CHURCHES OF CHRIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 8

CHURCHES OF CHRIST.

The twenty-seventh annual conference of the Churches of Christ of tho southern district of New Zealand was commenced on Good Friday in the Tabernacle, King street. Mr Ralph" Gebbie, 8.A., president of the Confeience Executive, presided, and representatives were present from 15 ot the churches. , Greetings ware received from and sent to the conferences also being held in the northern and middle districts, and to the Christian Women's Board of Missions of the Churches of Christ. The President, in the oourse of his address, said there were three things the conference should mean to them. It was a call for closer unity and co-operation, a, plea on the part of the individual and churches for the better service for the Great Master, and a promise of greater victory and progress than has been attained in the past. Our plea, he said, is really Christ, but Christian union may be called our distinctive plea. We advocate Christ in suoh a way that we must plead for the union of all Christians on the basis of God's Word, and not only on the letter but in the spirit of His Word. Nothing will secure l&is like work, and we want to see that we have some definite service to which to apply i our whole strength. The speaker made the distinction between conviction and persuasion. Bv getting into touch with God through His Holy Spirit, he said we shall got a ©pirit-filled life that will mean morej power. It is not a question of what we can do, but what God will do for us if we will let Him have free sway in our lives. I A motion of sympathy was passed to the widow and family of "the late Captain J. Stewart, for many years an active member of the Church of Christ. |. The Foreign Mission Committee's report stated that Mr W. MansiH left Dunedin I on March 19 for Bulawayo. South Africa. | to assist Mr Anderson in the work there, and thus enable Mr F. L. Hadfield and, family to return on furlough. Mr Hadfield since his arrival has toured New Zealand lecturing on the mission work, and has awakened a larger degree of enthusiasm j among the churches. Upon his return | fresh obligations will be undertaken, prin-1 cipally the establishment of another station i —namely, Ingome. The total result of all the appeals in this district last year was | £370. In addition, £l5O was received from, the Elborn trust. Mr Hadfield and family! are expected to leave the Bluff on May 13,1 and will be accompanied by Miss Brassett, : who should be a great acquisition to the mission workers. j An outline of future work was presented by Mr J. Inglis Wright, president of the Foreign Mission Committee. In connection with the home missions, a report on which was presented by Mr C. Fleming M'Donald, assistance was rendered last year, to the churches at Ashburton, Gore, and for several months to Kaitangata Church. The present condition of the Gore Church appears to justify the belief that the help given will soon be reduced. During the year Mr H. G. Harward conducted missions at Oaroaru, Ashburton, Gore, Mataura, I Mbxnington, and Invercargill. At most of these places he was ably assisted by Mr, J. Binnoy. Two hundred and ninety ad-' dresses were delivered, the additions being' 108. Mr Harward was relieved from this ■ work for a time to take up the position j of resident evangelist at Oamaru while Mr T. H. Mathieson is absent. The committee, j however, retains his services in the mean-: time as corresponding secretary, and look! hopefully forward to the time when he can j Tetorn to the more aggressive work. Tha committee expressed appreciation of j the services of Messrs T. Arnold and W. H. Palmer, editor and business manager, respectively of the Evangelical Messenger, j for publishing the paper monthly and dis- j tributing it to the churches free of charge, j also thanks to Mr A. Roy, correspondent to iuolated brethren, and Mr J. M. Rout- > ledge for his services to the little church' at Burnside. The treasurer's statement showed receipts for the year to be £415 i 19s lOd. This included £l5O Is 9d from the Elborn trust. The total church membership i at December 31, 1911, was 1622, an increase of 91 for the year. There were 1024 scholars in the Bible school (inohiding 299 Bible class members) and 111 teachers. It was decided that a special column be added to future statistical tables for the purpose of showing the number on the rolls' of isolated members, and to give a list of names of such. Mr J. R. Clarke (Gore) read the conference essay, tho subject being "New Zea-] land and our Plea,' 1 or "The Holy Spirit' Work in Home Missions." .The essayist re-1 minded his hearers of the apostle's declaration, "Woe is me if I preach not gospel," and, in the course of an able paper, sought to prove the truth of the tfatement that the Church's missionary enterprises measure its progress. An imperative obligation to go beyond its own bordera rested upon each cnuron, and ho eaiphasised the necessity of submitting to <3»e rarfhHMiCQ of that powor which workeih within them and is from above. He touched upon Jhe fruits produced by a spiritrfilled people. The spiritual necessity of the times demanded

God in all their being. Ab had been said, the Christian life is an unanswerable argument in favour of Christ. Mr Clark was thanked' for his paper, and it was resolved to recommend the churches to give special emphasis to the importance of personal work in soul-winning. At 6.30 p.m. the delegates and other members of the churches sat down to tea in the Tabernacle. Following the tea a foreign mission rally was held. Mr J. Inglis Wright presided, and the subject of foreign missions was then discussed from difaspects by Messrs T. J. Bull (Mataura), T. J. Melville (Mornington), J. R. Clarke (Gore), and H. G. Harward (Oamaru). The programme was interspersed with musical items, and a collection was taken up towards meeting tne exi>enses of the outgoing passages of Mr F. L. Hadfield and family and Miss Brassett to Bulawayo. The Conference of the Churches of Christ was continued on Saturday. It was decided to fall into line with the Australian and other New Zealand districts in taking up the annual offering for home missions on the first Sunday in February. Reports were presented by the evangelists from the churches, assisted by the committee and from Mr H. P. Harward. It was resolved that it be an instruction to the Home Mission Committee to again secure the services of Mr Harward at the termination of his present engagement with the Oamaru Churoh. Gore was decided l upon as the place at which the next conference will be held. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows : —Conference Executive : President, Mr T. J. Bull; vice-president, Mr J. M. Routledge ; secretary and treasurer, Mr J. R. Clarke. Home Mission Committee —Messrs C. Fleming M'Donald (chairman), J. M. Routledge (treasurer), L. O. J. Schulenburg (secretary), R. Gebbie, A. Roy, Captain C. F. Sundstrum, anel A. Thompson. Foreign Mission Committee: Messrs J. Inglis Wright (chairman), T. J. Melville (treasurer), J. L. S. Wright (secretary), T. M. Turner, H. Holmes, S. M'Donald, Mr s T. Brown. The essayist for next year will be Mr C A. Batt, The conference deoided to favour the recommendation from the General Conference that a Dominion Church Extension Fund be established, and that a Dominion evangelist and organising secretary be appointed. The question of an official organ for the Home and Foreign. Mission Committee was referred to the Home and Foreign Mission Committees,' together with the incoming executive. In the afternoon a Bible School Conference was held. Mr C. Fleming M'Donald presideel ovef a conference of Bible school representatives from the Churches of Christ on Saturday afternoon. it was announced that last year tlie first examination on "First Principles" had been conducted. A paper upon "Difficulties of the Intermediate Department and How to Overoomo Them." was read by Mr C. A. Batt (Invercargill), and Mrs H. Langford (ChristcluircH) gave an address and demonstration on work in the beginners' department. A recommendation from the general conference as to the establishment of a Dominion Bible Schools Union was affirmed 1 , and it was decided that next year another examination upon "First Principles" be held. A recommendation was made that the churches consider the necessity of providing increased fund« for the proper carryingon of all the Bible schools. On Sunday afternoon a children's demonstration in the Tabernacle was largely attended 1 by scholars from the Dunedin and suburban Churches of Christ Bible schools and parents and friends. Several schools took part in the service, and Mr 11. G. Harward delivered a fine address to a delighted audience. The conference sermon was preached by Mr T. J. Bull (Mataura), the subject being " The Holy Spirit's First Exposition of the Cross."