WELCOME TO METHODISTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22504, 23 February 1935, Page 9

WELCOME TO METHODISTS

MAYOR VISITS CONFERENCE CITY’S RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND The fact that Dunedin was a city with a strong religious background was mentioned by the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) when he extended a civic welcome yesterday tq the members attending the annual conference of the Methodist Church of New Zealand. The Mayor and Mayoress were briefly introduced to the president (the Rev. J. H. Haslam) by the Rev. C. H. Olds, who referred to the respect and esteem in which Mr Cox was held by his brother ministers in Dunedin. Mr Cox, who was received with applause, said that in no other city of the Dominion would the press give more space to the proceedings of the conference than in Dunedin, and no other reading public would be so interested in its doings. For the city had a background of religious history and tradition had had given character to the present generation. Dunedin was a city of churches and church-going people. This was mainly due to the origin of , the pioneer settlement and to the con- i tinned flow of Scottish immigrants throughout the history of the city and the province. At the present time just : one-half of the residents of the city and province were in the communion of the Presbyterian Church —a church very close to their own, not only ; a ideals,. but also in corporate activity. The citizens of Dunedin greeted them through himself that day, because they recognised the important place which the. Church held in the life of the community and the influence for good which it wielded upon the character of men. They sometimes deplored church attendances, but on great occasions the work that was done in quietness and obscurity was made manifest. After stressing the point that things were never so bad as they seemed, .the Mayor concluded by inviting conference members to visit the Town Hall, and outlined to them some of the more attractive spots in the city. The president, acknowledging the civic welcome, said that their church had taken a worthy place in the civic life of the Dominion. Many of their lay representatives had been chosen as the chief magistrates of the cities and towns of the Dominion, but so' far as his memory went this was the first time that one of their brotherhood had been selected to fill the position which Mr Cox occupied. They felt they were in a very distinguished position so far as Mr Cox was concerned. After referring to the high ’ reputation which , Dunedin enjoyed as a city interested in all that tended to the elevation of.the community, the president concluded by saying that he was sure that each member of the conference would return to his home feeling that he had been in a place where the spiritual atmosphere was favourable to all that was best, and that the city wished them well.