Day Of Prayer In Whangarei Churches

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1940, Page 8

Day Of Prayer In Whangarei Churches

Whangai’ei’s response to the call of His Majesty the King and of church leaders for a day of national prayer yesterday, was a remarkable one. There were record congregations for all services at places of worship and services were of a most inspiring nature. There were approximately 200 communicants at Christ Church, and both at 11 p.m. and 7 p.m. the church was crowded. At the evening service, Archdeacon H. T. Steele delivered an address appropriate to the occasion. Maintained Supplication Needed Divine intervention, he said, could not be looked for if people, careless in religious practice and their approach to God, became Christians merely for a day. Maintained and sincere supplication was required if we were to achieve victory. The cause of the Empire, freedom and justice, was right and the means of Grace should be used to the utmost to strengthen the fighting forces. Prayers were sa,id for the Empire, the Fighting Service, Our Enemies and the King. The choir rendered most effectively the anthem, “Sun of My Soul.” At the close of the service the “National Anthem” was sung with great fervour. METHODIST CHURCH In the past 25 years, people had become morally and spiritually “soft,” said the Rev. G. E. Brown in the course of a sermon at the special service held in connection with the national day of prayer yesterday. Repentance was needed. Just as the besieged Jerusalem had been relieved when it repented and asked God's help, so would God assist in the present time if He were given the opportunity to do so. In the industrial and scientific life, progress was impossible if all elements were not in harmony with the controlling will. It was necessary spiritually for people to be in tune with the will of God that He, through them, could bring peace to the world. The service was attended by members of the R.S.A. executive and a particularly large attendance of the general public. It took the form of intercession, special prayers being offered for the Empire and the nation. CHURCH OF CHRIST The morning service at the Church of Christ was of a particularly impressive nature. Prayers were offered asking for deliverance from the present troubles. The officiating clergyman (Mr Bell), in his evening address, urged upon his j congregation the need for a return to the principles of Christianity. At all services there were large congregations. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The seating accommodation at the Presbyterian Church proved inadequate for the congregations which assembled both in the morning and the evening, chairs having to be placed in the front of the church and down

the aisles. The services were of an impressive nature. The Rev. W. Elliott departed from the usual custom of preaching sermons—basing the services on prayer and thoughts which inspired courage and reliance upon Divine aid in a time of unparalleled peril. The hymns chosen were of an appropriate nature, and they were sung with marked earnestness by the congregations.

“On April 17, the Prime Minister of Britain (Mr Neville Chamberlain) was speaking in London, and he said: ‘This war will be won by the spiritual forces of the world as much as by the material power of our brave defenders,’ ” the Rev. Elliott stated. “This reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah wrote during dark and troubled days: ‘When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.’ “Today we are passing through dark and dangerous days, but whatever happens we will hold fast to our faith, and we will not allow our courage to 'fail.

“We believe in the reality of eternal goodness and justice and love aad righteousness, and to keep these ideals constantly before us, in our thought and action, is to be on the side of God. “And so we can face these dark days with serenity and calmness and faith, and we can go forward with courage and hope and vision. “Our king, in the symbolic place he has in our Commonwealth of Nations, has given expression to a humble and strong faith in God, when he has called upon us all to wait upon God in prayer today; believing that there .is a good God behind all, and that He will hear those who wait upon Him in sincerity and contriteness of heart. “We cannot believe that such injustices and tyrannies, and the coldblooded murders that ■ have taken place, can be in accordance with the will of a good and righteous God—the God Whom we worship. “And so, today, because we honestly believe this, we can ask God’s guidance and help to restrain such tyranny.”

CONGREGATIONAL Special prayers were also offered at the Congregational Church, where both morning and evening services were exceptionally well attended. In the morning the Rev. Skinner preached a sermon appropriate to the occasion.

The congregation offered prayers for the safety of soldiers, sailors and airmen fighting in the cause of freedom, and asked Divine help in bringing a speedy and lasHng peace to the world. EXPOSITION OF BLESSED SACRAMENT In the evening a large congregation attended the special “hour of prayer,” conducted by the Rev. Father Murphy, S.M., and during the course of the hour, the names of those Catholics of the district who have joined the forces, were read out that they might receive particular remembrance. In his discourse, Father Murphy stressed the importance of victory for the Allies against forces which were destroying not only the material wellbeing of peoples, but also their spiritual welfare—forces, destructive ir only of human dignity and liberty themselves, but of their very foundation, namely Christianity. But, he declared, that victory would be in vain without a just peace. It was as important to pray as to fight, so that God might not only give us victory in the present struggle, but might inspire rulers with the sincere goodwill to do justice to all, and thus ensure not merely a respite from the present horrors, but a lasting peace, in which all men may enjoy “the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free,” the freedom of the children of God. BAPTIST. Although special prayers were offerer! at the Baptist Church, at both morning and evening services, the main emphasis on the day of prayer was concentrated in the evening service. Preaching a special sermon Rev. J. D. Jensen selected as his subject “Sacrifice and Empire.” All the personal religious privileges enjoyed today had been purchased by sacrifice and suffering, he said. Just as blessings in the past had been won by sacrifice so must sacrifices be made to keep them, Mr Jensen concluded.

Each service attracted a congregation fifty per cent greater than is usual at an ordinary Sunday service.