ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 16

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL.

The annual meeting of the Council of the Congregational Church of New Zealand commenced on the 7th. inst. in the Congregational Church, Moray p]ace. The retiring chairman, the Rev. Mr Keighway, conducted a de\otional service at. 11 o'clock, and gave a short resume of the year's work. At noon the council met for general business, under the presidency of the Rev. W. Day, of Auckland, the incoming chairman. ROLL CALL. The roll of the council was then called by the secretary (Rev. J. Wilkins), and the following answered to their names: — Revs. Hird, Hunt, Saunders, Hodge, Xichol. Fernie, Grant, Heighway, Wilkins, Day, Stoops, Griffiths, M'Kenzie, Mitchell, Aspland, Barker, M'Naughton, and Thomas, Messrs W. Coull, F. Coull, Greig, Cray, M'Kenzie. Lym, Craig, Lee, Po6tles, Lindsey, Lewis, Baker, Mesdames Lym, Craig, Tostles, M'Kenzie, Lindsay, Aspland, Lewis, tl'Naughton, Misses Bradbury, M'lntyre, Wilson, and Metcalf. The Rev. W. M. Grant, who was recently transferred to Port Chalmers from South Australia, and was present at the council for the first timo, was cordially welcomed by tho chairman. - The Rev. J. E. and Mrs Newell, of Samoa, and the Rev. W. D. M'Laren, M.A., of England, were received by the chairman, and unanimously associated with lire union. GREETINGS. j Telegrams expressing good wishes for a successful series of meetings were received from the Hon. O. Fowlds and Mr Jdhn Bowden (Wellington). The telegram from Mr Fowlds was as follows: — "Please accept and convey my greetings to council. Hope you may have successful meeting. Sorry I cannot be with you to-day, and am afraid important business here will prevent me from coming down on Tuesday night, as I intended.' SESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS. The following appointments for the meeting of the council were made : Minute secretary, Rev. G. H. Heighway ; corresponding secretary, .Rev. J. H. M'Kenzie ; Reference Committee, Revs. D. Hird (convener), W. Saunders, J. R. Glasson, and J. S. Baker. ANNUAL "REPORT. Tho annual report read by the secretary (the Rev. John Wilkins) stated, that during the year the Executive Committee had met 11 times, with an average attendance of 12 members. In May last the Rev. Samuel Griffiths, after nine months' temporary charge at Nelson, commenced his work at Devonport, and in November the Rev. B. L. Thomas accepted the pastorate of | Kelson, the committee being glad to j welcome Mr Thomas to their ranks again J as an active Congregational minister. After I eight years' service at Port Chalmers the Rev. E. Taylor was removed in November to Richmond, Melbourne, and the church at Port, with commendable promptitude, invited the Rev. W. M.' Grant, of South Australia, a former minister of the church at Port, to fi!l the vacancy. Mr Grant accepted the invitation, and commenced his ministry on the laet Sunday in January. I The .Rev. Robert Mitchell, after thres and a-half years' work in connection with the Kawhia Mission, at the request of the Union Committee, removed to Te Kuiti, to commence home mission work in that ! district, and the Rev. C. E. Da\idson filled j the vacancy at Kawhia. Intimation had been received that the Rev. T. A. Williams, who had been for the past fi\e years minister of the Baptist Congregational Church at Thames, waa leaving at the end of February, and the committee was in correspondence with th« Church at Thames in the interests of Congreganonalism. Newton Church (Auckland) still lemained. as it had done for the past four years, without a minister. Early last yeax Mrs Williams (of Wellington) generously , save a piece of land as a site for a new I church at AUcetown, a growing suburb of i the City of Wellington. Application had been made to the Colonial Missionary Society for a grant towards the erection of a church, which, the committee had reason to believe, would be given. Extension work had been carried on in the Auckland district at Te Kuitj and at Mount Roskill in conjunction with the Mount Eden Church. The committee was convinced that further church extension wa«= of immeJrite and pressing imi)ortance, and earnestly commended the matter to the consideration of the churches, as well as to the four District; Committees. During the year the I Port Chalmers Church generously relieved ihe Rev. E. Taylor, in order that he mitrht devote some weeks to evangelistic , i.o-k in different parts of Wellington and Canterbury districts, and much good was I Uxik'ed for in the churches visited. «A reso- ! Intion of sympathy in the death of the [ Kisrht Hon. R. J Seddon was sent to Mrs , .-VdcJon and family, together with an exof tho loss sustained by the colony. A i<'-olutio'i of condolence and sympathy u<ii aKo forwarded to Mrs Hallowes in the death of the Rev. F. B. Hallowes, who had been a faithful minister at Tirnaru , and Courtenay place, Wellington. The 1 (oiniiiitiee wa-, highly gratified at the ' ct t liar Mr George Fowlds (an ex-chair-man of the union, and a most loyal Con ei'-jrauonaliM) had become Minister of Eduuiion and Public Health in our colony, , :m<l a mos=pge of congratulation had been | forwarded to him. The thanks of the : union \\v"c due to Mr S. W. Smeaton f or the circulation of Home Mission news «hr>ef-, through the medium of which much valuab'e information had been imparted. > The friends at Newtown (Wellington) were very heartily congratulated on the progress indicated by the erection of the new church buildings. From the district reports as well as from the reports of the 6evera-l churches, it was shown that real 'and substantial progress had been made during the past year, and' the hope was, in conclusion, expressed that the new year might be one of advance and blessing -to all tho churches under the gracious guidance of the ever present spirit of God. The report was adopted, and a motion expressing appreciation of the generous donation of Mrs Williams, of Wellington. I of a site for a church at Alieetown and | also for her many acts of generosity in the I past. DISTRICT FEPOETS. The reports of the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago District Committees were read and received. The Otago report stated that, although progress had not been, made by leaps and bounds, no

ground .had been lost. Fort Channel^ Church had passed through a trying- timer, but the future was now being- faced hope^ fully. The Church property in Otago ha«§ appreciated in value through, additions an<dl improvements to some cnurches, and 0$ was likely that this year one of the churches (King Street) would free itself of debt. During 1906 fifty-on© new members were added to the Church, but through the! purging of the rolls the net increase int membership was only 14-. Sunday school scholars had decreased 8.