MORNINGTON METHODISTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22432, 29 November 1934, Page 14

MORNINGTON METHODISTS

- .. ♦"— —- . WELCOME TO THE REV. E. T. COX On Monday evening the Morningtop Methodist Sunday School Hall was the scene of ah enthusiastic gathering of church members and adherents, the occasion being a welcome home to the Rev. E. T. Cox and Mrs Cox upon their return from the Melbourne centenary celebrations. The function- was opened with a hymn and prayer,'after which a short but popular musical programme was contributed by Messrs E. Paris »nd R. G. Simpson (songs), Messrs Buckland and Rowlatt (banjo duets), and Master Whale (recitations):; Mr F. G. Marshall (chairman) had associated with him on the 'platform Mr and Mrs Cox, the Rev. Mr Olds and Mr Torrance. The chairman extended a hearty and sincere welcome to Mr and Mrs Cox, and complimented them upon their very evident fitness. The evening served a dual purpose, he said—to welcome Mr and Mrs Cox and to show emphatically that the hist official quarterly board meeting was not indicative of the desire of the church members as a whole. Mr Marshall then dealt briefly with events leading up to that meeting, mentioning that in the first place Mr Cox Lad astounded Dunedin by the large majority obtained at the mavoral election. He had a great ideal—to banish the curse of unemployment.—(Applause.) As Mayor he encountered determined opposition from certain quarters, but, notwithstanding, he had done valuable work. The argument used by some members of the church —and a good argumentwas that, in their opinion, it was not .possible for .Mr Cox to carry out the duties both of Mayor and minister of the church, and that the church, must suffer, Mr Marshall thought that that opinion was honestly and impersonally held, and those who held it must bo respected for their sincerity. But he was in the happy position of being able to refute that argument. After the last official quarterly meeting, anjl after Mr and Mrs CoThad sailed for "Austriilia. some who were dissatisfied' with the result" conferred and decided to sound th* opinions of church members and adherents; v They drew up a petition which'had been signed already by over swo-thirds of the members, who. were arixioiis that Mr Cox:should be retained, and more names were yet to be added. In that; petition,, said ;l|r Marshall, they had a to the esteem in which, Mr, Coaf-was held, arid,' with regard toXthe, quarterly meeting, it constituted a.demand which -could not be; ignoredn He sincerely hoped th : a unanimous vote for Mr Cox. Would be returned. W-( Applause."), Mr Cox was/engaged in a wonderful'work—the emancipation of the unemployed. The chairman stressed the sacred responsibility of members and 'adherents by being loyaj to, the church and the minister by regular attendance and then, by closer communion with Christ* better work than ever would be accomplished. Mr; Lamb, a trustee of the'church, then 'Welcomed Mr arid Mrs Cox, and spoke briefly to the effect that the congregation of the church should have greater, powers in official matters than they had, By this he meant that the •Quarterly Board was not necessarily representative of the members, . Mr A. "W. Rawley, also a trustee, in a brief, address of welcome, said that he had at first held the opinion that it was not possible for a minister to hold the two positions satisfactorily, but he was how convinced that Mr Cox had the ability to do so. He had not always agreed with Mr Cox, and neither did he always agree with Messrs Forbes and Coates—but he would say that in his opinion, the church had not been neglected. Mr Pitts, representing the choir, and Mr Torrance also extended a welcome, the latter remarking that all Methodists should be proud of Mr Cox. Short addresses were given hj Mr Tennent, a trustee, and Mrs Harvey, who presented to Mrs Cox a beautiful bouquet of roses on behalf of the Ladies' Guild. The Rev. C. H. Olds, chairman of the district, then addressed the gathering and, in the course of his speech, complimented the previous speakers on the fairness of their remarks, and said that presenting the petition to the Quarterly Board was ih his opinion the only wise method of attaining their desires. In reply, Mr Cox thanked everyone for their welcome, and said that the quality of the addressee given during the evening had made him happy. He gave some impressions of his Australian visit and entertained those present with interesting anecdotes.