only needs arousing to break out into a devouring flame of vital energy. To the sceptical, or those who doubt this •truism, we advance an overwhelming proof—the greast. Sunday-School Rally at_ the Nelson Cathedral, when the children presented an Easter offering to God of nearly £70 in aid of the Selwyn Mission Launch. And this was built up of children's pence and small silver coin collected by them in the short space of three months; thus successfully .tapping a hitherto untried source of church finance. How much better to train the children to give thus their little to the offerings of God than to have them dissipate i\t in some passing .pleasure, ;or frivolous pursuit. To their teachers a more than passing meed of praise is justly due. Both by word and by good example they encouraged these little ones to "Go labor on; Spend and be spent." And if, in the, providence of God, a splendid success has crowned their efforts, it is at their feet we must lay the victor's crown. No wonder an inspired apostle pays so unique a com'pHment to Woman's \jiork in" the church as to devote a whole chapter in one of his Epistles in laudation of it! And that in the strongest terms of unstinted praise. : She children's service was bright and attractive, and was joined in so earnestly by the greait congregation I of .littfe ones. The Bishop, in his [ addiress, dwelt upon the wealth of | Woman's love as seen in the beautiful incident of Mary Magdalene on | the first Easter Morn. How she had | appeared at the Sepulchre in the | first gray dawn of. day, only to find ,the grave empty, and as she turned round. in her despair she saw One standing by her. and "Knew not that | it was Jesus" ; but supposing Him to |be the guardian, said: "Sir, if thou i hast borne Him hence tell me where I thqu hast laid Him and I will take | Him- jftw&sf. Poor : Mary! She had i forgotten .her own limitations and | over-rated her strength in attempt- ( ing a task that was too great for 1 her;' but it was lovo which prompted [ her effort's, and love conquers all i things. And Jesus overlooked her | mistakes and aqcepted her love, and ;in that act revealed Himself to her ; soul. And this would serve to introduce the object for which they had ; met—to aid in the equipment of the ! Selwyn■ Mission. Launch, and send it out upon its ■ mission of peace and I love.. "B"o not." he continued, "in j our trying to effect this, say:'We are doing too much; attempting a task | that is beyond our power' ; but re- > member, it is love to the Master, and t love for men's souls that is at the I heart of this movement." Only the : other day he» had received a letter | from a young lady who is teaching in i the Sounds. She deplored the spiritual destitution of the children in her neighborhood, and longed to impart to them some spiritual good; but she f bad no suitable books. He promptly j supplied that want,* and now she is | ministering to the little ones of j Christ's flock. The residents a,t 1 these distant outposts feel very keently what they regard as the neglect |of their Church in not providing I them with the opportunities of at- ' tending public worship. And he, as I their Bishop, was anxious to roll

away that reproach, and that was' why the subject of the launch was. very dear to him,. Its special aim ' would be to provide a class-room for . the spiritual instruction of the children. For this purpose it would be . well stocked with bibles, prayer- ; books, hymn books and other some literature, for to him the re- j flection was appalling that scattered : here and there in these outposts of • the' diocese there were to be found more^ little children than would fill all the Sunday-schools in Nelson; and so • far as he could learn, both from his own personal knowledge and from reliable information, no real effort was being made to lead them to the Saviour. He (therefore welcomed the children's acceptable gift, which he was glad to learn they wished to be presented, not to the Bishop, but "to God," in aid of the Selwyn Mission launch. After the taking up of the offertory a dozen litrble children, headed by the Bishop's daughter, formed into procession in the aisle, and as the chosen representatives of their Sundayschools advanced towards the chancel steps, where the Bishop stood to receive them, and laid a silk purse on tne offertory plate containing the ■contributions of their respective Sun-■day|-schools, thus forming a very pretty scene, and a bright and effective close to a highly successful func- ' tion. ; -