WELLESLEY -STREET BAPTIST CHAPEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6814, 19 September 1883, Page 3

WELLESLEY -STREET BAPTIST CHAPEL.

The twenty-eighth anniversary of the Wel-lesley-Btreet Baptist Church was celebrated last; evening by a soiree,, which was "held ic the Young teen's Christian. Association rooms. There was a large attendance,, the hall being crowded. The following ladies presided at; the tea-table :—ilesdainea Brame, Bat.ts, Bell,. Chambers, Dewar, Gaze;, HoiloLamboUrne; Lovefo.ck, Philson tearson, J. W, Prime, yeoman, and. llisßes Ga e and Wells.. The after meeting was held in the Baptist Church when the pastor (Mn Thos. Spiirgeen) preeided, AfterdevotionalexercisestheChairmaii called upon the Secretary (Mr. S. H. Matthews) to read the annual report, which was til a lengthy and. elaborate, character. From it we gather the following, statistics, &c.;— Members on church roll at beginning of year, close of year, 537; on roll of affiliated church, Catr bridge, 30 : total, 567. Ttere had. been two deaths daring the year. ■ Mr. Why lock had been, appointed assißtant to Mr. Spurgeon, and for service at Mount Eden, Otahuhu, and city mission work.in connection with the denomination. At the Cambridge branch there wae a charch of 30 member*, and a tabernacle capable of holding 400 supplied by local preachere of diis* trict and Wellesley.street Church. At Otahuhu the cause had suffered loss through the death of the paster of the district, T. B. Smith, and removals. The Christian, bands, in Wellesley-atreet numbered 147, and fa Mount Eden School 25, and were cared fory watched, and trained by the. Church. The. Sunday-schools statistics showed : At Wellesle.vstreer, 463 scholars, 46 teachers; Mount Eden, 120 scholars, 12 teachers; and Otahuhu, 17 scholars, 3 teachers. Twenty-two scholars had joined the Church, during the year. Bible-class, under Mr, Whytock. average attendance, 20; Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association, average attendance, 31, By Sunday evangelistic services on' the Sunday inorningß at th;e wharf, and in tie I school-room in the evening at least 40S perEona were regularly reached outside church services every Sunday. Miss Belford held Bible readings and prayer meetings, for women only, as another branch of work. I There were eight local preachers in service of Church, supplying oiit-statioßS, and also Cambridge and the Thames. The Maori missio'n at the Lake Country, conducted by Rev. A. Pairbrother, started during this year under the auspices of Wellesley-street Church, had been fairly successful. Tho 1 missionary bad about eighty adult Maoris and fifty children at his Sunday services. The school waß also progressing, there teing an average attendance of four teachers (two , Europeans and two Maoris) fifty scholars. A good work vtas going on among the children. In the death, of the founder of this miseioD, Mr. W, P. tfnow, the Church had lost a. staunch and devoted friend. He wag the chief supporter of the mission, and his dying wish Was that Mrs. Snow would still cairy out what she knew were his inteatione and wishes in this enterprise;. this' she bad promised to do. The Baptist Sunday-schools in Hew Zealand had subscribed £1,65 for this mission. The Total Abstinence Society (practically a Gospel Temperance Society) had a roll of 148 members. The bazaar realised aet £1603; with goods in hand valued at £400. A further sale of part of these realised £170, After presenting the sister charch at Wanganuy with a good contribution towards its. contemplated bazaar, there remained goods to value of £100, and the ladies had again commenced sewing meetings and monthly ; sales of wort, which it was expected would yield further substantial contributions to the Tabernacle Fund. Within nice months, by subscriptions, and donations, and legacy, £3000 had been obtained, which, with the old building fund, £320; paid for the new church site and left £200 in hand towards erection ef the new building, which it trea Solemnly . resolved by pastors and officers to open free of debt. At subsequent meeting. £S9O was payable in 12 months, since, augmented by further promises to £1135,- under same conditions. Since last aanaal meeting £400 had been received by legacy, from late S. SiMierbier, of Adelade (but previously of Auckland), who had held the old church with whioh he vvaa connected in kindly remembrance. An ano.nyraons gift of £100 had been received from one who had been spiritually benefitted by the pastor's preaching. I"rom op e aource andanother—frpin friends of the pastor in the acijoining colonies, and elsewhere—all the year through'tney had been receiving contributions towards tbebnilding fund. To Mr. C. H. Spurgeon they were greatly indebted for interest taken in them.; and had received: contributions of goods from members of his Ch.nieh and donations to tho extent of. £350- Tenders fpr the Tabernacle would he shortly called for, the plans of Mr. E.. Bell being approved. The estimated coat of erection is £?000, towards which arepromises, £1350 } by sale of Welleeley-street property, £2500; by anticipate'd amounts from various sources, £750; leaving £2400 to be provided for. This amount would be re, reduced by donations at foundatiyn-s.fone, by lectures and entertainments, by sales of bazaar goods and work being prepared, and by donations from Jiiends who have premised to help them during the year> The Chairman, i n a brief speech, reviewed the year's, operations of the Church. He was glad it was a Working, oarnesi;, and praying Church, and imbued in some measure with the missionary spirit. It. was also a geoerotts Church in its giving, and he thanked all the other friends w&o had assisted them. He would not preach in the new Tabernacle till ft was ine of debt. Some people talked a lot of rubbish about letting poatsrity bear the burthen. When posterity came along they would think very little of thaic predecessors remitting their debts to i.hem to liquidate. He believed in payiug as they went, on, and for one, was not disposed to risk the burthen resting with posterity, or to having hie children saddled with it. (Laughter.) In a short time he would be leiviiig Auckland for a short time, but the Jjev, Mr. Cato, of iNelsonj wpuld furnish partial ministerial supply, and local ministerial friend? would also assist.

... Mr. Woollky (a recent arrival from England) next addressed the meeting. He was not prepared to meet so large a body Of Christian wofkers, or to listen to a report containing a record of so much work. Asa stranger, after looking round Auckland, he was satisfied that in the not. distant future, She would be a great and populous city, and tney had acted wisely in securing a central church site* He bad no doubt, with tho unity displayed, they would open the' Tabernacle free of debt.

The Rev, S. Macparlaj.'? delivered a humorous and characteristic speech. Ha had been recently sq inixed up with Mr. SpUrgeon in Gospel ■ Temperance Mission matters, that he scarcely know now 'whether he wa3 a Free Methodist or a Baptist. As a Christian minister, he exhorted them to go on with their numerous agencies of Christian work, which were not merely a gdnto.that Church, but to the community. There discussions going on, and phrases on men's lips which w.ere calculated tsi men's, minds—not to build them up—pn questions whioh wonld never he definitely settled or known till the crack of doim. The true and sound policy was to. hope on, pray on, labour on, and cling to "■ the old, bid way" that had been handed do*n to them in the Scriptures, leaving the. "new lights" to their, own devices.

the Rev. J. S.. Bill and the Se.v:' C G&&XBS gave excellent addresses op. " Thanksgivipg" and " Suc2t3s"—in re* latipn to the labours of the Church during the past year, with some judicipos conneel as to the spirit in whjoh the woriv of the coming year should be entered on.

i: . The .Chairman moved; a yoto.of thanks to.tha ladies, who. had ..presided at the tea. tables,.arid to all.who liad assisted to make, the anniversarya success, which: was carried by acclimation.' " ■■■■■~ ■.■ '■■■-':,:' ;.C<' '■.".' " The meeting was clpsed_ by prayer liy. Mr/' Whytocki and the Benediction by the Chair-: mani 'and thus teriniriated ODe of the most successful! anmyeißary aoirrce v.which:, has been held in connection with the -Welleeleystr.eet .Baptist Churcjtu .""..■. : '_.s .