WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9218, 22 November 1888, Page 6

WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS

i * ' ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting in connection with the Wesleyan Home Missions was held yesterday ■ evening at the Pitt-street Wesloyan Church. • There was a crowded attendance. Mr. P. McArthur presided. A hymn having been sung, the Rev. W. ' Gittos ottered prayer. 1 The Chairman said the work of the Home : Mission was one which they could not overrate. The native race.-; were taught Christianity by the missionaries, but upon the heels of the missionaries there came traders —good, bad, and indifferent; and when the , natives saw these people, who would be offended if they were told they were not Christians, livinf in a very different way from tnat taught by those who had preached to them, they apoediiv lost the good effects jof their teaching. Mr. .McArthur went on to contrast the differences between mission work here and at home, and alluded to the wretched condition of the poor of London. ! The problem of mission work in the shuns of the metropolis was so gigantic that all the philanthropic efforts in that direction were unsuccessful, notwithstanding that thousands of pounds were spent. The opinion was growing at home that religious teaching and social reform must proceed hand in hand. (Applause.) Coming to New Zealand, it had been a sad thing to him to see in the thinly-populated districts so many churches. This gave a handle to Freethinkers and people who were unfriendly to Christianity, when they saw how the various denominations ignored each other. Would not a vast amount oi money be saved if, say, rive ministers of respective churches met, and decided that only one of them should go to a place winch was able to support only one church and minister whilst the otner four clergymen went to labour in those other parts of the country where they were so absolutely needed. (Applause.) Mr. G. A. Bottle, secretary, read the annual report. During the year the Pittstreet circuit hail contributed one-tenth of the grand total received in aid of the work. Mr. F. L. Prime, treasurer, read the bal-ance-sheet. This document showed that the sum of £77 6s lid had been collected during the year by ladies of the church, whilst the Sunday-school scholars had, by their efforts under the Blake system, gathered £lt> 14s '2kd in aid of the funds. A donation of £50 had been given by Mr. John Probert, ami other collections made up the grand total of £'>2b ISs 9d. The Rev. R. Bavin moved the adoption of the report. He congratulated the boys and girls, who had done so well iu collecting during ihe year. Mr. Bavin pointed out that the .Maori work of the mission was represented that night, and referred to the presence of Hauraki Paul and Messrs. Joughin and Stephenson. (Applause.) The contributions during the year were equal to those of the previous twelve months;' but I they wanted just now, to help them out of their difficulties, exactly £1000, and why j should'nt they have it? Were they, as had j been suggested to-day, to withdraw some of their men from fields where tney were doing I good work? There was increased interest in \ the Maori Mission, and not a word had been I said about curtailment in that direction. (Applause). Mr. Stephenson' also addressed the meeting, pointing out the good work that was being done at various stations. The Rev. T. A. Jooouin spoke at some length of the Maori mission. In considering i this work, there was cause for thankfulness for _ battles fought and won. The present j position of the work in Hokianga was not ! what they might desire, nor what he desired. ; Various stations were deserted, and the pic- I ture was darkened when they thought that Christianity was losing its novelty for the multitude, and when they thought that in Hokiani'a there was only one European agent. When they took into consideration the influences surrounding the Maori Mission they need not be surprised at the result. When they considered the depopulation of the Maoris, tiie advent of stowaways and runaway traders, and the ravages of drink, there was reason to wonder that Christianity had any foot ho 1 d in Hokianga to-day. Hatjraki Paul delivered a brief address. At his circuit at Kaipara the work was increasing, and they wanted more assistance. On the motion of the Rev. W. Gittos, votes of thanks were accorded to the lady collectors and the treasurer and secretary. A similar vote was accorded to the Chairmen, on the motion of the Rev. E. Best. Thanks were also rendered to the choir. An excellent programme of sacred selections was submitted by the c.ioir during the evening. In the anthem, "I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes," the solos were sung by Miss Marbrook and Mrs. Johnson. Miss Best sang with taste and expression, "Jesu, Lover of My Soul." " Hear My Prayer, O God," was rendered by the choir," Miss Blackman singing the solo, and the closing anthem, "Lord, We Pray to Thee," the soloists were Misses Marbrook. A very pleasing item was the singing of a hymn, " How Great, How Good,'' in the Maori language by the following members of the mission :—Hemi Parata, Hori te Kuri, Wi Warena Piripi Rakena, and Hauraki Paora. The selection was sung without accompaniment, and the strains of the voices were exceedingly melodious. The number was loudly applauded. A collection in the course of the meeting in aid of the Home Missions yielded the sum of £17 5s 6d. «