Church Meeting and Presentation

Southland Times, Issue 14100, 13 July 1898, Page 3

Church Meeting and Presentation

The annual meeting of All Saints congregation was held yesterday evening in the Gladstone Town Hall. The Rev. D. C. Bates, who occupied the chair, gave a sketch of the circumstances which led him to accept the call to the church, and of the satisfactory manner in which he had been assisted in his duties by the members and officers, of the church. Mr T. S. Royds read a balance sheet for the year ending 30-h June, and explained the financial position, which is sound and creditable to the congregation. The following officers were elected for the year:—Church warden: Mr ,C. J. Broad; people’s warden : Mr T. S. Royds ; vestry : Messrs Northcote, Hawson, Wilson, Townsend, and T. Brodrick., Votes of thanks were unanimously accorded to the Ladies Guili, the Sunday School teachers, the choir, and the lay readers, who, during the absence of an incumbent, had conducted the church services. After the close of the business the chairman referred to Mr T. S. Royds’ discharge of his duties in the church as lay reader for the last twenty years. He (the speaker) had carefully examined the books, and made himself thoroughly acquainted with Mr Royds’ work, and spoke with warmth of his labours and sacrifices in the cause of the church. Mr Royds’ worth and the way in which he had done his work filled him with admiration, whilst it earned for the worker the hearty respect and good wishes of all the good men in the district. He was an honour and a credit to the church which he represented, and had the true regard of the parishioners. On behalf of the parishioners Mr Bates then presented Mr Royds with an illuminated address, and an elaborate and valuable office desk. The address which was beautifully.designed aud illuminated,and neatly framed by Mr E. Wilson, read as followed:— “ Dear Sir—We the undersigned, on behalf of jthe parishioners of All Saints’ Church, Gladstone, desire to express our high appreciation of yout devoted labours ‘for the spiritual and temporal welfare of our church. We gratefully recognise the zeal and fidelity with which you have during the past twenty years made your services as honorary lay reader a help and a blessing to the parish. We beg you to accept the accompanying gift as a token of our high esteem and good wishes for your future welfare.—D. C, Bates, Vicar; H. M. Bkiad, Hon. Sec.” Mr Royds, who was taken by surprise in the matter of the presentation, replied feelingly and appropriately to the donors of the gift, and the proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman.