THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 19900, 19 June 1926, Page 12

THE CHURCH

SENERAL NEWS AND NOTES. FROM PULPIT AND PEW. The Salvation Army has acquired a vast building in Paris, for the use as a house for single women. Dr. Peter Ainslee, of Baltimore, has been appointed resident professor in Biblical literature at Gouchen College. The Rev. R. McCheyne Paterson, of the Church of Scotland, has completed 40 years’ service as a missionary in the Punjab. One of the last messages of the late Cardinal Mercier was a plea that everyone should give up some small pleasure to assist the Assyrian Christians. The biggest Wesley Guild of Italy has been shut down by the Government as a “seditious organisation.” A vigorous effort is being made to get the order rescinded. The Rev. Angus Mcßean will conduct the morning service at the Leet Street Methodist. Church to-morrow, and in the evening the Rev. R. MacGregor will be the preacher. The evening anthem will be “King of Kings” (Stinper). At a meeting of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Sudan United Mission, held in St. John's Memorial Hall on June 10, a special vote of thanks was passed to Helen and Duncan Yule for their efforts in promoting a very successful sale. The Rev. W. Robinson, in his presidential address at the Preston district annual meeting, laid it down that “men lived by mighty affirmations.” “Preachers,” he said, “must break through their reserves. They must preach from their experiences rather than from their scholarship.” A scheme has been launched in Bristol to raise £200,000 for the purpose of building Anglican Churches in the suburbs, also to repair and complete existing buildings. At the inaugural meeting of the bishop announced he had privately received donations and promises totalling £BO,OOO. St. Andrew’s Girl Guides held a social evening in the Church on Tuesday evening of this week. A pleasant evening was spent playing games, etc. Items given by the St. Aidan’s Girl Guides added pleasure to the evening and the fund for the purpose of securing uniforms was considerably augmented. We must get back to the great themes that preach themselves, to the great topics that a man can preach with the consent of all his faculties. If we get back to the theme that a self-respecting man can jubilantly press upon his fellows, we shall get back to the great preaching again.—The Rev. J. Morgan Gibbon. The services at Esk street Baptist Church will be conducted in the morning by the Rev. J. Carlisle and in the evening by Rev. F. Sampson. Mr Carlisle filled the pastorate of the Esk street Church for six years. He will preach at the Georgetown Baptist Church at night in connection with the commencement of regular services there. A special invitation is extended to men to attend the evening service at First Church to-morrow, when the Rev. J. L. Robinson will conclude his addresses on the subject of men and church attendance. Mr Robinson will add further reasons to those advanced last Sunday why men ought to give more serious consideration to the Church and the work she is doing. Special music will be rendered at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church to-morrow evening. The anthem, “Hark! Hark! My Soul” will be sung by the choir, the solo parts being taken by Mrs B. W. Hewat and Mrs Copland. Earlier in the service Mrs Hewat will sing the solo, “The Lord is my Light” (Allitsen). The minister, Rev. C. J. Tocker, will preach on “The Light of the World.” We can see the defects, but can we see the good in our fellowmen ? Have we looked at life from the same standpoint? Have we shared the same environment ? Is it criticism, or sympathy that the human heart is needing in these days of moral stress and strain? Come and hear the answer to these and similar questions at Elies Road Methodist Church on Sabbath evening next. A humorous reply was given by Dr. Parkes Cadman to the following question sent to him: “A member of the Presbyterian Church moves into a town where the only church is the Unitarian denomination. Should he affiliate himself with local interest and attend the Unitarian Church, or go to an adjoining town to his own church?” The answer was: “I think he may as well put on an asbestos suit and go to the Unitarian Church.” Mr Frank Hodges, the miners’ leader in England, recently paid a tribute to the strong impression which the Methodist Church, both Wesleyan and Primitive, had left on the mining community, particularly in England. He said that one time in the early forties the leaders of the miners were invariably local preachers, and those who fought hardest and best for the men ofttimes found their inspiration in the hard pews of the local Nonconformist Church. In the course of a recent address, the Bishop of Winchester advocated the need for real comradeship. He emphasised his point with the statement that, at the recent Coal Commission, the exhibitions of the outlook of both employers and employed had been deplorable. He said employers breathed no hint of any sense of responsibility to share the burden, and workers never breathed a syllable suggesting a sense of duty in giving an honest day’s labour for an honest day’s pay. “I am afraid there are a number of ‘starchy’ people in the Church,” said Rev. Thomas Phillips, when speaking at Tabernacle Church, Pontypridd. The preacher added: “If I wanted a shilling to take me back to London I would not approach any of the thrifty people who have huge fortunes. If I were a drunkard I would not seek the assistance of some of the stern temperate people, because they would send me to hell right away. We want a healing grace which lifts a man out of the gutter.” Dr. R. G. Campbell, preaching at Holy Trinity Church, Brighton, said that while the social movement had a Divine urge, other movements towards the golden age had failed for lack of a spiritual backing. He was afraid Xhat Labour leaders urged their followers to look only to the material side of things, but that attitude of mind was not confined to one class. They were in danger of allowing activity to crowd out life, to mistake speed for progress, and to mean by progress something that Christ would have repudiated. It was for the Church to arrest that tendency. The Dean of Canterbury, Dr. G. K. Bell, preaching at Richmond Hill Congregational Church, England, dealt with the story of Lot’s wife as an illustration of the danger of looking backwards. He said such a backward look was fatal in the Church. Among those who resemble Lot’s wife the Dean classed people who manifested their loyal Church membership by insisting on a profession of belief in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, or the literal truth of the story of the creation and the fall, and of Jonah and the whale. “May we remind them,” said the Dean, “that a Church which literally follows such advice is in the xend doomed to putrefaction, crystallisation and death.” Captain Taylor, who will be the speaker at the Salvation Army to-morrow night, will have as the subject of his address, “The Drug Fiend.” The captain, who has a considerable amount of first hand knowledge the recent sensational stories that have been passing through the Press, will be able to make a considerable number of disclosures, and incidentally hopes to in some measure expose the drug menace. All those who have so anxiously read the different Pre® would do well to hear the

captain. The meeting will be brightened by plenty of singing and music. The Praise meeting at 3 pjn. will be under the capable leadership of Bro. N. Sansom. Mrs Taylor will be the speaker at the Holiness Convention. A meeting of the Otautau Methodist Ladies’ Guild was held at the residence of Mrs Brooker, when Mesdames Ayrton, Brooker, Collett, Eason, A. and E. Harrington, Humphries, F. and W. Hill, Jaquiery, Wesney, Lightfoot, Miss Walker and Rev. Ayrton. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded officers for past services, and the election of officers for the ensuing year resulted in the following appointments: President, Mrs Brooker (re-elected) ; vice-presi-dent, Mrs Ayrton; secretary and treasurer, Miss Walker; minute secretary, Mrs Lightfoot ; bazaar president, Mrs Collett, assisted by Mrs F. Hill. When the business was concluded tea was dispensed, after which the proceedings concluded with a hearty vote of thanks to the hostess, Mrs Brooker, for her hospitality. The ladies guild of the Waikiwi Presbyterian Church are holding their annual sale of work on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. This active body have been labouring for the past seven years with the one steadfast aim in view—providing funds for the erection of a new place of worship. Special interest attaches to this year’s effort as it is the last that will be held before the building has become an accomplished fact. No passers-by on the north road can fail to see the fruit of their labour in the handsome edifice that is every day drawing nearer to completion. It is hoped that all the well-wishers of so worthy a cause throughout the town and especially Presbyterians will rally round the Waikiwi ladies in their effort to make this the most successful of any yet attempted. There will be a large number of useful and ornamental articles exposed for sale. The evenings will be relieved by a variety of competitions and musical items. The sale will be opened on Wednesday afternoon at 2.30 by Mrs R. A. Anderson of Victoria Park. The Otautau Town Hall was the scene of a merry gathering on Friday last, when the scholars of St. Andrew’s Sunday School were entertained with games, etc. The following programme was rendered, and proved very enjoyable: Song, “Country Folk,” Mrs L. J. B. Snell; pianoforte solo, Miss A. Best; recitation, “Queen Mab,” Miss F. Cartwright; song, “Little Mister Baggy Breeches,” girls; pianoforte solo, Miss G. Moore; recitation, ‘Tattle Flo’s letter,” Miss E. Butler; song, “Sad Little Eyes,” Miss J. Rawlinson; dialogue, Misses Best and M. Norman; recitation, “Fairies,” Miss E. Thompson; song, “I am longing for Spring” Miss G. Moore; recitation, Miss J. Rawlinson; duet, “Mellow Moon,” Misses Best and M. Norman; song, “Stay with me, Summer,” Miss T. Leyden; song, “Two little picanmes,” Miss R. Smyth; recitation, Mr Peter Jaquiery; and trio, Misses G. Moore, M. Norman and A. Butler. Mrs Ross officiated as accompaniste. The prizes were presented by Mrs Snell at the conclusion of the concert, after which the vicar paid a tribute to the splendid work of Mra Rountree and her band of workers, and to their noble and untiring self-sacrifice in the successful work of running the Sunday School. He also mentioned that two extra prizes had been kindly donated by Mesdames Gordon and Robinson. The Kraley bequest prizes were presented to W. Porteons (senior) and E. Butler (junior) while Frank Gordon secured special prizes for progress and attendance. Supper was served, after which games were resumed. Cheers for Mrs Rountree, her helpers, and the vicar, and the singing of “For they are jolly good fellows” and “God save the King” concluded a very enjoyable evening.