OAMARU PRESBYTERY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10960, 28 December 1911, Page 4

OAMARU PRESBYTERY.

A CALL TO WESTON-TOTARA PARISH. -•*' '•'-■

The Oamaru Presbytery met-at St.. Paul's Church this morning for tne special purpose ,?of considering a : call from the Weston-Totara'-Ardgowan congregation to Mr James D. Wilson, a licentiate of the Presbyterian .Church-. The following present:—Revs. J. C. Paterson (chairman/.in the,absence of the Moderator), R. J. "Porter, W. Wright, J. Standring, and J. Steven, Messrs G. StringCi- (Weston), M'Crae (Wa'iareka), and W. W. Beswick (Columba). . Apologies, for sence were: received from Rev&. Clark and Rennie. After the meeting had been formally opened, the Rev. Mr Paterson (interim Moderator of . the ... Weston-Totara, charge) vacated-the chair, to which' the Rev. M.'Standriiig was voted. The Rev. J. C. Paterson reported that of .112 members on the communion roll, 96 had signed, the ...call-.t0... Mr Wilsoiiy and it' had 'been sustained by 93 adherents. Of the 16 members who had hot signed^ : sdme were away from home: and could not he reached, and one Jiad. refused to sign en conscientious ifoi?. havingheard Mr Wilson preach. The call was.a hearty one.,aud there was no'opposition; He had' received from Mr. Wilson an intimation that he would accept'the ball»if it were unanimous. '■ ■ ""-■'-

'/ile'sisrs. ; W.; Needs, R. B. Meek,, -and TJ. ap'peiifed to sujiport the call. TOie former intimated that only four .in the ; 'J'otara division- of the charge had not signed the call, and they were .all accounted for.' Mi-.Meek said that the call had been heartily taken up at Weston, and those who had not signed it had expressed their willingness to fall in heartily with the decision. _ Mr Morton said that Alma- was practically unanimous in'.supporting the call. The call Was a lsfr supported by MrString'er. -Tile Rcv.' ; M?r Wright'inoved—"That the call ~be ; sustained and placed in the ''hands of the Rev. Mr Paterson, who had been authorised by Mr Wilson to accept it on his behalf." The motion on being seconded by Rev. R. J. Porter was carried unanimously. - '"'The'Rev. R: J. Porter, speaking of Mr Wilson's training at the Theological College, said the latter had passed with high credit. The two sermons he had sent in were examined by the Rev. Mr Clark, who reported on them favorably. He moved that the sermons he sustained. The Rev. J. C. Paterson seconded, and the motion was carried.

It was decided to meet on Thursday, 11th January, at 3 p.m., in the Weston Hall-for-'the' ordination and induction of Mr Wilson. The Rev. Mr Paterson was appointed to preach and preside on the occasion, the Rev. Mr Steven to, address the minister, and the Rev. Mr Standring to address the congregation. The Presbytery approved the request of the Wetson-Totara congregation for a grant of £&18 6s Bd, being One-third of the estimated cost of the new church building, and decided to forward the : request to the Church Board of Property.