CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21617, 9 October 1933, Page 11

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

METHODISM IN AUCKLAND LABOUR OF 90 YEARS SPECIAL SERVICES HELD Services in connection with the 90th anniversary of Methodism in Auckland were held yesterday at tho Pitt Street Church and at Methodist churches at Kingsland, Eden Terrace. Dominion Road, Roskill and Sandringliam. An anniversary concert will be held on Wednesday. "Our standard of life is immeasurably higher and our liberties vastly greater than were those of Micah's day," said the Rev. W. Walker, at the Pitt Street Church last evening, in the course of a sermon on "Real Religion," the text of which was based on Micah 6: 6-8. "Yet the tragedy of the situation is that, in spito of the vast resources of accumulated wealth and all the marvellous inventions of modern science to ease the burden of life, poverty still abounds and thousands of people are doomed to almost hopeless despair." Human being stamped in the image of God were far too precious to cast to the scrap heap, said Mr. Walker. Tho Church of the future must so emphasise the - teachings of Jesus Christ that there would come a demand for an economic system which would be dedicated to the well-being of all. "The duty of the Church is to provide the spiritual dynamic of social justice," he added.

Real religion was not a matter of altars or candles or incense or singing hymns or even of preaching the Word. To be worth while it must be practical goodness. It needed to be brought into direct relationship with all the facts of daily life. It had to do with business, with economics, with conditions of labour and international relationships. At the evening service at Pitt Street Mrs. W. H. Simpson sang "The Lord Is My Shepheid," and the choir rendered two anthems. The organist was Mr. A. Bryant.

The first Methodist services in Auckland were actually held in 1841 by the Rev. James Buller, but it was two years later when the first Methodist Church was opened, in High Street. It was not long before a much more commodious building was required to accommodate increasing congregations, and in 1848 the foundation stone of a brick church was laid in High Street. The need was later felt for the erection of a large and commodious church which would serve Methodism for many generations to come, and the church 011 the present site near the corner of Karangahape Road and Pitt Street was dedicated 011 October 14, 1860. Descendants of the pioneer missionaries are among the most regular worshippers in the Pitt Street congregations. MOUNT ALBERT SERVICES SUNDAY SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS Special singing by a choir of over 20C children was a feature of the Sunday school anniversary services held in the Mount Albert Methodist Church jesterday. Mr. S. Dimery was conductor, and Mr. A. Lipanovie (piano), Mr. L. Montgomery (clarinet), Mr. J. Letcher ('cello), and Mr. B. Halliwell (violin), provided the accompaniments. The morning and evening services were conducted by the Rev. A. Mcßean, superintendent minister of the circuit, and the Rev. F. J. Parker, of the Mount Eden Methodist Church, took the afternoon service. There were large attendances at all services.