THE PLATE AND THE BAG

Southland Times, Issue 20011, 27 October 1926, Page 9

THE PLATE AND THE BAG

COLLECTIONS IN CHURCH. PROPOSAL FOR ABOLITION. ‘1 quite agree with you about the constant passing of the plate or bag. I would like to see the whole thing done away with,” said Archbishop Averill in the Diocesan Synod at Auckland, when Captain T. F. Watson, founder of the Church Duplex Movement, was explaining a system of church finances which is making rapid progress in England. The Archbishop said he thought that if the usual method of collecting money in church were abolished there would be an increase in attendances. Captain Watson, who inaugurated the movement in 1912, and has lately been on a series of tours in Australia, explained the system at length, the synod adjourning and resolving itself into a conference in order to hear him. Captain Watson stated that in 134 years the number of parishes using the system had grown from one to 1800, and was rapidly increasing. The aim was to provide a steady ahd assured income in every parish for the maintenance of church work at home and church extension abroad. Under the system bazaars and other indirect means of raising money were done away as were collections made in church by passing a plate—an objectionable system which ought not to be perpetuated. Every parishioner was invited to guarantee a fixed weekly sum for each of the two purposes, and on doing so was supplied with 52 double envelopes. These, with their contents, were placed in a receptacle at the church door on Sunday, together with loose money contributed by visitors and others, and in the course of the service the whole of the contributions were laid on the altar. It was the duty of the parish to draw up an annual budget covering all items of

expenditure for parochial, diocessan and foreign mission purposes. The aim was to put the extension work of the church on an equality with the maintenance of its work at home/ Giving was lifted into the realm of the just and generous. There was no more raising of little sums of money from little groups of people for little bits of church work. Captain Watson received a very enthusiastic hearing and was heartily thanked for his address.