CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 78, 30 March 1892, Page 2

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

fho tea and publio meeting in oonneotion with the anniversary of the Congregational Church was held last evening. After the tea was over and a short interval had elapsed, the publio meeting began. There wan not a vory good attendance. After a hymn and a prayer the Rev W. A. Evans called upon Mr McLeod, the Secretary, to read hia report, whioh ho did. Mr J. H. Nowmau, the Treasurer, thon presented tho balanoe sheet. The total receipts amounted to £112 17s ad, and tho total expenditure to £105 7s 3d. To this, however, luid to bo added the bidauco due to tho bank at the end of tho last financial year bringing the debit total to Mil 8s Bd. The debit balance therefore now due to tho bank was .€2B lis r«l, la tho last twelve months tho debit balmoo had beon reduced from MM Is 5d to X2B lis fid.

Tho Rev IV. A. Evans said that tho rouorts were very encouraging. Tho congregation might congratulate themselves upon their position. He fully expected to find n, great difference in tho receipts, but tho report showed what a few loyal hearts ooull do. They must, however, go on working hard, and he hoped next year tho ohuroh would bo in a still better position. He was sorry all tho members of tho choir wore not presont. Tho ohoir here sang the anthem " Worthy ia tho Lamb."

The ohairman wolo mcd the liov. Mr MoKenaio to tho meeting. Ho felt confident that his ooming to Nelson vvou'd prove a groat acquisition to the ministerial powor of tbo pliioe. Ho referred to the hearty sympathy whioh existed in Nelson betwoou tho various ohurohes. P.oplo to livo Christian Uvea ought to bo iv thorough harmony with their neighbours, 110 sympathised with tho attempt Io do away with denominations, yet ho thought that eaoh denomination had its parlioular work to do. Uo likened tho various d>. nominations in tho ohuroh to the different mombers of ono body. Thoy ought, however, to bo all in harmony, ono with nuotlur, Referring to tho intolerant mora.* bera of tho ohuroh he said they wore those who hud an insufficient grasp of truth. Whoever differed from thorn was, in their opinion, quite wrong.

I Tho Rev. Mr MoKenzio thanked tho [ chfiirmau for his kind words, 110 agreed ! wiih all tho remarks made by tho Chairman with regard to tho feeling whioh should exist between tho various churches, Ho took for his siihjoot the words sleeping partnors Ho begtui uy Hlating that most people did not thank God sufficiently for sleep. No ouo know what it wna not to bo ablo to »leop until tboy experienced it, But some people slept at wrong times. There were too many sleeping partners in ohurohes amongst tho ojngregation, Those who attended ohuroh Sunday by Sunday but did not try to help the ohuroh on, they wore sleopiug partners, He wished the Qhuroh

every success in the year jaafc about to begin, and he urged upon all to live more energetic m? aud to do more for fc be Ohurob, The chairman said ho hoped the remarks or the Kov Mr McKonzie wonld ba duly pondered over. Everyone should be more |"i va hie privileges and responsibilities, lno anniversary was to him a very serious time. He thought of what had been done and what had been left undone. Oppor* tunities onoe passed would never reour again. aetore real progress could be made it was necessary to understand the organisation* of theChuroh. lie argued that its basis must oe love. Before going forward it wa3 necessary to regrasp the fundamental truths. Every member of the Ohuroh must he governed by the influence of love. Some people regarded Sunday sohools as an institution apart from tho church, The result of this was that the growth of the ohuroh was seriously interfered with. The Sunday school was a very important sphere tor the development of the Christian life, namely, the principle of love. Referring to Che Junior Guild commenced last winter he said that a grand work had been done, and great thanks was duo to the helpers. All the ohildren who attended the Guild last year were eager for it to re -open. Some people » speaking about tho Junior Guild said tbat they did not emphasise sufficiently tuo religious aspect of life. In answer to that he had co say chat the main end of all their teaching was on the lines of obedienoe. He hoped that the Junior Guild would ba a great success during the coming winter, In reference to the Senior Guild he regretted to say that it had not been so successful as tha Junior Guild. He hoped, however, to make it more suooeesful in th) future. In oouneotion with the Senior Guild he intended to start a Bible class to study the Old testament. He would like all men who wanted help to attend the Bib c class. H 8 had {had a private mole class, whoa he had explained to many the Old Testament and to those that part of the Biblo was a new book, For a long time past ho had been troubled to . j W J 10vv t0 g efc at men and boys who were in difluu ties, real difficulties. If ho could only get at them aud get them to explain to iuui their difficulties he was sure a great uaauy of them would vanish. He w*uld like to form a Society where men could rneeX and thrash out difficulties. But ifc was impossible to carry out a work without suitable premises. He thought tho difficulty of hading a room to meet in could bo overcome by dividing the present ohuroh by a screen, shutting oif the north end of it for a olass m OB J' u Ho re£erred to the present year being the Jubilee of Congregationalism and stated that it was suggested to raise £10,000 during the next three years to oelolebrate the event. He suggested that the congregation should start a self denial tuud to raise money for the new ohuroh. Ue was gratified to see tho interest m the work iacreasiug. He stated that the greatest ambition of his life was to be of benefit to liviug men and women. Ho thanked them all for their sympathy, whioh had enabled him to do what be had done. He urged upon them to stand together aud do their utmost to fulfil their mission more perfectly iv Nelson than heretofore. The chairman read the names of gentlemen whom he nominated as a committee to Bee about raising funds for the proposed new ohuroh, Thoy were Messrs MoLeod, Fell, McLean, Worloy, Cooke, Baigent. Newman, Hendry, antf vyood.

The Doxology was then sung and the chairman pronounced the Benediction.