The Gospel in the Waiau.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 427, 15 July 1913, Page 5

The Gospel in the Waiau.

.The Presbyterian Church has been the religious body which has done the pioneering gospel work m " our Far West." Far back m the settlement of the County her Ministers conducted services on the sheep stations. Over twenty years ago the Rev. A. Macdonald became the Wallace sky pilot of the West, and for fifteen $ears, m summer, heat and winter's snow, kept the outposts opened and preached the gospel m farmhouse, woolshed and but. All this has changed. The West is now settled by its Home Missionaries, handsome churches are established, cosy manses have been built, Sunday Schools and Bands of Hope flourish, and the gospel preached to them by their own settled parson. On Wednesday last another important link was forged, this was the induction of Messrs McEwan j and Johnston as Home Missionaries, and the opening of the Papatotara Manse. Service was conducted m the Manse by the Revs. MeDowall and Lopdell, the building being packed. Mr McEwan, the newly inducted Home Missionary, presented a statement of acoounts. The Manse, whioh is situated just below the junction of the Clifden-Tuatapere-Papatotara road, is on a glebe of 8& acres, on which some strenuous toil has been done by the Home Missionaries and others. She contractor's prioe was £338, and extras brought it to £357 10s. The site has been paid for and there only remains a debt of £50 on the Manse, which the congregation, led by the Home Missionaries, are setting themselves to wipe out. collection at the special service amounted to £7 7s. Towards the Home Missionary, by the use of his camera, raised £32 10s.

In the evening a similar service was held m the Orawia Church, , when Mr J. Johnston was inducted to the charge of that church. The night was wintry and forbidding, and this materially interfered with the attendance. With the well equipped organisation of the Waiau, church work should now proceed apace.