CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 19658, 7 October 1922, Page 7

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES

FROM PULPIT AND PEW. The usual fortnightly meeting of the First Church Young Women’s Club was held on Tuesday last, the speaker for the evening being Miss Fairlie, an American lady at present visiting Invercargill. Miss Fairlie, who is a landscape architect and a pioneer in her particular profession, gave a very interesting address on New York, its buildings, people, foreign quarters, and the opportunities of education given to foreigners. At the close of her remarks Miss Fairlie stated that she was prepared to answer questions in regard to anything not made clear. At the request of one of the members she also gave a brief sketch'd her work, which consists of contracting for road making, the building of houses and business premises and the laying out of gardens, etc. At the conclusion of her address Miss Fairlie was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks. Musical items, given by Miss Anderson and Mrs Porter, were verj' well received. After supper had been served the meeting concluded with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

The Rev. W. A. Sinclair, general secretary of Foreign Missions for the Methodist Church, will be in Invercargill this week. He will preach in St. Peter's Church on Sunday morning and in Leet Street Church on Sunday evening. Mr Sinclair has recently returned from a visit to the Solomon Islands where New Zealand mission-

aries are stationed and will give an illustrated lecture upon “Our Mission Field in the Solomons” in Don Street Church on Tuesday night and in St. Peter’s, Elies road, on Wednesday night. A farewell social was tendered by St. Andrew’s Y.W.B.C. to Miss A. Paterson on Tuesday evening last. The Y.M.B.C. and a number of friends of Miss Paterson had been invited and a very pleasant evening was spent. Solos were rendered by Miss Woodward and Air F. Jones, and during a pause in the programme, Mrs Jones, leader of the Y .W.8.C., presented Miss Paterson, who is leaving the class to be married, with a handsome doulton salad bowl. She expressed her appreciation of the faithful work done and the help she had always received from Miss Paterson, and on behalf of the class wished both herself and Mr Dyer a very happy married life. Mr Dyer replied on behalf of Miss Paterson

and thanked Mrs Jones for her remarks and the class for their good wishes and handsome present. Games were then resumed and carried on till quite a late hour. Supper and the singing of "They arc Jolly Good Fellows” brought a pleasant social evening to a close. At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church last Sunday evening Miss Salmond, who is in Invercargill on furlough from her work in India, gave a very interesting account of her work there. The New Zealand portion in the Punjab is just a narrow strip but has a crowded population. Miss Salmond went to India to organise the schools and encourage the education of the girls. The first difficulty to overcome was the learning of the different languages. The three schools in existence were each managed by an old lady whose education was little better than that of her pupils. New staffs were at once necessary and after much working and waiting things were at last set going. Work had continued until just before Miss Salmond left India when each sect decided it would have a school for its own girls with the result that the schools under Miss Salmond’s supervision have had their rolls considerably reduced. Miss Salmond, however, thinks this is quite all right, as the object of having the girls educated has been obtained, and it is not necessary to do the work which they will do for themselves, and is looking forward to further advancing the cause of education and Christianity on her return. In view of increased expenditure the ladies of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church are making a special effort this year to raise funds. For this object a two days’ sale commencing on Friday, October 13, will be held in St Paul’s Hall, Dee street. There will be stalls of every description, including one run by the men of the congregation. Soft drinks may be obtained and a concert will be given each evening. Among many interesting things Miss Salmond, at her meeting last Tuesday, told the audience of the great tragedy of child marriage in India to-day. She told how this custom bore very heavily on the young students. Boys prosecuting their studies, and gaining greater enlightenment, found themselves sadly handicapped with a girl wife and perhaps a small family. They had nothing and were dependent on their fathers for everything. An audience that filled the church to . overflowing gathered at Centre Bush on ! Wednesday evening, the occasion being the annual meeting and social of the Presbyterian congregation in that district. Visitors were present from all parts of the parish, some having travelled very long distances. The Rev R. C. Morgan presided, and with him were associated the Rev. J. L. Robinson, of First Church, and Mr G. D. Macindoe, Commissioners from the Southland Presbytery. The several reports and balance sheet revealed that the congregation was in a healthy condition spiritually and financially, and that the minister was held in the highest esteem and affection .by all his people. A lengthy programme of vocal and instrumental items was contributed to by Mesdames Morgan, F. Cowie and Wilson, Misses Calder, Grant, Cowie and Morgan, and Messrs Smith and William and Walter Henderson. Addresses were delivered by Mr Macindoe and the Rev. J. L. Robinson. After the usual vote of thanks to all helpers, supper was handed round and a very enjoyable social brought to a close. Ou Tuesday afternoon in First Church Hall the ladies of the various missionary unions of the Presbyterian Church, along Avith the Southland Presbytery, spent a very enjoyable time listening to an address by Miss Salmond. Miss Salmond is home on furlough from the Presbyterian mission station at Jagadhri, India. First-hand information of India’s village life, and of mission school life, both Mohammedan and Hindu, was given in a very pleasing and impressive way, for Miss Salmond has a very fascinating style of address.

The annual congregational meeting and social was held in the Riverton Presbyterian church -on Wednesday night last. The Rev. C. A. Gray opened the meeting with prayer. He made a few introductory remarks concerning the year s work and thanked the officebearers and workers for their loyalty and support. Reports from the session, Deacon’s Court, Sunday School, P.W.M.U. revealed that solid work was being done for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. The P.W. M.U. especially had a very successful year. Anthems were rendered by the choir and solos were pleasingly given by several ladies. The Rev. H. G. Gilbert gave a violin solo and both he and the Rev. E. Gardiner gave brief addresses congratulating minister and people upon the work accomplished and wishixl them every success during the present year. Supper was served and one and all voted that the annual meeting of 1922 was successful and happy in every respect. A spiritual mission, which is to last one week and to be conducted by Mr Robinson, will commence at First Church to-morrow and continue each evening, except Saturday, at 7.30 p.m. At the evening service on Sunday Mr E. J. Mann, a visitor from Melbourne, will sing “It is Enough,” from the oratorio “Elijah.” The service will end at 7.30 sharp to enable the congregation to attend Mr W. E. Johnson’s meeting at the King’s Hall. Mrs Baird, Invercargill’s “grand old lady” in all religious and social work, always manages to say the right thing in the right place at a meeting. In proposing a vote of thanks to Miss Salmond at the Presbyterian Missionary meeting the other afternoon she said it was a new thing for her to learn that the Hindu had no conception of vicarious sacrifice. This would make it doubly hand for the Christian Missionary in explaining the death of Jesus Christ. She hoped, as Miss Salmond had hinted, that Mr Gandhis’ imprisonment, and the Hindu’s concep-

tion of this as a sacrifice for the Hindu race, would help to introduce the idea. ORAWIA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ANNUAL SOCIAL. The annual social of the Orawia Mission Charge was held on Wednesday, October 4, under ideal conditions, the moon shining in all its splendour, and the stars were dazzling in their brilliancy. The Church presented a bright appearance and at the hour of starting when Mr David Campbell, missionary, gave out the opening hymn, the church was filled to its utmost capacity. The programme was an interesting one consisting of anthems from the Orawia choir, quartettes, trios, duets, and solos, and the speeches delivered were bright and breezy. Mr David Young, Session Clerk, handed in the report for the year and the Rev. G. H. Crockett, Nightcaps, spoke on the balance sheet which was a creditable one. Mr E. K. Sim, Pukemaori, gave in the report on Sunday Schools and Band of Hope work which showed that the Orawia Mission Charge was alive to the importance of early influencing the child mind morally and spiritually. Mrs McNaughton gave in a report on P.W.M.U. work which showed that the ladies of the parish were active. The branch started a few months ago now had a membership of 25 and they were going forward to great things in the future. Two weeks ago they were responsible for sending in a few boxes of eggs, etc., to the Orphan homes, Invercargill. Mr Waddell, missionary at Tuataperc, who has preached several times at Orawia and is always a welcome visitor to the parish gave a good address on the value and importance of good preaching and he thought the success of the past year's work was due in measure to the faithful preaching of the Word. Mr L. Hill spoke on the large parish Mr Campbell, the missionary, had to cover, and said the horse would require to be fed on long oats to stand up to the work it had to do when the missionary was getting round to the various preaching places. Mr Wyeth thanked all those who had in any way helped to bring about the success of the social. Tea was then served and the bright, breezy conversation that went on in the pews at this part of the programme showed that the majority of the people at least, were happy in church fellowship under present conditions.