MERTON PRESBYTERIANS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23332, 26 October 1937, Page 13

MERTON PRESBYTERIANS

SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS CONCLUDED Following a picnic gathering in the grounds adjoining the church in the afternoon, the celebrations in connection with the seventieth anniversary of the Merton Presbyterian Church were brought to a successful conclusion last night with the holding of a banquet. Approximately 160 people were' present, including several visitors from Canterbury and Central Otago, whose associations with the church ranged over a lengthy period. The chair was occupied by Mr D. R. Allen, and guests at the official table were the Rev. W. A. Stevely and Mrs Stevely, the Rev. T. W. Potts (moderator of the charge), Messrs P. White, T. H. Hammond (oldest elders), Mrs A. M. Finlayson (wife of the first settled minister of the church), Miss C. Johnston (daughter of the first minister who took services in the district), and Mrs D. R. Allen.

Extending *a welcome to those present, Mr Allen briefly traced the history of the church from its beginning 70 years ago until the present day. Many people had formed friendships at the little church, and it was pleasing to observe that a number of old friends were brought together again at the jubilee functions. Congratulatory messages for a successful jubilee had been received from as far north as Auckland, and this illustrated the interest which former members of the congregation maintained in their church.—(Applause.) THE EARLY DAYS Seventy years ago on August 5, 1867, Mr Allen said, regular church services were held in Merton under Mr William Morris prior to the arrival of the Rev. W. Johnston. In 1874 the membership of the Merton congregation was 48, and six years later it had increased to 67, Mr A. M. Finlayson being in charge of the parish in 1880. The first elders of the church were Messrs James Hay and John Reid, and these men were followed by Messrs Catherwood and Scott. The ordination of Mr Finlayson took place on March 22, 1876. The first church at Merton had been burned, and, by a similar coincidence, the church at Waitati had also been burned in the same year. Both, however, were rebuilt. In 1916 the Rev, Mr Finlayson retired, and his position was filled for a period of eight years by the Rev. J. C. Jamieson, who was now in Australia. The next minister was the Rev. J. Wilson, whose termination of ministry was brought about in 1929 owing to ill-health. Until the end of 1934 Mr R. M. Lament carried on, and after the amalgamation of the Waitati, Merton, Pukakanui and Hayward’s Point Churches Mr G. Calder, a student missioned had officiated until 1936, when the present student missioner (Mr Allen) had taken over. Like other churches, Mr Allen < concluded, Merton had experienced its reverses, but to-day he was pleased to state that the church was showing an upward trend again. MR STEVELY’S ADDRESS An inspiring address, which was followed with the closest attention, was delivered by the Rev. W. A. Stevely, minister of First Church. “ I bring you cordial greetings from the First Church of Otago on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of this church,” said Mr Stevely. “ May you gather inspiration from -the remembrance of God’s guidance and blessing during these three score years and ten! A learned man once wrote to a friend at a notable moment in the latter’s career and said: ‘ Think and thank.’ That should, be the enterprise of every anniversary season. A wise remembrance unseals the fountain of gratitude. “ The Church is meant to keep a warm hearthstone for fellowship, for it is God’s family upon earth. Comradeship is to be one of its characteristics. ‘ Within these walls let no one be .a stranger ’ was the motto of the American Church in Berlin. This is a true interpretation of Christ’s intention for His people. An eminent historian, discussing the reason of the wonderful expansion of Christianity at the outset of its career, makes reference to the historian Gibbon’s explanation. Gibbon gave these five causes; The zeal of the primitive Christians, their doctrine of immortality, the miraculous powers of the Apostolic Church, their pure morality, and the union of the Christian Republic. The later historian acknowledges that doubtless all these were potent causes, but adds that Gibbon overlooked the greatest reason of all; and he declares that the reason why Christianity spread over the world and won the nations was that the early Christians understood the blessed secret of fellowship as Christ had taught it. It was said by Tertallian that in those early days the heathen would often exclaim; ‘ See how they love one another! ’ That was the power of Christianity in the early days. It possessed a 1 peculiar ’ or special quality of fellowship that the world sorelv needed. The nations need it today. The classes within each of the nations need it; and if we would recover this ancient power, we must practise the ancient secret. “ No one has stressed more emphatically than Jesus each individual’s own responsibility, but His emphasis on the importance of fellowship is equally arresting. He declared that His Presence was accentuated when a few met together in His name. Nor is there anything mechanical or accidental about Christian fellowship. It arises because all are drawn to the same centre, viz., Jesus Christ. The spokes of a wheel unite at the hub. The nearer people come to Christ, the nearer they must come to one another. One of the purposes of the Church is to nrovide a_ warm hearthstone of fellowship in the coldness of the world. “A further purpose of the Christian Church is that it is a school of character. It is too late in the day to question the value of education and the schools. We are all greatly indebted to them. And we need the Church as a school of character We no more dream ourselves into good character than we dream ourselves into a good education. Jesus insisted that His people were to be ‘peculiar,’ distinctive, like light, like salt, like a city on the hill top. Their character was to be conspicu-

ous, and their influence positive. More than once He marked a decisive contrast by the phrase, ‘That is the pagan way,’ or ‘ Be not as the pagans.’ He wished His followers ( to be the aristocrats of the spiritual life. What does that mean for us? Many think of their rights first and their duties last. The world is in large measure the turbulent place it is because multitudes are insisting solely on their rights. It has been finely said that the mark of a Christian is to be content with less than his rights and to aim to do more than his duty. This is the Christian rendering of ‘ noblesse oblige.’ This is what the Church stands for—to learn to be Christ’s pioneers, building a pathway of behaviour for mankind.

“Another great purpose of the Christian Church is to be a channel of living kindness. It has been pointed out that one of the greatest contrasts between the East and the West is that the one is callous and the other compassionate. It is Christ through His Church that has made the difference. The Church’s ideal has penetrated beyond itself. Many activities of kindness which once depended directly on the Church are now discharged by the State or nonreligious societies. There are many in the world who need more than charity: they require sympathy. The kindly warmth of summer calls forth many flowers that could not venture out in the severe cold of winter. Christ’s people are specially fitted to be His hands of helpfulness. Christ in the heart always raises the temperature. Here, too, the law applies, no impression without expression. “ But the supreme function of the Christian Church is to be the herald of good news. The Gospel is the most wonderful message that ever fell on human ears. Good news is quite different from good advice. As Professor James Orr has said, ‘ The world has always had plenty of good advice, far more than ‘it cared to use.’ The essential need of the world. is good news of a Saviour Who is greater than all our problems, our fears, our sins; Who can help men to achieve the impossible, Who can redeem men, and by changing their hearts make a new world. The Christian Church still makes men glad with the good tidings—‘God so'loved the world that He gave His - only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him sholild not perish, but have everlasting life.’ ,r A HAPPY ASSOCIATION The Rev. Mr Potts, who took the opportunity of informing the gathering that it would be the last occasion that he would officiate _as moderator in the Merton district, said he was pleased to see such a large attendance at the function. He had enjoyed his happy association with the Merton Presbyterians during a period of nine years, and intimated that as he was only going as far as Seacliff he would find ample opportunity to keep in touch with the progress of the Merton Presbyterian Church—(Applause.) APPRECIATION OF SERVICES In appreciation of her services as organist over a long period, Miss A. Allison was presented with a gold wristlet watch, Mr Allen remarking when making the presentation that Miss Allison had rendered invaluable assistance to the church. ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME The following gave items during the evening: Mrs F. McCurdy (songs), Messrs J. L. Chisholm (songs) and A. Gray (violin solos). The accompanist was Mrs J. Bates.