WELLESLEY-STREET CHURCH BAPTIST SUNDAY-SCHOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6999, 23 April 1884, Page 5

WELLESLEY-STREET CHURCH BAPTIST SUNDAY-SCHOOL.

, ANNIVERSARY SOIREE. • • -V The anniversary soiree-"of thej Wellesleystreet Baptist " Church Sunday-school was held last evening.- -There was-a good-at-tendance. : The tea was served in the schoolroom in relayd.'the following ladies presiding over the tables': —Mra.-Dewar, Misses Bell; A. Cooper, A. Dowar,' Gaze (3), Hewlett, Heron, JJoagmore, Matthews, Pearson (2), Parsons, and Young. The after publio meeting was held m the chapel, the ' pasifor, the Rev.-Thos. Spurgeoh, presiding. Oa the platform were the Rev. Mr, - Woolley (Thames), Bev. A. Fairbrother (of the Lake Country Baptist Maori Mission), the Rev. jS. Macfarlane (Free Methodist), and Mr. Hunter, of, the Foundry Boys' Association of Glasgow. - After devotional exercises, the' Chairman called upon the Secretary-of the school (Mr. W. Baker), to read the annual report. From that document we learn that there are now 517 scholars on the books, there beijag 73, new scholars during, thp year.- Only frjvo scholars had been remofred'by death, i. There are 47 teachers, nine have been the year, five of whom were formerly scholars, and six had been' lost through removals. Twenty scholars had i joined the Church during the year.-: The young women's Bible class is under the conduotorship of Miss - Cooper, having'-a of' 39, j and the young men's Bible class under Mr. E..,8e11, with' a membership 'of 34; the infant class, nnderMr.'C. H.Br own, numbers 170. The school missionary boxes oon- : tained for the year £34 7s ilOd, as against £28 2s last' year, half of this amount being devoted to < general school funds, and this rest handed over to the Maori Mission.' The school gave also a monthly collection to the Tabernacle Building Fund, wniek amounted for the year to £10 6s 2d, and made a present of ■ a Bob Boy. canoe to the Rev. Mr. ' Fairbrother - for his Maori Mission at a cost: of £9 2s: -The-Treasurer (Mr. ' Rountree)! read tha financial : statement, which .showed tho .year's . receipts' -to be •£212 6» llid,.whioh'was nearly equalised by . expenditure, the balance in hand: being ,£1 19s Sd. Mr. Ronntrae, who ia cb-Snpor-intendent of the School, then delivered an excellent address on the work of the sohool dnring the past "year. ; The Key.; Mr. Woolley addressed the meeting on. "Sun-day-school Work." ''He exhorted' the teachera not to be trapped into fruitless disputationsabout., eternal punishment, conditional immortality, etc.,; but to hold fast to the Old Book, and the simple Gospel truths. The Rev. S. Macfarlane - delivered one of his characteristic humorous speeches, and withal replete with homely goodi sense. He was sure .it > would be an ill day far this country when the,Sundayschool ceaied-to be valued and its.work to prized.—Mr. Hunter then addressed a word of counsel to teachers, and also gave some interesting particulars of' his own mission wort in Glasgow, which was practically Sunday-school work, though on different lines;— The Rev. Mr. " Fairbrother Rave a practical address in relation to Sunday-school-work.ln concluding, he referred to I the Lake Country Maori Mission, in which he was-engaged, add alluded to the happy deaths of some of the native scholars. r The attendance at. the services had risen from five to 100, and of the Sunday-schnol children, from'2o to 79.'—The Chairman moved aj vote of thanks to Mr.: Charles Blomfiield, for'the pains he had" taken in training, the scholars in the singing of the by inns for the anniversary services, which was carried by. acclamation.—The meeting was brought to a close by the singing of tha Doxologv. The children's soiree takes place this evening, in the school-room, when the Rev. A.'Fairbrother will have more to say to the scholars, respecting the Maori Mission to-which they contribute. He haa also brought with him" one of his Maori scholars belonging to the Mission. '