WESLEYAN ANNUAL DISTRICT MEETING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4885, 17 November 1876, Page 3

WESLEYAN ANNUAL DISTRICT MEETING.

‘ The Financial District Court in connection with the above Church met yesterday morning. There were present, in addition to the ministers Of the district, Messrs. David Lewis and-W. Moxham (Wellington), and James Knight (Hutt). , The opening devotional exercises were led by Messrs. Richardson and Moxham. Anent the annual return of the number of attendant on public worship in the district, it was lamented by some that there was so little improvement on that of last year. Mr. Smalley represented that the cause of apparent stagnation was referable to the floating character : of populations in. New Zealand. Numbers identified with our‘congregations' for a few months, and then left for up-country districts, where no minister was resident. Thus, although still belonging to the Wesleyan Church, they do: hot, appear i in the annual returns, Mr, Moxham, while acknowledging, the force of this argument, maintained that it did not . altogether , meet the case, because, ivhile the /population ‘of the great centres was perceptibly on the increase,'the congregations Were not' proportionately improved. Mr. Dewsbury combatted the arguments ductions of the last speaker, . The Wesleyan. Church undertook' work of a purely pioneer character; and: generally speaking was on the ground before any, other denomination,., .The result was that for years there were returned as attendants on public worship representatives of almost every other. sect under -heaven, and then, as other clergymen came into the field, the members of their respective congregations drafted; off. This was naturally to be expected, and-perhaps not to be regretted, but the fact that in despite of their losses they held . their own,- and. .even. returned ,an increase - lor the year, represented a much greater : advance than at fiist appeared. . Messrs, Richardson and Lewis....confirmed the, utterances of the last speaker, .-i1..;.-.. j It was reported-that during the last year a reduction has been .effected, in the debt on Church property, os follows i—Wellington cir-i cult, £llO ; Hutt, £25 ; and Greytown, 1 £57. It was also! reported'that the Adelaide-roid

Church has been enlarged at fa'J r cost of £175, and“an adjoiifing :site~of“a:quaiter;qf7an"qcre' of land purchased; that a' church haiS ' been erected at Feathers ton, at'a cost of £370; that" a church bas.been; erected at Napier, at a cost of £2IOO ; that a ehurch has been erected at 'Gisborne, at a cost of £320 ; .and that at Kaikoura half an acre of land ,has .been presented to the Conference by H; S. Tiffin,. Esq. . The Rev. J. B; Richardson was appointed to accompany the chairman as the representative of the district in the Stationing Committee and the Conference. ,’ ' ‘ . ‘ .

I The following recommendations were forwarded to Conference That permission .be -granted to the -Wellington circuit to purchase a manse at Thdrndon for the second preacher ; that permission be granted to' the .Wairarapa circuit to erect ,a church at. Maaterton, to coat £SOO, and to sell a.small section of land to the Masterton town trustees for the purpose of widening the street upon which the property abuts that permission '. be ' granted to " the Napier circuit to- sell three town sections in :Clive-square, Napier, for reasons set forth in a ‘resolution of the trustees; a' copy of which is in the hands of the President. ‘ The contributions from the Wellington district.to the Home Mission Fund were announced as follows Wellington; £79’ os. 9d;; Hutt, £l7 ;' Grey-, town;- £l7 145.; Napier, £1 Is.; total, £ll4 ISs. 9d. It was recommended that out of this fund be payed the following grants-in-aid : Napier, 1 £23 15s. 6d.;‘ for odnhexional expenses ; ,and Gisborne £IOO, in : augmentation .of minister’s stipend. A lengthened conversation arose On the present editorship' of ' the New Zealand Wesleyan, and general dissatisfaction was expressed with the . manner in which this connexional organ of the colony is conducted. . ’ ’I"

: The meeting then adjourned till this moming at 10 o’clock.