METHODIST CHURCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22504, 23 February 1935, Page 20

METHODIST CHURCH

ANNUAL CONFERENCE YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS Tho annual conference of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, which was opened on Thursday night, was continued in Trinity Church yesterday, when a good deal of business was transacted. The president (the Rev. J. H. Haslam) presided. DEPUTATIONS TO BE HEARD.. The conference decided that it would hear a deputation from the New Zealand Alliance at noon on Monday and one from . the Otago Council of the League of Nations at 12.15 p.m. on Monday. It was also decided to admit a deputation from the Council of Christian Congregations at 12.15 p.m, on Tuesday. ■ v •. , ADDRESS TO GOVERNOR- '• GENERAL. * The Rev. C. Eaton referred to tho fact that the Governor-General (Lord Blcdisloe) .would shortly be leaving New Zealand, and mentioned that an address had been prepared expressing the goodwill of the church and recognising the services which Lord Bledisloe had rendered to the Dominion. No opportunity for presenting this had so far been provided, but it was understood that his Excellency would be in Dunedin on Tuesday, and that he would receive a deputation from the conference at 5.30 p.m. A committee was appointed to" present the address to his Excellency on that date. - . . STATIONING COMMITTEE. . The following were appointed as lay representatives to the Stationing Committee : . .. Auckland t istrict—Messrs P. Penn and T. Chirk; South Auckland—Messrs J, C. Tietjers and J. T. Johnson; Taranaki-Wanganui—-Messrs 0. E. Bellingent and T. W. Dickson;, Hawke's Bay—Messrs H. W. Baillie and J. Nairn; Wellington —Messrs R. Hampton and R. S. Maunder ; Nelson —Messrs J. Heath and E. S. Wratt; North Canterbury—Messrs W. C. Francis and J. H. Blackwell; South Canterbury—Messrs H. H. Brown and G. H. B- Bill; Otago-Southland— Messrs F. G. Marshall and H. H. Johnson; Solomon Islands Mission district— Mr ;W. S.- Mackey. • The ballot for the conference vejw'esentative on the committee resulted, on the third, ballot, in Mr R. C. Clark, principal of, Wesley Training College, Paerata, being elected. . - ■ ■ ADMITTED AS MINISTERS. The following, liaving fulfilled their probationary tests over a period of four years, were admitted as ministers in full The conference decided that the Rev. be ordained later during the conference: —The Revs. T. H. Carr, W. E. A. Carr, R. Dudley, W. W. ,H. Greenslade, W. E. Moore, H. W. Payne, D. 0. Williams and G. Parker. •' - > * ■> ’ M FOREIGN MISSIONARY . SELECTED. .

The conference decided that the Rev. A. Wharton E. Silvester (Otorohanga) should be designated for foreign mission service. It was stated that the Foreign Missions Board had been unanimous in Us selection of Mr Silvester for mission work in the Solomon Islands. FRANKLIN ROAD CHURCH. A lengthy discussion took place on the proposal that the Auckland West circuit boundaries be altered to include the Franklin Road Church in the Auckland Social Service Mission. , ■ An amendment that the .question be deferred was lost by 90 votes to. 72. A further amendment that a special commission bo set up to review the boundaries of Auckland West was lost. • The proposal for alteration of the boundary was then adopted. DEACONESS INSTITUTION. The report on the Deaconess Institution stated that during the year the committee had discussed the possibility of a closer co-operation between the Home ' Mission Department and the institution. The need for deaconesses i;. social service work in the cities as well as in the sphere of religious education was becoming increasingly manifest. The financial resources of the circuits appeared to be unequal to meeting the need. The committee was giving earnest consideration to the Whole question of the future policy of the institution, the type of student needed, and -the nature of the training required to meet modern needs. The church could not afford to ignore the training of women for Christian service, and it was essential that the whole position should be explored afresh. . r. • • • It was decided that the regulations should be altered to include the provision that, should a deaconess or former deaconess trained in the institution desire to become a local preacher, she should be exempted from taking a written examination. It was decided that the Deaconess Institution be. empowered to allow any trained Maori deaconess to retain her official status; after marriage, provided that she was fully employed in deaconess work under the Home Mission Department and that satisfactory arrangements were made with respect to her connection with the retiring fund. It was stated that this was not to be regarded as a general rule, but every case wbuld be considered on its own merits. In view of the desirability of all women workers receiving a specialised course of training at Deaconess House before proceeding to the Foreign Mission field, the conference decided that the Foreign Mission Board should arrange for such training, except in cases especially exempted, by the board, after consultation with the executive committee of the Methodist,, Women’s Mission Union. ’

The conference decided that ft special commission should be set up to consider and report to the next synod and conference on the Deaconess Institution and the training of women for Christian service. CIRCUIT ALTERATION. On the subject of circuit amalgamation, it was reported that a commission had submitted an opinion to the Synod of Otago and Southland that the proposal to amalgamate St. Kilda, Cargill road and Caversham was not practicable at the present time. This opinion, which was adopted by the synod, was approved by the conference. CANDIDATES FOR MINISTRY. On/the recommendation of the Examination Committee the following were approved as candidates for the ministry to receive training at the theological institution ;—Messrs H. G. Harkness, J. Silvester, J. C. A. Williams, W. R. Laws, L. C. Clements. The case of a Maori candidate was deferred for further consideration. ORPHANAGES’ REPORT. It was reported to the conference that in the South Island-orphanages, of . the church, an average of 50 children had been maintained during the past 21 years at a cost to the South Island Methodist Orphanage- Board of approximately £30,000. -The Rev. M. A. Rugby Pratt staled that the assets were in'the vicinity of £.30,000, and there .were practically no liabilities. The board, however, was still in need of generous assistance of the church members if it was to continue to carry on its great work.

‘Mr Cyril Burton (New Plymouth) expressed the opinion that an endeavour should be made to have the children transferred as soon as possible from the orphanages to Christian private homes. In this way they would be delivered from tendencies inevitably associated with institutional homes and receive the nearest possible upbringing to that provided in a good home by a child’s own parents. He thought that church members should not put their responsibilities in this matter upon the oruhanage boards, but should be prepared to take these unfortunate children into their own homes. It was stated that children were never taken into the orphanages when private homes of the character indicated by Mr Burton were open to receive them. Several members expressed the opinion that the life of the children in the orphanages was a very happy one. It was ireported to the conference that the Rev. S. 'Griffith was retiring from his position as secretary of the Auckland Children’s Home and Orphanage after 10 years’ service. A resolution was passed placing on record the conference’s appreciation of Mr Griffith’s work. A resolution was passed expressing appreciation of the services of Mr G. Bpwron, who had been lay treasurer of the South Island Board for the past 20 years. A similar ■ resolution was passed in respect to the Rev. A. Hopper, who was relinquishing his position as secretary to the Papanui Orphanage in order to take up a similar position at the Auckland Orphanage in succession to. the Rev. S. Griffith. CONFERENCE ON FAITH AND ORDER. Dealing with the subject of the World Conference on Faith and Order, the Rev. Percy Paris moved that the sum of £5 should be given from the Contingent Fund to the treasurer of the Continuation Committee at Geneva, and this was agreed to. The hope was expressed that some New Zealand Methodist travelling in Europe in 1937 might be able to represent the church at . the Lausanne Conference in that year. GENERAL. It was decided that Cargill Road (Dunedin), which was due to provide for a married instead of a single minister, should be relieved for a seventh year.

The conference decided that the Tuatapere -district be detached from the Nightcaps-Tuatapere station and attaehed to Otautan. The Rev. G. I. Laurenson, of Ponsonby, was appointed assistant superintendent of home missions, and was taken from circuit work for that purpose. It was decided that the Rev. B, O. Blamires (Feilding) should be relieved from pastoral work for one' year to take up work under the auspices of the Bible in Schools League. During the evening the Stationery Committee was in session, and the first draft of circuit appointments is expected to-be presented this morning.