Bishop of Melanesia

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7044, 31 December 1932, Page 3

Bishop of Melanesia

PUBLICLY WELCOMED IN FEILDING.

A civic and ecclesiastical reception vias tendered to the Right Rev. W. H. Baddelcy, Bishop of Melanesia, at the Parish hall, Feilding, on Thursday night. The Rev. Canon F. Petrie presided and associated -with him on the platform were Cr. A. C. McCorkindale (aeting-Mayor), Rev. F. Copeland and the Rev. A. Fotheringham, representing the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches respectively. In welcoming the visitor, Canon Petrie said that Feilding felt honoured to have a visit from the Bishop of Melanesia and there was no doubt that the gathering would encourage the Bishop to feel that he had friends in Feilding. As one who had experience of mission work iu tho Melanesian group, the canon was able to give the audience some information respecting aspects of the work and in acknowledging the support of the local clergy and other churches, the Rev. Petrie said that Methodists and Presbyterians both had missions. in tho Islands and had always worked most amicably with the Anglicans. The civic welcome was cordially extended by Cr. McCorkindale, in tlie absence of the Mayor and ho prayed that with the grace of God the Bishop might have great prosperity in his noble W’ork.

In the course of their remarks, the Revs. Copeland and Fotheringham, who had both extensive missionary experience ,said that they were happy to be associated in extending a welcome to the new Bishop of Melanesia and that they were able to appreciate the task which the honoured visitor had undertaken.

The Bishop, in reply, said that not Laving been in Melanesia he could not spcalc with first-hand knowledge. He appreciated Canon Petrie’s reference to the fact that the mission was really the daughter of the Church of New Zealand, as / t/he mission work w r as begun there by the Bishop of New Zealand some 80 years ago. The Homeland, he also agreed, rvas in a sense the grandmother of the mission and a good grandmother it had proved. Home two years ago, ho said, an appeal was made in England for £25,0000 to build a new ship for tho mission, to take the place of the old “Southern Cross.”. The money was subscribed in IS months, “so that,” added the Bishop, “grandmothers are sometimes useful.” Further tho church in the Homeland had subscribed over £BOOO for the yearly maintenance of the mission at tho same time, this sum being only £BOO less than the amount usually subscribed. The Bishop said when news was received of the wreck of the. new ship, the English committee at once set about raising extra money to meet the emergency, and thus the mission work was carried on. The amount required above the insurance to build a new “Southern Cross” was being raised now. In expressing his appreciation of the presence on the platform of the Methodist and Presbyterian ministers, the Bishop said in his parish at Home the ministers of the several branches of Christ’s Church met regularly for their “i'raternals, ” and all worked together in, true friendship. He asked for; the,

prayers of the people of the parish for the Melanesian Mission. After he had. experience of the work ho hoped to come to Feilding and tell his friends here something about it. The gathering concluded with the {jpfifiupced ,bjr