PONSONBY BAPTIST CHURCH OPENING SERVICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7639, 17 May 1886, Page 6

PONSONBY BAPTIST CHURCH OPENING SERVICES.

f HB opening services oE the new Ponsonby Baptist Church was held yesterday, and, notwithstanding the inclemency of the reather, there were crowded congregations, fhe Kev. Thomas Spurgeon preached in the morning, taking for hie text part of the 11th /eree of the 20th chapter of Ist Kings : " Let jot him that girdeth on his harness boast eiimeelf as he that putteth it off." He congratulated the Ponsonby Baptists on the possession of a new and commodious place of worship. They had consecrated it on the previous evening by a meeting of praytr and praise; but their work was far from beiog done, and they were as yet only putting on their armour instead of taking it off. In the afternoon the Kev. R. Bavin preached from the Acts of the Apostles, chap, i., 8: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye ahall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." In opening his discourse he took occasion to offer his grateful congratulations to the Baptists of Ponsonby, Though not often at thai; side of the townand personally unknown to many of them it yet did hie heart j<ood to find they were progreseing auu prosneriug, uud able to raise

a new and larger temple to the service of their common Lord. He hoped with this increase of their material re«ources they would alao have an increase of devoted men and women, who were temples of the living God. The evening service was taken by the Rov. J. H. Jones (pastor), who preached from the 16th verse of the 28th chapter of Genesie, " And he awaked out of hie sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not, and he was afraid and said, how dreadful is this place ! This is none other but the house of God, and tbis is the gate of heaven." The collections were very liberal. To-night there will be a public meeting in connection with the opening of the church, when addresses will be given by the Revs. J. Woolley (Thames), Wilson (Cambridge), A. Fairbrother (Itotorua), and Mr. J. Brame. To-morrow (Tuesday) evening there will be a soiree in the church schoolroom, and an alter publio meeting, when Revs. T. Spurgeon, T. Bray, A. J. Smith, and 0. E. Ward will deliver addresses.