DEPARTING MINISTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17696, 3 February 1921, Page 6

DEPARTING MINISTER.

THE REV. ISAAC JOLLY.

FAREWELL AT ST. STEPHEN'S

TRIBUTES BY CONGREGATION.

The congregation of St. Stephen's (Presbyterian) Church last evening bade farewell to the Rev. Isaac Jolly, who, after filling the pastorate of that cbusrch for eleven years, has been compelled by ill-health to resign the charge. Mr. F. M. Nairn, in the absence through sickness of the session clerk, Mr. Thomas Peacock, presided over a gathering which crowded the church rfall.

All the speeches delivered reflected the high esteem in which Mr. and Mrs. Jolly are held by the church, the feelings of warm-hearted friendship existing Between them and the congregation, and the deep regret at the necessity for the minister to relinquish his work when his intellectual powers remained so strong. The Rev. G. Budd said that while the occasion must be tinged with sadness they had reason to ( rejoice over Mr. Jolly's fruitful ministry of thirty-four years. Mr. Jolly had served the church in this land with strength, devotion and passion, and had been an outstanding champion of truth. H-e paid a warm tribute to the manner in which Mrs. Jolly had aided her husband. —

Mr. Nairn, who handed to the minister an address in portfolio form, besides several gifts, expressed the great regret of the session and congregation at the severance of the happy ties between minister and congregation. He referred to the difficulties that had ..been experienced more • recently through the materialistic wave which had passed over the population and to the manner in which the church had continued to prosper notwithstanding the common troubles of the time. He showed that the church membership, which was 289 when Mr. Jolly took over the charge, was now 334, and that the total annual receipts had increased from £895 in 1910 to £1618 in 1920. No church could stagnate under the devoted ministry of Mr. Jolly, who had never spared himself. Messrs. J. W. Stewart, M. H. Scott, W. Rew, and D. McPherson also bore testimony to the high pulpit powers of the departing minister, his devoted service among the sick and sorrowing, his fearlessness when there was need to strike a blow for righteousness on matters which affected a wider public than "his congregation, the value of his opinions in presbytery and assembly, and the conspicuous success he had achieve'd in interesting the young people in Christian work. It was stated that when Mr. Jolly came to St. Stephen's there were no Bible classes. To-day there were four, with a total membership of 100. In addition to the presentation made on behalf of the whole of the congregation, other gifts were made to Mr. and Mrs. Jolly by Mr. M. H. Scott, Mrs. Simpson, Miss Marjorie Brown, and Miss J. Ellis, on behalf of the Sunday-school and the various Bible classes.

In his reply Mr. Jolly, who spoke with some emotion, said it was difficult for him to express his feelinga seeing that the step he' Had been compelled to tak<s might possibly mean the termination of his ministry. He referred in reminiscent vein to tha first Christian work he had done in a slum mission in Glasgow, and said what a great privilege it had been for him to serve his Master in the ministry through a fairly long life. He was conscious of weakness and failure, but he had done his best to preach Christ. The congregation of St- Stephen's had not increased as had the congregations of his previous churches. One reason was the departure of many members, but he had some satisfaction in the knowledge that these losses had been more than made up by the 255 people, mostly young, who had joined the church on personal confession of faith. He concluded by an appeal to the members to remain loyal to their church,