ANNUAL CHURCH MEETINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11638, 27 April 1901, Page 3

ANNUAL CHURCH MEETINGS.

ST. MATTHEWS. THE annual meeting of tho parishioners of St. Matthew's Church, Hobson-street was lield in the schoolroom last night. The .Kev. W. E. Gillam, vicar of the parish, presided, and there was a goo*d attendance. ; The vicar's address, embodied in the annual report, was taken as read. In this he expressed his heartfelt thanks for the kindness and loyalty and willing: service with which they had encouraged him (luring the past 12 months. . Every scheme proposed for the promotion of the work in the parish had been met by a cheerful and ready response on their part. At the last annual meeting he was depressed by the manifold difficulties before them. This year he addressed them more hopefully, for ho was thankful to notice many indications of progress.. The churchwardens had given a large amount of time to their duties, and had fulfilled them faithfully. The® various parochial organisations of the parish were being efficiently maintained. He was thankful to have had the loyal and valuable help of Mr. Towsey. Under his direction the choir had worked harmoniously, and their services had been highly appreciated by parishioners. The Sunday-school had been somewhat reorganised, and the discipline was better than it had been. It was proposed that on Trinity Sunday the services of the whole day should have special reference to Sunday-school work— the children should be prepared to take a conspicuous part in the services, and that there should be special offertories to maintain that branch of the parish work. It was noticeable in all town churches that the attendance at the Sunday morning services was usually small. In a parish like St. Matthew's. composed very largely of shopkeepers and working people, there was perhaps' some excuse for abstention from the earlier services on tho Lord's Day. He was convinced, however, that they greatly needed a revival of Sunday morning cliurchgoing, and that St. Matthew's would never be a really vigorous church until its people showed that they were prepared to make sacrifices in order to attend both morning and evening services. The most urgent need of the parish was the appointment of a curate. He knew that he was not wilfully neglecting any of the parishioners, but was painfully aware that he was not able to shepherd all the , scattered flock. There ought to be systematic visiting from house to house to arouso the indifferent, and induce them to recognise the duty of public worship. Ho did his best to visit the parishioners, but it must bo evident to them that the number of sick visits to be made, tho funerals, weddings, baptisms, and the great variety of meetings to attend, prevented his doing what was adequate, in the way of pastoral visitation. If £70 or £80 could be raised by special donations to the curate fund this year, the vestry would be prepared to guarantee a stipend of £150 for a curate. He proposed that efforts to secure this amount should be made at the time of laying the foundation stone of the new church. He believed that the appointment of a curate would enable them to begin a work that might afterwards be known a.3 the "St. Matthew's Mission." When the new church was completed, and the people were disabused of the idea that because they had a stone church fund the parish was wealthy, he would look forward to having two curates, a branch of the' church army, and at .least two deaconesses working exclusively under the vicar of the parish. Would parishioners please prepare to do their best for tho curate fund at the special effort that would be made when the foundation stono was laid. The Stone Church Committee ought to be able to complete arrangements for starting the building within the next three months. During the year there had been 105 baptisms, 17 persons confirmed, 34 marriages, 47 burials, and 2311 communions made. The report of the Vestry for the year ending March 31, which was also taken as read; was adopted as follows:—"We have pleasure in presenting our annual report and balancesheet, and believe parishioners will regard the condition of the finances as satisfactory. Our total receipts for the year just ended have amounted to £1349 8s Bd, but included in the receipts is the sum of £450, loan from the Standing Committee, for removing and re-erecting the vicarage. We began the year with a debit balance of £53 16s 3d, and close it with a credit balance of 13s Id a small amount, it is true, for our successors to begin the new year with, but all liabilities on current account have been paid up to date. Our total offertories have reached the sum of £615 103 'id. y This is a larger amount than has been received from this source since the year 1885. The offertories for general purposes amount to £548 4s lOd; offertories for special and mission funds reached the arum of £67 ss. A special collection on Trinity Sunday extinguished the overdraft at the bank, "with, which the year commenced, and the offerings of worshippers at .the harvest thanksgiving services met the expenditure incurred in fitting incandescent lights in tho church. Our offerings for the Melane3ian Mission have increased, as have also the contributions' for the poor. In addition to improving the lighting of the church, we have been able to provide s, vestry for the choir men, and have enlarged the choir seats for the. accommodation of the increased number of choristers. In the early part of the year the parish lost the services of Mr. Hubert Jones as organist, by his removal to Dunedin. Mr. Boult also resigned his position as choirmaster, after kindly giving his services for some months without stipend. The Vestry called for applications for the combined offices of organist and choirmaster. Mr. Arthur 'Towsey was appointed to the position at a stipend, for the present, of £50 per annum. Wo are pleased to state that Mr. Towsey's services have given entire satisfaction to the vicar. Vestry, the choir, and parishioners generally. It will be Seen from our accounts that we have not only been paying our way so far as current expenditure is concerned, but we have also been attacking tho debts which have crippled the parish $n the past. Tho overdraft , at the bank has been swept away, and we have also paid £25 of the old parsonage debt, reducing the amount to £100. We have, for the first time for some years, faced our liability for the debt on St. Thomas' Church,. which the parish took over when the daughter church was separated from us. We have paid off £50 of this old-standing liability, leaving only £100. For this successful effort to reduce our debts on buildings, we are indebted to the labours of a few ladies who have patiently collected, week by week, small sums from parishioners and attendants. Mrs. Gillam has organised a Sewing Guild, and it is pro- ; posed to hold a bazaar shortly, to further this object of clearing off our debts. We confidently predict that the old St'. Thomas' debt will bo extinguished by the end of this year. Towards the cost of removing and re-erecting the vicarage we received £35 from the Stone Church Committee. We wish to record our conviction that the removal of the vicarage being necessary, in order to clear the site for the new church, the whole cost of its removal and re-erection ought to have been borne ' by the St Matthew's stone church fund. It is now nearly four years since the judge of the Supreme Court ordered that tho time had come for the erection of the stone church. The Vestry is unable to account for the delay that has taken place. We understand, however, that tenders for the erection of the building will shortly be called for. The building now used as a Sunday-schoolroom must be removed as soon as the contractors are readv to go on the ground. The vestry have asked that tlid Stone Church Committee should bear the cost of the hire of a budding for the purpose of a schoolroom, _ in which to carry on parochial organisations while the church is being erected. The trustees of the stone church fund have consented to grant the sum of £250 for this purpose, if thd parishioners will sanction the appropriation of the money ■ The parishioners at this meeting are asked to give the required sanction. The vicar will no doubt lay before • you the absolute necessity for a curate to aid him in his arduous duties. We desire to emphasise the importance of some effort being made at once to provide an assistant clergyman. We need hardly say that our vicar has striven to do his duty, but one man cannot meet the -demands of a large parish like this. We ask that a special effort be made to provide a curate tor this year, and we are sure that with increased congregations, and an improved revenue. the general account, will in future be able to permanently maintain a second clergyman in the parish. While we place the maintenance of a curate as of the first, importance, wo are obliged to mention that the re-roofing and better ventilation of the present church will require the very serious consideration of the incoming Vestry. The roof must at least be made water-tight for the coming winter, and some scheme of properly ventilating the church ought to bo adopted before the next summer.. The new church, whenever commeacd, will take at least two years and a-half to complete. The present church will then become the schoolroom and parish hall, and ft must be preserved from decay."' The balance-sheet and other accounts, which showed a small credit balance of receipts over expenditure, were passed. 'i.ie assent of the parishioners was given to the appropriation of £250 from the building fund to provide a schooihouse during the erection of the new church. „ The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: —Vicar's churchwarden,. Mr. Edward Langley: people's churchwarden, Mr. A. H. J. Eider; vestry, Messrs. T. P. Doonin, P. Whitehead, H. Peak®, R. H. A. Potter, P. Wright. G. E. Lee, P. P. Wood, T. Cole, H. .1. Lee, and Dr. Hooper; auditors, Messrs. Andrews and 0. Bennett. V - ' . • . ; v j • • ' -

Vote 3 of tlianks were accorded to .Mrs. Gil- if Voteg of thanks were accorded to Mrs. Gil- St lam, to the outgoing churchwardens and vestry, lay-reader, choir, organist, Sunday- ; is,j school teachers,; decorators, , distriot;\ visitors, - and trusting of the building fund; , .. § M It was agreed that one Sunday a offertories during each yjiar should be • set aside for the Sunday-school, according to the stiff- • gestioa in tho vicar's address. - ST. ANDREWS. EPSOM. ' The annual meeting of the : parishioners or ;> St. Andrew's, Epsom, * was :; held on Tuesday '' ff, evening'. The accounts showed that all obligations had been met, and that a small balance was carried forward to credit. Tho Vestry had been able to add £10 to "the stipend guaranteed to tho vicar, and hoped that during the? present year they may be ; enabled ligtft to make a permanent addition to the stipend. The report referred to the fact that V ;K a children's servico is now being held in the morning of the 'first: Sunday in the month, . and that an evening, service is to be held in j future 01100 a month. A resolution of con- ' dolence with the family of the late Dr. Dudlev was passed, the vicar deploring the loss the Church bad sustained, and: eulogising the late Archdeacon as a great and good man, who,?, as a true Christian, it was a r : ; V privilege to have known. In moving tho following resolution: That mis annual meeting oit parishioners of St. Andrew's, Epsom, desires to offer to Mrs, Paton and the family of the late Mr. .Thomas Paton, their sympathy with them in their bereavement, -y.>:.h and to record their sense of the loss tho parish bus sustained ijy tho death of on© who has so long and ,so faithfully worship-. ped in St- ; Andrew's, and who, "by his consis- . Un uprigrht character, the calm' serenity of , his faith, and his long, services to the Chore 1 ?., held so high a place in their esteem, the vicar . said that Mr.j Pat oil's regular attendance at ; divine service! lor ha If-a-century, was an ex- . ample to fathers and beads of families which i was nowadays too rare, but which must be ?. n . imitated if the young are to bo taught tho duty of church attendance. Tho officers appointed Churchwardens. Messrs. McKinstry and Worrail; vestry, Messrs. P. Hull, '•••. Haigh. E. W. .Buxton, Mounsey, Kidd, Symonjn. and the lion. Deß. Bevereux. ST. BARNABAS', MOUNT'EDEN. - The annual meeting of tho of St. Barnabas' Church, Mount Eden, Was held on Thursday evening, the vicar, the Rev. W. H. Johnston, in the chair. : The annual report, which was read and adopted, stated tho past year had been a very successful one. For tho first time for some years, the parish was able to commence a new year with a credit balance. The vestry drew the attention of parishioners •to the fact that the a church was urgently in need of repair. Votes of thanks were accorded to tho chair, tho Ladies' Guild, and to Mr. Cooper, who for so lon<r has filled the position of people's warden. Officers were elected for the coming year, as follows: Vicar's warden, Mr. R. Hutchinson; people's warden, Mr. N. T. Wil- . liams; vestrymen, Messrs. Alexander, Barnaby. Bell, Cooper, Ourrie, Heather, Helling, Puckey, Walker, and Yates.