DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue XV, 19 November 1880, Page 2

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

The annual session of the Synod commenced yesterday by a special service at Christ Church, in which the Bishop and nine' clergy and several lay representatives took, part; several clergy being delayed in coming to synod on account of the difficulty of communication. The sermon was preached by the Key T. S. Grace, Matt, rxxii, 36, " Which, is the great commandment in the law ? " A larger number of persons than usual remained to the' holy communion. The Yen Arch--deacon Mules was to have been instituted to ' the Archdeaconry, but a recent family ber avement prevented his attendance. _ TheiSyhod was opened for business at 4 p.m. in the Masonic Hall, when the following answered to their names— The Bis]ipp-.(-Pre^ sident), Yen. Archd. Butt, Re_ys. Andrews,; Leighton, Mpon, Grace, Whyte, patterns, Sedgwick, Spencer; andlaity — Messrs A.Pitt and W. A. B. Adams, M.H.R., C. fT.-Eell, C. H. Brown, J. W. Barnicoat, J.P., A. Jones, J.P., M. A. Andrews, Pierson, Turner,..Cresswell; G. P. Jenniugs,R. Waite. i ' '■ The.'President delivered his address, first of all prefacing it by the following remarks! — Before beginning my address I, cannot but speak of the sad event which" "cannot fait; to. solemnise our proceedings,— the sudden.removal by death of Mr Andrew Richmond, a member- of this synod and representative for Picton. | His presence at the General Assembly has yenerally prevented!' his taking part in the proceeding's of synod. We cannot but feel the greatest sympathy with the bereaved family, who, with so many of their relatives, are connected with various parts of our church work. Especially would we. offer our sympathies to his venerable father, who in former years was so identified with the arrangement^ of the church, and to his widow who has been 1 ever ready to assist its work. '--■>.•.. The Bishop then, pointed out. several resolutions of General Synod bearing' on. the work of the Dioceson Synod,, for 'example, the use of another service at th:e 'grave in cases where the service in the Prayer Book is not allowed. This" was proposed' in General Synod; but it was carried that we^must wait the issue of the movement in England., That had been done, and every clergyman in England was able to have in such cases* and also in all other.cases where the friends desired it, any other religious service than that of the Prayer .Book. It was pointed v out that it-vvould be as well that isuoh : liberty, if it existed, should be itecOgimed. Another resolution recommended the stationing" of young clergymen with their seniors as curates for the first few years of their ministry. Another suggested the co-oporation of the Diocesan Synod in forming, a Temperance Society. The Bishop considered it -was no small praise to the General Synod that it had but little positive legislation. It. had, however, made new regulations respecting Church members, so that now no one could attend or vote at a vestry or parish meeting unless registered in the Church Wardens' book two months previously. The different cures of .the Diocese were then reviewed, from Greymouth on the west to Kaikoura and the Amuri on the east. The. appointment of the Rey. C. 0. Mules to the Archdeaconcy of Waimea was announced -and received with much approval by the Synod. The Rev. T. Jones; vicar of Sandgate, had accepted All Saints, and was starting with his family, a party of nine, on October 28, to arrive about the end of the year: The Bishop announced that the Rev. T. S. Grace would take up work amongst the Wanganui Natives in the adjoining Diocese of Wellington in connection with the Church Missionary Society. His services in connection with Bishopdale; the ' districts of Whakapuaka and Clifton would be much missed; but it seemed right that one who could address the Natives so efficiently in their own language should not be withheld from repeated calls to him to take up that work, although at a loss to this Diocese. Mr. Grace was proceeding to take up,. not English, but Maori work. After the Bishop's address, he distributed the certificates of proficiency gained B^ the students at Bishopdale in the recent .general examination held over all' New.-Zealand by the Board' of Studies— namely, Grade IV., class 2, Rev,. IT. SpencerV The highest places in the Ist class of Grade 111. were gained by W. H. Kay and Charles Williahv Jennings, to the -.former of- w&omfras given one of !the two exhibitions Of £30 offered by the General Church . Trust; ; under directions of General Synod. In Grader IL there were three students. of Bishopdale "who had attained 'first-class certificates, "Messrs. McLean, .Blackburn, and E. Jennings, the first of whom occupied the first place in the Class, >*and;to him was. also pr'esentpduthe other: exhibition of £30. offered if or .the highest marks in the 2nd Grade. In Grade I. two certificates of having passed in the first class, were given to "Mr. A. P. Clarke and Arthur. Hermon. The Bishop accompanied each certificate with a distinct word of encouragement, and the receivers of the honorable certificates .returned to, >their. seats amidst expressions, of. applause,. from the Synod and audience. Several notices of motion were handed in, and on the motion of the Rev. J. C. Andrew the Synod adjourned over this afternoon to enable members to attend the funeral of the late Mr. A. Richmond, and will meet at 7 this evening to discusfc the Standing Committee's report. . * \ ; ■ ■