BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18385, 25 October 1921, Page 2

BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS

LAMBETH APPEAL COMMENDED. SUGGESTED BOYS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL. LIVING STIPEND FOR CLERGY. In his opening address before the Diocesan Synod yesterday afternoon. Bishop Richards advised the Synod that it would, ha well to express its mind on recent lation on divorce, and to consider how- ib might wisely and fearlessly protest against it. Consequent upon Bishop Nevill’s address to the Synod last year, the Standing Com : mittee had appointed a financial organiser in order, to raise funds for their more pressing needs. His efforts had not met with the desired response. This might" have arisen partly because the bishop aid- hot make clear what ho considered essential in the immediate future, and what was not so immediately pressing. The chief cause, however, lay probably in the almost-unpre-cedented slump in business and in financial stringency on all sides. In circumstances such as these largo subscriptions towards capital could perhaps scarcely be expected. It should bo remembered, however, that in, the first place a falling off in . the volume of business in the community did not alter the character and the urgency of things essential in the Church; and, secondly, that if there wore anything like a universal giving of small sums, then a substantial amount' would be raised, and some of their immediate requirements met. But how should the various items in the crusade be differentiated? All were essential to the well ordering of the Church, but it was clear that some of them were more immediately, press-; mg than the others.' Thus,. while they all desired to have a fully' equipped and• endowed theological college, they would, .lot, like the collecting for it to be done at the expense of providing for the living agents at work in their parishes. Besides which the financial stress at Selwyn College had been somewhat relieved by the legacy of £SOOO from the late Dr Pennefather. to the degree of urgency in connection with the bishopric endowment, it was not for them to express an opinion. The pension fund ought to be put on a sound basis, and made adequate to its purpose as soon as possible. In the meantime special and immediate requirements were met by legislation last year, the reserve i n i , vvas sloadil .y growing, and the Synod should address itself to the question submitted to it by the General Synod—viz., the formation of a pension fund for the whole province. CLERGY AND STIPENDS. With reference to other things in the bishop s address, there were two which were of special and immediate urgency. All cler'rv should be paid a living page. It would bo unfair to say that the laity were indifferent to this. _ Much had been done a.ready by way of improvement, but more remained to be accomplished. There were largo parochial districts in which clergy were receiving less than artisans. And it was not fair to the Church, nor to the clergy themselves, that they should be burdened with financial worry and an almost hopeless struggle to provide the bare necessihes of existence and to keep out of debt. Was it less than essential that the diocese as a whole, and each district in particular, shou.d face the situation forthwith in a practical way, so that the stipend of a vicar should be at least £3OO a year? Again, they needed more clergy. The few that they had wore working as a whole with the utmost self-denial and devotion, tfut they cannot do the impossible. And it wad not their fault if people perished through lack of knowledge; if children were untaught: if whole sections of people grew up_ in practical heathenism because they did not minister to them of the grace of God. These were the matters of the greatest urgency in the Bishop's address of 1920. and he. could not think that the great body of faithful laymen throughout the diocese would desire to treat them ns unimportant. The chief results of his visit to England for the diocese were:— A grant of two scholarships of £?0 a year each for students at Selwyn College from the S.P.C.K.. From the Warden of St. Augustine’s College, Canterbury: An offer to”train free of cost candidates for the ministry from this diocese, such training to include a course at Oxford or Cambridge if the candidates be sufficiantly advanced to profit by it. Both these offers are contingent upon recommendation by the Bishop. Ho got into touch with the wardens of various theological colleges and with the secretaries of missionary societies, with the result that there was a prospect of getting a supply of suitable young clergy in two o* three years’* time, if they had work and stipends to give them. A matter of importance in relation to the supply of clergy was the fact that the Rev. M. R. Ridley, Fellow of BalHol College, Oxford, had accepted the position of Bishop’s Commissary, Mr Ridley was in touch with young men in the university, some of whom would no doubt be prepared to work overseas. His other commissary was an old friend, the Very Rev. Dean Francis, of Battle, a man of wide experience and of knowledge of parochial clergy. It would bo remembered that the late Miss M. E. A. Marchant was intending to form a teaching order, chiefly" with a view to gathering a band of women round her who would take charge of church primary schools. There were certain young teachers who felt called to dedicate their lives to the Lord in this way, but they would require training. This training the sisters of the Church were willing to undertake. The teachers would have to take a course at the University or at the Normal School, so as to become qualified under the New Zealand system of education. They would have to be trained also in the meaning and duties of what was known as the “ Religious Life.” They would become members of the Community of the Sisters of the Church for work -in New Zealand. As the Kilburn Sisters were willing to help in this way, they should provide a house for them, in which they could receive and train any who might wish to dedicate then- lives specially to the Lord. An equally important suggestion came from the Rev. Mother of the Community of the Holy Family, who bad offered to receive into their homo at St. I.eonard’s one or_ more women from the diocese, and to train them free of cost, so that they might return and form a selfgoverning order in New Zealand. BOYS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL. The suggestion for a secondary school for boys arose out of conversations on education with friends both at Clifton College and at Oxford. One could not be in the atmosphere of such places without being reminded of how profoundly the public school system had influenced for good national life and character at Home, and desiring at the same time to see the same system extended here. The two pioneer schools of this type in New Zealand were wholly inadequate to requirements, and probably also to the demand. Besides, there was no reason why Otago should not bo so well provided in this respect as Canterbury and Wanganui. But if a new school was to succeed it must command the confidence of tjic people, and be efficient. Under the suggested scheme efficiency would bo guaranteed, for they would bo able to secure the sendees of some of the foremost teachers in England. Rugby and Clifton would be responsible for providing them with the head master and with a certain proportion of assistant masters. These assistant masters would be able to return to England after a certain number of years without loss of status or of seniority through service abroad. In addition to this, the English schools would be prepared to receive some of the Now Zealand masters for experience at Home. Such a school would be a valuable asset to the community, and would take its part in strengthening the ties of affection and of loyalty between Now Zealand and the Mother Country. Among those who approved of the scheme were Professor Coupland, of Oxford; Dr David, recently head master of Rugby, and now Bishop of St. Edmondsbury; Dr King, head master of Clifton College; the Rev. W. W. Jackson, D.D., formerly rector of Exeter College, Oxford; Mr F. L. Carter, of Clifton College; and Rev. M. R. Ridley, Fellow of Bulliol College, Oxford; and Sir Janies Allen. Thus the scheme was supported by men of high standing at Home. '1 lie difficulty was finance. A large sum would be required, and it was not a good time to raise it at present. On the advice, therefore, of leading authorities in business, ho was not intending to try to start the school irnmcdiatclv. Ho hoped the scheme would be criticised and discussed throughout the dominion, so that when in a. few months’ time it was launched churchmen would be prepared to rally to it, so os to take their part in starting a great school, which would uphold the highest ideals and bo worthy to rank with other gretat educational institutions throughout the Empire. CHURCH UNION. Regarding Church union. Bishop Richards said they welcomed all movements towards it, for it was only in unity that the Church would put forth her full strength in her conflict with evil. In calling attention to the appeal issued by the last Lambeth Conference it. was not his intention to discuss it in detail, but to speak of some of its more important features by way of explana-

tion, and to indicate the lines along which they might move usefully in commending it to others. In the first place, the vision of unity : n the, appeal had in view the whole of Christendom, and not only a part of it. .There were some who would have them confine their attention to union with non-episcopal churches at Home, without contemplating union with Rome and with the Orthodox Church of the East. If they could effect union with Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, and Baptists no doubt it would bo a great gain, but it would be far from complete. When they considered the great historic Churches of East and West, with their glorious roll of theologians, confessors, and martyrs, and how, often with poverty and persecution, they had proved faithful to their trust, and had upheld their heritage of faith and order, then to regard them with indifference could arise only from crudest ignorance and want of Christian charity; while to take any step which would ' cut them off permanently from their fellowship would be disastrous to the cause of unity. It was not an enlarged Anglican Gnurch that was in contemplation. The appeal did not proceed upon the supposition that other communions would merge their individuality into that of the Church of England. , Before each sectional or national church there is set the vision of "a Church, genuinely Catholic, loyal to all Truth, and gathering into its fellowship all who profess and call themselves Christians,' within whose visible unity all the treasures of faith and order, bequeathed as a heritage by the past to the present, shall be possessed in common, and made serviceable to the whole Body of Christ. Within this unity Christian communions now separated from one another would retain much that has long been distinctive in their methods of worship and service." This involved. " the whole-hearted acceptance of the Holy Scriptures .... tho creed commonly called Nirene, as the sufficient. statement of the 0 Christian faith; the divinely instituted .sacramonts of Baptism and the Holy Communion; a ministry acknowledged by every part of the Church as possessing not only the- inward call of tho Spirit, but also the commission of Christ and the authority of the whole body." The conference suggested that, terms of union being otherwise satisfactorily adjusted, bishops and clergy of their communion would willingly accept from other authorities a form of commission or recognition which would commend their ministry to other congregations as having its place in the one family life, and hoped that the same motive would lead ministers who had not received it to accept a commission through episcopal ordination, as obtaining for them a ministry throughout the whole fellowship. This meant that when the time was ripe they should be prepared to accept whatever ministerial commission the Presbyterians,' Methodists, and others miirht desire to give them, and on their part they must be prepared to receive episcopal ordination. It meant, further, that they 'should be prepared to receive from the Orthodox Church of tho East and frcm Rome such commission as would make their ministry acceptable to them. Such was the suggestion which was made at Lambeth. It was probably the boldest venture of faith towards reunion that a responsible body of clergy had ever made. Some had said that the insistence upon episcopacy rrnde reunion impossibles But the Appeal did not insist upon episcopacy. The bishops were inspired with a vision of unity; they stated certain things which would be involved in it; they suggested a way by which they thought it might be attained. If others could set forth a bettor way they would follow it. But it must be a way that would lead to the desired end: the unity of all Christian peoplenone excluded: the ' one glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holi-. and without blemish. Their present duty was clear. They must get their' omn people to understand the Appeal and what thoir duty was with respect to it. They will try to understand the positions of those who differ from them, join with them in social work and in ways of friendly intercourse, meet with them for discussion »nd for prayer. And then if they sought the glory of God before the gWy of their particular Church, progress, although slow, would be real: the old barriers of. seoaration would be broken down: and the Church would reappear again, as in early day?, in the grace and beauty of her perfections—One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic.