CHURCH SERVICES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 24

CHURCH SERVICES.

The annual services held in connection with St. Andrews Church on. Sunday were both well attended. The Rev. 6. Heighway 'occupied the pulpit in the morning, and the . I Rev. Dr Waddell in the evening. The latter, in the course of his sermon, stated that he. ' ' that day completed twenty years of hisjminis^ | try in St. Andrew's Church, and he haqhonly I been fifteen months in the <■ ministry before*^ I that. Twenty years had- wrought many"' I changes. He looked into the faces of . the- ! pews that evening, and of the many who looked into his face twenty yeara-ago only a few remained. Some answered to their names on the roll call of. other- churches. Some, alas! had drifted out and were lost in the world. A great company had joined the Church of the first born, whose names were written in heaven. It was but a short time: since he last spoke from that church platform, and yet. within the brief space of a few weeka the shadow feared of men had darkened tliree homes of the congregation. Di* Waddell pro"- 1 ceeded to allude to those who had passed away -recently, 'and made- speoial and feeling' reference to the death of the Hon. W: HReynolds, who- was, ho believed",- the veryoldest member of the churoh, and, might be said to- have- beau in a seuse its founder. "The. present site of the, church *waa granted by tin* trusteos of. Mrs Reynolds; and it -was mainly through the exertions of her husband that the sum of £500 was raised for the erection of. the first wooden structure in which the congregation worshipped. Sometimes J Mr". Reynolds had to act as doorkeeper, bellman, and .nre- . centor, and once or twice event as preacher, reading a sermon to the congregation. After the induction of Mr Meiklejohn, office-berirerg wero duly elected, and at a, meeting of officebearers, held in Mr Reynolds'a house, the name of St. Andrew's was fixed upon for the church.

The Rev. "W. AyA v Sinclair, who succeeds the Ilev. Mr Ready in connection with the work, ' of the Central Mission, delivered addresses both yesterday morning and evening. There , was a large congregation in the mornyig, and i in the evening the Garrison Hall was packed with those anxious to hear the "rev. gentleman. On this occasion Mr Sinclair took his text from the fourth chapter of the Act's of the Apostles, the words being, " Neither is their salvation in any other. He touched upon the miraculous healing of the lame man. , the narration of which was 'contahied in the chapter, and proceeded to refer to the fact that persons did not, at the present time, believe in such things as miracles. ' Peopleasked where the great works ppoken of by Christ were to be found, and he (the speaker) „ maintained that they were even to be found in the mission. They had' only to look to see moral and spiritual miracles, and these were •some of the greater works-. of which Christ spoke. Mr Sinclair then referred to salvation, of which there were many kinds, sucli aa menial, physical, political,, -and social; -bub salvation w'a.T'not possible apart • from Jesus Christ In conclusion, lie exhorted all to seek this salvation, and gave them as a definition of faith tht>. words " Forcaking all, I take Him." Mr Sinclair has a pleasing voice. and manner of delivery, his enunciation being remarkably distinct, and his language of a kind to be understood by all. He is fluent, and his stylo is quiet, deliberate, emphatic, and intensely earnest.

A blark man, who gave his name as Bennett P:\vera, who has been practising as a " quack " medico at Pipiriki, haa been sentenced to a month's hard labour in the Wanganui gaol, on a charge arising out of th 6 death of an infant at that place.