METHODIST CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14304, 25 February 1910, Page 6

METHODIST CONFERENCE.

; INADEQUACY OF ' STIPENDS. ' ';'. [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

DtrNEpix, Thure^-y.

The 37th annual conference of. the Methodist Church of New Zealand was 'opened this j evening. r The Rev. T. Fee presided, and i there was a Very > largo attendance.

: In the course of his address the retiring president referred to • the ' act: that an ' unprecedented number of ministerial brethren had been laid aside by sickness during the year. "" As .there was ; no.;' effect without a direct cause the conference might deem it expedient /to; inquire into tho reasons of so much; sickness in parsonages. % /'Ministerial life was becoming increasingly strenuous, 1 : and.it might ho found that; domestic worries, were also; on :■ the. increase, owing to s the ! inadequacy of ..gome of the stipends and tho , consequent 'impossibility ,of providing , the necessaries : of life, ' to say nothing of ' the comforts. 4 During tho last 10 or 12 years the cost; of living ' had - increased something like 25 per cent., while ministerial salaries had. cither remained•;stationary, or!-had not been raised in proportion to the cost of living. Church statistics • for.'the. year -'showed an increase of 740 (church- members, 72 Sunday-school teachers, .' 541 Sunday-school scholars, 13 ..; churches,•-' sevon schoolrooms, and eight 1 parsonages. •; Contributions to the foreign missions fund ;again constituted a ; record. On the question of ; the separation of the New Zealand Church from that of Australia, -.the president- said: " The V influence of ..the , ereafc meeting in ''..-.Wesley's Chanel, City Road, will . certainly tend: to tho? unification of Methodists 'in the ■ Old Land.': Indeed, the spirit and :trend of the age is ; in-the direction; of union,,and >is it not strange that the one exception; to this shuld be found' in the Methodist : Church , of Australasia? In New Zealand every;'great' river has its backward' currents, hereV and there, j and may not -the clamour of some of our , brethren " for separation be but a temporary backward sweep, /which will ; by the irresistible force > of■/; the i spirit , of " the ; age turn again into main stream and hasten the time when ■■ not; only solid ' Mothodistism, but the whole of the evangelical churches, will stand as a unit against the- forces of evil." The ) speaker;also ? referred to • the questions of -; socialism, atheistic and Christian; also to the liquor traffic, the.latter of which he strongly;, denounced. Among; the; votes 'of sympathy recorded was one with the, Rev. H. Bull, connexional secretary," in his temporary indisposition. , ,Th<T Rev. 0. H. Laws," Christchurch, by/ .practically. a i unanimous vote, was elected president. _ '. .';, ■ ' In felicitous terms the vote; was acknowlodged. • ' Mr. Laws briefly referred to his lifelong - association v.. with the ; Methodist .Church.l- and.the! grand ;.;■ sohoro it v gave for ; service. j, He pleaded for, volunteers for the : ministry from the;ranks;: of those' fitted for leadership. Ho also referred to the coming debate on the; separate ;conference, and feelingly assured them it would be discussed with the kindest .brotherly feeling;.' -. ; ..The Rev.' S. La wry was re-elected secretary by a large vote. . . The first reading of' stations will bo submitted to the conference on Saturday. '