HAWKE'S BAY PRESBYTERY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13069, 8 May 1913, Page 4

HAWKE'S BAY PRESBYTERY.

REV. E. W. WALTER'S CALL TO BLI/FF SUSTAINED.

The Hawke's Bay Presbytery met at GfiSbprrie, pro re nata, this morning. There? were present : Rev. •W. Grant (M"oderator), Rev.vH. T. Blair, Rev. E. W. and Messrs M. McL'eod arid J.P^rkejr, elders. . * J The object of the meeting was to deal .> withthe call of the' Rev. E. W. Walker, * of Qrmond, to Bluff. A.- tetter from the Rev. J. A. Asher, of Racier, clerk of the Presbytery, ;was* - rea^d,/ m which he stated that he had been appointed to represent the interests of the Southland Presbytery. He knew the Bluff well. He was one of the fouri- 1 der? of the . charge, and. he knew its peculiar needs and difficulties. In his judgment, their Ornib'nd. friend was peculiarly fitted to be the minister of the "* charge, and he was quite sure no better ma|i could . be .found-. At the same -time he" was full of regret that . they were going Vo lose \his services. They would find it a difficult task" to secure a worthy j successor. - '.'May I be allowed, as the representative of the . southern end of the presbytery," added Mr Asher, "to] pay a. tribute to the zeal and wisdom which Mr Walker had discharged m Ormond parish during the paisjb eight years. He is out of sight the best man we' have had 'there, and , J wish him God speed and all prosperity." The call,' signed by 52 members and 91 -adherents, from the Bluff Church was forwarded by the Southland Presbytery. ~lt was accompanied by tihe following minute: i£ At St. Pauls Church, InLvercargill, April 22, 1913, which day the Presbytery of Southland met pro, re. nata and was constituted, Rev. R. M. Hytratn,' Moderator of Bluff congregation, laid oh the table a call .m. favor of Rev. E. W. Walker, signed by 52 members and a form: of concurrence signers by 91 .adherents, and istated that thVre were rip. diss^oi-s.. Messrs Ronaldson arid Pearce supported" the call, and testified, jto ..ate hearfcinessj :, Rev. J. Baird moved, lute's;. B- M. Ryburn seconded, 1 arid' it was agreed, that the call be sustained, arid transmitted to the Presbytery of Hawke's Bay, arid that the Rev. Jl A. Asjaer. be.aaked to prosecute it to its issue. The clerk was authorised to forward! the /following reasons - for the* translation" of' Mr Walk.er to . the BBaff: . (1) The unanimity and cordiality of %*, «all ; (?) ,the importance of Bluff as^a, spiers of labor ; {&) the suitability of 'ifc t walker!s'r gifts for that sphere." •The Wm'bnd congregation was not represented," the delegates "having been prevented £cojn attending. The : Rev. H. T/ Blair said he "had visited a meeting at Ormond,., where £here, t was a representative attendance. A long discussion took plaqe,. ., Some -thought Mr. Walker should be^ invited into the meeting to ask the committee' 4 "leave m respect to his leaving. Mr Walker was called m, and the position explained. The best of spirit ' prevailed, and ' the meeting passed ; a, .resolution regretting that their minister, had received a call from the Bluff. copgregaUon;, but having heard all about it arid discussed the position, they jresolved that" no obstacle be placed m Mir Walkers. way, and they wished him God's Weasing .m his labors m a greater sphere of usefulness. Everyone at the ' meeting : "was ' agreed that Mr Walker 1 had done good work. Mr Chas. Bridge, one of the Ormond charge : advised later that he had been unavoidably detained through the MatawaT train riot funning to timetable.- : The Rev. E. .W... Walker Mas then called; dp.. He. said the. first step m connection with the call came as a surprj^e to him. ' He had not expected anything of tb* fept*t,-and- m no 'way' soughl it. He aid not have any previous cojrimunicatiSi with the Rev. Mr Ryburn, Moderator of the Bjiug,cjiargfi^,and when ne received 'a Tel&ef suggesting a change, he felt he should wire hack' "no," but the letter concluded', "Don't say no until i you come and see." He went to Bluff,; and found 'there was a greater field, For some time he had found the large amount of •travelling" he had had to do during; the . past eight years had prevented" lijm from, doing what study he thought jiecessary. He told Mi* Ryburn he - v Would not "consider the call unless it was. unanimous. The perfect unanimity of the call convinced him that they had the; guidance of the Lord m .the' matter, j Untfe'r."all the, circumstances he had deaccept the call. ;."._' "ircanno^ : - say it me much pleasure to present you with this call," said the Rev. W. Grants when -formally handirig'taieVcalJ to. 7*r Walker. .The Moderatof 1 ; explairied that the agreement Mr j Walker made with the Presbytery to ■■ Btay-.^five .years after his ordiriatibn wasj not looked .upon. as binding m; any way. j Re'Was'-'jfor'ijy' Mr >\'aiker wap gojng, -for .! he Had 1 been '.'peculiarly fitted" • for the ' ■work he had oeeri doing, but he was gc4pg,to a, greater sphere, and he woiiild carry with, him the wormiest esteerii from : the^miriister and people of §t. An4 rew ' s ' •] Thidy had' always worked happily tpge- i ther, and he only hoped "'they ' Would get! on as well with "Mr Walker's succcessor. Mr McLeod : said he would' miss Mr Walker as milch as anyone. His person, ality was altogether to himself, and his work m the cajjse qf. temperance had been great and pne. almost felt his place could" not "be filled; but that was a l - mistake, for when anyone stepped out they always found ' someone else to step m. Possibly the d^y.w^s not far distant when there would ,£e more . than one minister in' the ; Ormond charge. He was.sorry they Veto' losing Mr Walker, but they * could not 'help it, and they should, rejoige m . his promotion. "Mi, Parker expressed regret that Mr Walker was leaving the district, but said he beKeved-Mr Walker had been guided by God's spirit m the, matter, and Mr Parker, wished him Gfld's speed m his new field. The Rev. Mr Walfeer said, he would be leaving Gisborhe, on the' 28th inst. On the 'motion of Mr SlcLeod, second-; ed by Mr Parker, }i' was decided that the pastoral- tie be dissolved as from Junfe 4, and" that the Ormond charge be declared vacant as froni June 8. Qri the iriotioii of the $tey, H- T. Blair, seconded by Mr the following resolution was passed ; ".That the Hawke's Bay Pi-esbytery,' having heard': with ijreat Te«ret that },he Rev, E.--W. Waikerj* of tfie 'Ormond charge, has received a unanimous arid hearty call to. the Presbyterian congregation of St. Paul's, Bluff, ' places on ' recprd . its high • appreciation of his extensive and unwearied labors during the past eight years; it rejoices to know that? 'His wx>rk lias "."beeiit very ■ successful teriiporally and spiritually, and that he has been emineritly 'fitted for pibneerihg work m that huge parish; it ' commends Mr Walker to the kind "fejldlvkhip of the members of the Southland Presbytery, the love and sympatny" of the people of the .Bluff congregation, arid' the blessing of the) Divine' Spirit ; it pirays that rich spiritual blessing itiay rest upon the labors of pastor and people m the new sphere of labor. '%"■ The Rev. Mr Blajr said he was sorry Mr Walker was going away, buii rarely had there been such an unanimous call. He would find the people at Bluff very kind. Mr Blair said he and Mr Walker had bepn good) neighbors, the best of feeling 'having existed between' them. He was unanimous for the Ormond charge,' because he felt they would have some diißculty to fill it. He hoped Air Wajker would have a siiiccessfpl ininistry at tH£ Bluff, accompanied by much blessing. In." returning thanks for the kind rem«i)B passed," the Rev. Mr Walker said m nvany fespects it was not a pleasurftble 'ibing- for him to leave Ormond. During; the whole eight years he had been }n, the' charge he had endeavored to I£v© m peace with the pc-ople, and those 'of other congregations. It had given him i' great deal of pleasure to takd r part 'm temperarice work. His relations with his congregations had alwayf been 'happy, and 1 h^ would always look b^ck with feelings of pleasure to thetipie he had spent m Poverty "Bay. He had always endeavored to be present at all services; anc^ apart fi f om three times, when the weather conditions were ad verse j'h6' had not missed any services. Of course, there were times when he could 'not have a service, on account of no people being present. It was 16 years on the 23rd 1 inst. since he left homo to take up home mission work , m Victoria, and during the whole of that time he had only missed two scr-

vices through sickness, and that was through an accident, having his collarbone broken. He realised .that Jn that direction he had' very much to be thankful for, . and he believed that a great deal of what 'he had been able to accomplish, had been due to the fact that God. had given him such good health and strength. He felt truly grateful to his brother ministers for their assistance and to the people for the extremely kind treatment he had received from them. The". Rev. W. Grant was appointed Moderator for the Ormond charge.