MOSGIEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22355, 31 August 1934, Page 15

MOSGIEL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

ANNUAL MEETING ’s n The annual meeting of the Mosgiel ' Presbyterian Church was held last night | in the church hall. The Rev. Hugh e Graham presided over a good attendi- ance. . , The reports of the church organisas tions were submitted as follows; * KIRK SESSION. The session reported that the work of the church in its different branches had ‘ been continued successfully, although ; attendances at services had been affected , during the winter months by the in- " clement weather conditions. Tribute was [ paid to the work of the minister and of Mrs Graham. The church member--1 ship was as follows: —Active members, 1 242; supplementary roll, 63; admis--1 sions during the eight months were—by certificate from other congregations 6, and by profession of faith 17. Disjune--1 tion certificates were granted to six 1 members who had left the district. The ! following members had died since last . annual meeting:—Mrs E. Wilson, Mrs J. Oliver, Mrs Leask, Miss Rowan and Mrs Hunter, and sympathy was extended to the relatives and friends in their loss. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. The Management Committee reported that, at the beginning of the year Messrs G. M'Leod, G. A. M‘Leod and E. Pilling had been re-elected for a further terra, and Mr F, G. Hall, a new member, was elected. The other members of committee were Messrs John Brown, A. Sinclair, C. Leary, E. Weddell and A. Weddell. Seat-letting Committee, Messrs Logan and Aitken; treasurer, Mr J. Logan; envelope secretary, Mr E. Pilling. At the end of March the church officer resigned after ten years’ service. P.W.M.U. A full report of the various activities of the P.W.M.U, was received. The mem- | bership roll was reported to number 57. J The deaths were recorded of Mrs H. Wilson and Mrs R. Findlay. Collections for the year amounted to £3 11a, and receipts for the sale of cakes to £l. The garden party held in November had been a great success, the sum of £l9 18s fid being taken. The sum of £7 was collected from mission boxes. • CHOIR. The choir reported that it had successfully competed at the first Taieri Competitions, and had assisted at various concerts. The major effort of the year had been the presentation of a cantata which was creditably carried out. The attendances of members had been i very regular and this had greatly encouraged the choirmaster in his work. YOUTH WORK. The girls’ auxiliary, under the leadership of Miss N. Prentice, had a membership of 18. A concert had been held in conjunction with the Busy Bees and was successful financially and socially. Reports were also presented from the Busy Bees, and the various Bible classes, all of which were in a satisfactory condition. The Sunday school also reported progress, mention being made of the willing services of the teachers and other assistants. The hymn “The Lord is My Shepherd ” was sung and the moderator read a Scripture lesson and offered prayer. He announced that it was intended to have a celebration at an early date of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of their present church building for public worship, an event which occurred during the ministry of the Rev. James Aitken, now of Gisborne. It was hoped to make the celebrations worthy of the occasion. At the close of the reading of the reports, the moderator commented on the contents of them. He said that the period since their last annual congregational meeting had been marked by much sickness and distress, and sorrowfully a great many bereavements were recorded. Old friends were missed, hut all rejoiced in the Christian hope and remembered that “to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Looking back on the past, they were now surer than ever before that the Christian faith was not a back number, but rather a living force in the sad bewildered world of to-day. The loyalty of so many of the members was gratefully noted, but sometimes it was wondered if the radio was a hindrance or a help to their church fellowship. Some people in quite good health and vigour might prefer to hear a sermon with their feet on a chair, in front of the fire at home. It should surely be acknowledged that the radio services

were intended for “ shut-ins ” and the infirm. All who claimed an interest in their church should make a point of uniting with those who worshipped in the sanctuary. Air Graham urged all to press on towards the mark for “ the best is yet to be.” Not backward were our glances bent, But onwards to our Father’s home. For vacancies on the Board of Alanagers the following were elected:— Mesprs J. Bryden, G. Broadley, E.' Pilling, J. Aitken, J. Brown, E. Weddell, A. Weddell, A. Sinclair and F. G. Hall. The customary votes of thanks were passed, and the meeting closed with the Doxology and Benediction,