COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 12

COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

ANNUAL MEETING

Th tenth annual meeting of Dunedjn Council of Churches was held on the 13th in the hail of the Moray Place Congregational Church. The Rev. D. Borne (president) occupied the chair, and there wero Vesent a score of church representatives. The treasurer's report, read by Mr b. Rosevear, showed a total income (including a balance of £2 lis 4d brought forward from last vear) of £29 10s Bd. The expenditure was £2B 7s sd, leaving a balance of £1 3s Zd. The outstanding liability was only soma 6s.—The report was adopted. The election of office-bearers resulted.: President, Rev. G. Knowles Smith; secreztary, Rev G. Heigh way ; treasurer, Mr Jv Rosevear; auditor, Mr D. Leslie. Congratulatory remarks were made on the appointment of the various officers. Motions recording appreciation ot the ■services rendered by the retiring j*****™ (the Rev. D. Borrie) and secretary (the Rev C Dallaston) were passed on the motion of the Rev. G. Knowles Smith. THE EUGENICS SOCIETY. Th- R"v Knowles Smith (convenor of the Public Questions Committee) reported that, the Eugenics Society desired that it should be allowed to use the name of the Council of Churches as being ,n sympathy with ite aims and programme. He moved that the motion, pTo forma. He thought the aims of the society were excellent, but he conSdered much of what they aspired to do wafbevond law and beyond moral pressure. He was afraid they had unde 'taken a great rlenl that could not possibly be done. _ It thev contented themselves with expressing svmpartS with the object, he thought they SoSEra risking little but he was chary of giving support in the dark to a pro Gramme of which they knew nothing. When Sag with delicate moral mi-bt be landed in all kinds of difneulties bv extremists He had a strong feeling as £ th* inadvisability of giving support to an unknown programme. , Mr Smith, who is a member of the iuir .. t -. programme couW Eugenics bocietj, saio we v* » Thovinbe "iven in one word—education 1 hey in truest, thought sjould be given to the ereatest details of our human life lnev oroposcd no plan of campaign beyond educahe though* Mr Saunders perfectly Vight in his posTJion. and was quite prepared to accept a resolution of sympathy as sufficient for the time being. Mr W M'Ledd said he thought, it would beT an exceedingly unwise thing for the council to take any action at the present U Mr Benton said that when he saw the ohfect of the societv he thought it was SfiSthrt of a slur upon the Headl of their church that an outside body should.be required to teach these things. He though. ?he teachings of Christ were such as would not only control human nature but place ft upon a high and. noble pedestal. Eugenics l&tobe promulgated by psycholoS > ana* others from an outside aspectSg without an infusion of spiritual force H thus question was worth anything ifwts worth being preached from the pulpit tvorth living, and worth moral suasion End-all the activities or church life They could onfi be in sympathy with the aim but he! thought they were losing spiritual newer bv relegating it to outside sources. P Mr M'Leod moved as an amendment that no action he taken at present. n Mr Hastie seconded this, and Mr Saunders said ho thought it would be well to withdraw the motion. , Mr Borrio suggested a committeejnoght be appointed to confer with the society, " fuller light." and report. Mr Smith said he would accept a commfttc*. but be did not understand the attifade taken up by one or two speakers. The jn-eat moral force in the world was Jesus Christ and the pulpit ought to be its expS, But if he took the counsel given there ho would have to resign from the United Temperance Reform Council because Jesus Christ and the pulpit ought to be the centre of the temperance movement. Mr Gumming moved that the matter be referred to the Public Questions Committee to bring up a report-for the next meeting. Mr Wright seconded the motion, which woe carried DEEPENING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. The Rev Mr Saunders raided the question of the desirability of deepening the .gpiritual Itf" of the members of churches.

He thought that while great strength was thrown into missions they were not doing what might be done in a city like this for deepening the spiritual life. In the Home Land they had conventions, conducted by some trusted representative of the churches, and men met together for study, for prayer, and mutual help. Ho would like to see above everything something done by the council in that direction. It was the one need of today in thjj* oitv. He thought there was an awakening in the city, not only in the churcbr«3, but outside, and there was a number of societies being formed here for the deepening of spiritual life—not ailways along lines that would meet with/ the entire approval of the churches, and so he thought something should be don© in the matter. He would move that the present executive take, earnest thought on this subject, and be given power to act. Mr Duncan Wright said he had never risen to second a motion with greater warmth and eaj-nestness than this. He believed they had been lacking m this one element. If they had had more definite life they would have had more power in their work. He hoped action would soon bo taken. The motion was unanimously endorsed. SABBATH. OBSERVANCE. The Rev. D. Borrie gave an address touching on this topic. He said he, had long had an idea, that the churches were negligent of some things, and one of them was the neglect of the Sabbath. He had noticed that in Great Britain the churches had taken up this matter, and tried to deepen the responsibilities of the people regarding the due observance of the Sabbath. This was a thing on which all the churches might unite and endeavour to effect an improvement. The speaker then detailed steps he had taken in connection with the Presbytery and the Anglican mini6trv in this matter, and then proceeded "to say that he did not mean to simply deal with Sabbath desecration. He would take no part in the movement if it was to deal simply with any form of Sabbath desecration. In that ca>se the movement would run to seed, and everyone would tilt at his own pet aversion. They should get at the proper and deeper question—the due observance of the Sabbath amongst the members of their own congregations. By uniting in that way, said the speaker, and working upon the members of our churches and the young people, we could get consciences awakened and do very much to bring to an end these forms of Sabbath desecration. The Sabbath, continued the speaker, was one of the greatest blessings to mankind, and ranked along with the Bible. To minimise the various forms of desecration of the Sabba;h was a work calling for the efforts of all the churches. Nothing else would do it but a revival of religion. But they needed more than that—a revival of education. He would like the question to be referred to a committee to take up the question of instituting a campaign. Mr Smith moved that the council express its hearty appreciation of the proposed campaign for the better observance of the Sabbath, and that the whole question be remitted to the executive, with power to join in any united movement thereon. Mr Dallaston seconded the motion, which was carried. GENERAL. The new president (the Rev. G. Knowles Smith), the Rev. W. Saunders, the Rev. D. Borrie, and Messrs Duncan Wright, T. W. White, and J. A. Wilkinson were appointed a deputation to convey the greetings of the council to the approaching meetings of the Baptist Union. Mr Smith expressed pleasure that one of the churches had at ]oa<=.t seriously begun to consider its attitude in connection with the council. He would move that a committee be appointed to take the matter up and consult with the committee appointed bv the Presbvtery. The Revs. f. Dallaston. W. Saunders, W. Slado, G. Hejghway, and G. Knowles Smith were appointed a committee to so act.