ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1511, 14 February 1901, Page 18

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of this church was held in the Schoolroom on the 6th. The building was well filled with ohurch members.

The Rev J. Paterson, pastor of the congregation, presided, and briefly reviewed the work of the year, which, cn the whole, he said, had been satisfactory. In respect of the comparatively small attendance at Sunday morning service, and of the number of young people coming forward to the communicants’ table, there was room for improvement. The financial operations for the year had been quite satisfactory, and showed that the congregation had done more for outside work during the past year than for any similar period. Mr Grant, secretary to the managers, read the annual report, which shower! that financially and spiritually the church had had a prosperous year. The membership numbered 511, showing a slight decrease. The various organisations of the church—the choir, Dorcas Society, Young Women’s Dorcas and Literary Society, and the Women’s Missionary Society—were flourishing. Reference was made in feeling terms to the exceptionally heavy loss the congregation had sustained through the death of a number of its prominent, members. At the annual election of managers, Messrs T. H. Hustwick, R. Hannah, H, W.

Kerslev, A. Purdie. A.-Wilson and D. Jones were re-elected, and Messrs 3. Atkinson and A. D. Thomson were also elected to that position.

Mr J. G. W. Aitken, the treasurer, presented the balance-sheet. It showed that the total receipts amounted to £I7OO 8s 2d, and the expenditure £1660 13s 4d, leaving a balance in hand of £39 14s lOd. The statement showed that* £IOO more than during the preceding year had beem expended in outside work. Mr Aitken expressed pleasure ;it the fact that the women of the congregation had successfully taken up mission work, and hoped the effort in that direction would not be relaxed until tlie sum of £2OO was annually raised, in • rder that the church could appoint its own missionary. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, Air Harding said he was glad to see that the debt on the church property had been very much decreased. He urged, however, that there should be more of the social element in connection with the life of the church. Mr Butler advocated a Chinese missionary class being established, and greater encouragement given to the Poonah Mission, in view of the fact that two former members of the church •were engaged iu mission work there. A member expressed the opinion that it was time the managers took into consideration the advisability of appointing an assistant to the pastor, the work oi the church being too exacting for one man to satisfactorily undertake. Tlie motion for the adoption of the report and balance-sheet was carried. The Sunday Scnool report, read by tlie secretary, Mr Purine, showed that there was an attendance at the two Sunday schools connected with the church of 878 children, with a staff of 72 teachers. Although £2O had been expended in new books during the year, there was need of further assistance in supplying ’he needs of the children in regard to suitable literature. The Bible classes were in a healthy condition, and the subscriptions for mission work had increased. The receipts amounted to £197 16s 9d. The expenditure, owing to extra demands upon the funds during the year, left only 12s 3d in hand.

The report was adopted. The question of increasing tlie accommodation at the Willis street Sunday School was discussed, and it was l esolved that it be an instruction to the managers to purchase a section of land adjacent to the present school and proceed with the erection of ail additional building. The business proceedings were enlivened by musical contributions by Mrs De Castro, Messrs C. Johnston and Ross. Refreshments were supplied at the conclusion of the proceedings, which were brought to a close by tlie Rev Mr Paterson pronouncing the benediction.