CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 19099, 17 November 1923, Page 7

CHURCH NEWS AND NOTES

The preacher in the Central Methodist Church on Sunday morning and evening will be the Rev W. Walter of the Methodist Mission, Dunedin. Mr J. Crewes of Dunedin will be the soloist.

The Methodist Synod of the Otago-South-land district was held in the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, from Wednesday to Friday. There were about sixty representatives from all the circuits and Home Mission Stations throughout Otago and Southland. A conversatisone was held in the Jubilee Hall on Wednesday night when addresses of welcome were given by His Worship the Mayor, Mr A. Bain, and the Rev. Harold Sharp. The Ladies’ Guild provided afternoon tea for the Synod on Thursday afternoon. A great deal of important business was transacted. Reports of church statistics were presented by the Rev J. H. Haslam and those of ’ church properties by Mr A. S. Froggatt. The Rev. H. E. Bellhouse, chairman of the district, presided at all the sessions.

Two or three of the ministers who have been attending the Methodist Synod in Invercargill are remaining over next Sunday and will take some of the services in the local circuits. The Rev Basil Metson of St. Hilda, Dunedin, will preach at Longbush on Sunday afternoon and the Rev. W. Walker of the Central Mission will preach at both services in the Central Church, Invercargill. The Presbyterial visitatian of Edendale Parish took place on Thursday evening, Bth inst., when the Rev. J. E. Lopdell (Wyndham), convenor of a Presbytery commission, Rev. Jas. McMaster (Mataura) and Mr John Smith (Wyndham) met the minister (Rev. J. Pringle) and office-bear-ers in the vestry and afterwards the people at a social gathering in the hall. The necessary questions were put and answered and the records examined and found well kept. At the gathering in the hall addresses were given by the Rev. G. H. Bridgman (Methodist), Rev. J. Lopdell and Rev. Jas. McMaster. The musical part of the programme was supplied by the choir under Mr W. W. Chaplin. Items were given by Mrs Thos. Torbet, Mrs D. E. Caldwell and Miss Vera Pringle and Mr W. J. Lennon. Votes of thanks were passed to the speakers and performers and the meeting was closed with the Benediction, after which super was handed round by the ladies. A Methodist Bible Class rally will be held in the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, on Sunday afternoon. Mrs Metson, who is president of the Otago and Southland Y.W.B.C.U. will deliver an address of vital interest to Bible Class girls. Mrs Metson is a lady whose heart and soul are in the Young Peoples’ movement of the church and is a gifted speaker. AU members of the junior and senior Bible Classes are urged to be present. There were about 80 children present at the tea given on Friday evening last, to those children who had attended the Sunday morning services for the .past months. An exceUent programme of games had been arranged and was thoroughly enjoyed by the young folk. At an interval in the games the Rev. J. Lawson Robinson presented prizes to some 35 children, who had attended every Sunday or had just missed one Sunday. The morning and evening subjects at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church on Sunday are “If Ye Love Me” and “The Spirit That Giveth Life” respectively. “When Knowledge Fendeth to Sorrow” is the subject chosen by the Rev. J. Lawson Robinson for the evening address at First Church to-morrow.

The matter of appointing a minister to Tuatapere Presbyterian charge which, by rule of Southland Presbytery, falls vacant in March next, by which time the Rev. S. Waddell wiU have completed his three years’ term of service, came under consideration a few days ago. The congregation at Orepuki, as well as those of the out stations at Papatotara, Clifden and Te Tua, unanimously decided that the Presbytery be respectfully asked to retain Mr Waddell's services for a further term.

Th South School has lately formed a troop of Girl Scouts and the members are enthusiastic in their work. Miss Frew and Miss Fraser, teachers at the school, are the scout mistresses and they have organised a Sale of Work to be held in Knox Hall on November 24, for the purpose of raising some money •to keep its troup to obtain uniforms and equipment. The members have made a large quantity of useful articles suitable for Christmas presents and they are looking to the women of the district to help them. The children of the Presbyterian Orphanages entertained the .performers and all those who took part in organising their concert to a social evening in Stobo Hall last Monday evening. The Rev. J. Lawson, Robinson acted as .chairman and referred to the splendid success which had attended the entertainment. Mr Campbell deserved special praise for the training of the boys,' who gave a splendid exhibition of physical drill. Mr Aitchison, organiser of the concert, responded. He thanked all those who so faithfully helped towards making the concert both enjoyable and profitable. Mr Cumming was then called upon to accept, as secretary of the Presbyterian Social Service Association, a cheque for £l2O, the proceeds of the concert. Mr Aitchison also expressed the hope that a concert for this Association would become an annual affair. Mr Cumming thanked the gathering on behalf of his Association. During the evening solos were rendered by Mrs McCurdy and Miss N. M. Hill, of Christchurch, and a violin solo by the Rev. H. G. Gilbert. All present joined with the children in playing games and a very pleasant evening was enjoyed by both the adults and children. At the close of the evening service in the Orepuki Presbyterian Church on Sunday last, a meeting of members of the church and adherents was held. The session clerk (Mr C. L. Pont) explained the reason for the meeting, which was to consider what steps should be taken in the matter of their minister, whose term 'of office expired in February next. On the motion of Mr L Cross, seconded by Mr F. Mayhew, it was unanimously agreed to petition the Presbytery to grant the congregation a further term of the Rev. M. Boyd’s ministry. The congregations at Waihoaka and Pahia have also carried resolutions to the same effect, and at its last meeting on Tuesday the Pres bytery of Southland endorsed the recommendations, which will go forward to next General Assembly. The following paragraph is one that might well be carefully and prayerfully considered and acted upon by Invercargill congregations. Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick , preaching recently in the First Presbyterian Church, New York, on “Honesty in the Pulpit,” said: “The problem of the ministry in the matter of honesty is very difficult. For one thing, the minister is a public speaker, and that is a dangerous thing to be. The whole possibility of glowing and effective public speaking depends upon the sympathetic response of the audience. In consequence. the pressure is constantly on the minister to give the people what they want. In theology, in social and industrial questions, in international affairs, he is tempted not to sneak what he really thinks, but to give the people what they want. . . “Presumably the minister is a family man. He has a wife and children whom he loves. He is dependent financially on the goodwill of his congregation, and it goes hard with his conscience sometimes when he faces the possibility of proclaiming a disturbing truth. . . “The minister is not only a public speaker and usually a family man, but he is a gentleman. And gentleman never like to be the cause of a disturbance. . . Elemental truth and candour are important in any realm, but there is no realm where the lack of them is so fatal as in religion. This, then, is the appeal to the Church: Make it easier, not harder, for your ministers to think freely, bravely, truly about the deep concerns of the spiritual life. . . But whenever you find a minister trying to think through the truth of Christianity in terms that can be apprehended by modern minds and lived in modern circumstances, you had better back him up, for he is doing constructive work.”