WORK OF THE CLERGY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19692, 26 July 1938, Page 4

WORK OF THE CLERGY

CLAIMS OF MODERN LIFE “RESPONSE SO FEEBLE” CANON HALL’S APPEAL "We have to try and cope with far too much and far too many people,” said Canon A. F. Hall, vicar of Holy Trinity Church, in his report to last evening's annual meeting of parishioners. “We realise the difficulty of faith itself in these modern times, of dealing with young folk coming from apparently Godless homes, and of dealing with those whose edrly promise seems to be shallow rooted and who are drifting away from church attendance. "The work done seems so much, the response so feeble, and the disappointments so many. Someone said to me last week that we had to concentrate not so much on getting those outside the church inside, as getting those inside the church outside. For Their Own Needs "As long as our'congregations'are coming to church, mainly for their own needs, and are not actively trying to bring others in with them, so long will the church limp along. We talk of the clergy leading the ,laity. How about the laity leading the clergy? For two years we have attempted a daily celebration of the holy communion. We had to abandon it because there was such a poor response. "We have daily evensong. The attendance averages two. The Bible classes have a monthly communion. The attendance is not more than 50 per cent. It is easy, so easy, to s&y to us, what are you going to do about it? We say to you, what are you doing now about it? The answer is in most cases, ‘Nothing; we cannot be bothered.’ To which the retort is, why? The answer to that why is for you to give to God himself. “We have had such wonderful workers in this parish—laymen, women and children. We still have, but not nearly enough. There is work for all of us. Get outside the church and bring others back with you.”