North Dunedin Presbyterian Church.

Otago Witness, Issue 1582, 18 March 1882, Page 23

North Dunedin Presbyterian Church.

The Dunedin Presbytery met in the North Dunedin Church on Monday evening to moderate in a call. There were present— The Revs A. Greig (moderator), Dr Stuart, L. Mackie, Watt, Will, Ross, R. R. M. Sutherland, and J. M. Sutherland. There was a numerous attendance on the part of the congregation. As is customary, the Moderator first preached, and at the close of the sermon announced that the Presbytery were present to moderate in a call—to give the congregation an opportunity of choosing a minister. The Rev. Mr Ross read the form of call, and tho members of the church ' were invited^ to propose the name of some minister for insertion m the call. Mr W. Hutton said he had great pleasure in moving that the name of the Rev. A. 0. Gillies be inserted in the call. The Rev. Mr Arnot said he rose with great pleasure to second the motion. The church had been long without a pastor ; it was time this unsettled state of affairs was terminated, and there was reason to believe that they would with considerable unanimity call the Rev. Mr Gillies. While there were others whom they might personally prefer, he could not help stating that he had a very high opinion of Mr Gillies' power in the pulpit, his calmness and clearness, and the interesting manner in which he presented truth. He had heard people speak of how they had apprehended and felt what he (the Rev. A. C. Gillies) had said. By the representation in an unusual way of truth, he had made them feel that he was a man very likely to command the attention and respect of the congregation, and also be the means of bringing in many outsiders who hitherto had been in the ways of carelessness, and not attending any church ordinances. Of the lectures he (the Rev. A. C. Gillies) had delivered, they were not all of the same opinion, but it was felt by # the great bulk of the community, he believed, that Mr Gillies had done an important service to Christianity in Dunedin, and while there might have been specks they could have wished had not been in them, they felt exceedingly grateful to have heard such testimony borne in such a clear, effective, and also popular way. They therefore thought that his being appointed would be a great public boon, and trusted there would be nothing in the way of his being appointed ; that those who did not feel they could remain under his ministry would see their way quietly to remove,. though he hoped none would feel any occasion to do that.— (Applause.) He had much pleasure in seconding the motion, and though they had not the proof of his capacity as a pastor, he trusted his capacity in that direction would be equal to that he had already shown in the pulpit. The Moderator asked if any member had any other name to propose ; and as no further proposition was made, the motion was carried unanimously, and the name of the Rev. A. C. Gillies was inserted in the call, which was signed by 100 members, and the concurrence in the call by 48 adherents. The Moderator called for dissentients, but no one signed as dissenting from the call. The Rev. L. Mackie said that under the circumstances the duty of the Presbytery was plain— viz., to sustain the call that had been so largely signed both by the membership and adhorency, and he therefore moved that the call be sustained. The Rev. W. Will said he had much pleasure in seconding tho motion, and the Presbytery unanimously sustained the call. On the motion of tho Rev. Dr Stuart, it was agreed, as tho Rev. A. C. Gillies was not present, to leave the call in the bands of the

office-bearers for further signature ; and the Presbytery adjourned, to meet m the hall of the First Church on Wednesday, 22nd inst.