THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 20225, 9 July 1927, Page 12

THE CHURCH

GENERAL NEWS AND NOTES. FROM PULPIT AND PEW. At the Esk street Baptist Church the Rev. F. Sampson will conduct the services. The morning subject will be “Man Pleading With God.” In the evening Mr Sampson will speak on “God Pleading With Man.” Anyone desirous of viewing the bells recently installed in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Dee street, may do so either on Saturday afternoons between 3.30 and 4.15 or when the bells are ringing during the half hour previous to the Sunday services. At the Diamond Jubilee meeting of Spurgeon’s Orphans Homes, it was announced that altogether 4500 boys and girls had been maintained and educated. The homes are undenominational, the children being taught the truths of Christianity without sectarian basis.

At the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, to-morrow, the Rev. H. Dyson, of Nightcaps, will conduct the morning service. In the evening the annual church parade of the Orange Lodge will take place, and a thanksgiving service will be held, the Rev. Angus Mcßean being the preacher. The total annual turnover in betting in Great Britain was estimated at £30,000,000 in 1920. According to statistics compiled by the International Missionary Council the amount raised for Protestant missionary work the same year was £11,154,938. The United States and Canada contributed £7,684,419, and Great Britain £2,385,418 towards the total for mission work.

■Mr R. T. Ackroyd, M.A., of Manchester, and president of the National Federation of Workers among poor children, said at the annual conference: “The working lad distrusts all goody-goody talk, and I am glad of it. Theology and dogmatic teaching make little appeal. All religious lessons should be very simple. Christianity should be preached as a rule of life, and the lad should be given to understand there is nothing wrong about his desire for play, merriment, fun, and laughter, but that it is a God-given instinct.” “It is not the rise or fall of the gold standard that will ultimately sway the destinies of men, but the standard of justice, mercy and love,” said the Rev. F. A. Jarman, in the course of a sermon preached at the Counties of Huntingdon! Church, Brighton. Another statement made was: “We can never face the future so long as we are gripping the dead hand of the past. We become hopeless in outlook and hopelessness produces a ‘coffin-making mind,’ and creates tombstones to the days that once were. When men reach this state of mind they fall back on the silver and gold remedy.” An interesting and instructive series of meetings will be held at the Salvation Army Hall all day on Sunday. Ensign Taylor will be in charge of all meetings. On Tuesday night at 7.45 Colonel Alister Smith, the Army’s pioneer missionary to Africa, will give an interesting lecture at the Citadel. Colonel Smith has spent 30 years on the mission field in Africa, and for the last few years has visited almost every part of the world in the interests of the Army work, touching in all some 60 countries. Everyone w’ould do well to hear this speaker, as he comes not only as a man with a story to tell, but as one who can tell it interestingly and instructively.

The combined efforts of St. Andrew’s Y.W.B.C. and was opened with a pianoforte lent concert which they presented to their friends last Friday evening. The first part of the programme was in the hands of the Y.W.B.C. and was opened with a pianoforte duet by two of its members. A dialogue and Emericks were also given by class members. Visitors from St. Peter’s Methodist Church gave three very pretty items and their assistance was much appreciated. A solo from Miss M. Sim concluded this section of the programme. The choir opened the second part by singing “The Song of the Pedlar” under the baton of Mr Barron, Solos w’ere rendered by Miss E. Preston, Mrs Paterson and Mr T. Browne; recitation by Mr Miller and Master McChesney; a violin solo by Miss I. Browne and a pianoforte solo by Mr W. Dobie. The final item of the evening was the singing of the “Bridal Chorus” by the choir after which the National Anthem brought a very enjoyable concert to a close.

St. Peter’s Sunday School Hall was the scene of a very attractive gathering on Wednesday evening, July 6, when the members of the Young Women’s Bible Class entertained their friends at a fancy dress evening. Over 70 young people were present, who with a very few exceptions were attired in fancy costumes of various descriptions, which aided considerably in creating a most friendly and sociable atmosphere. Popular games and competitions were entered into very heartily. A good deal of amusement was caused by items rendered by Misses O. and M. Holland (“Jack and “Jill”), Miss Thompson (“Twinkle, Twinkle little Star”) and Misses G. and O. Hall (“Two little Girls in Blue”). A very special feature of the evening which caused a lot of fun was “The Mock Court” (impromptu) Miss M. McAra (Magistrate) and Miss V. Bailey (Policeman) lent themselves to their office splendidly, and great was the surprise of many innocent ones when the policeman carried them off to court for some very “serious offence.” Miss Bailey in her role as policeman was on duty all the evening and caused much fun by her originality and sporty manner. Prizes for the best fancy dresses were awarded to Miss 11. McLean l (Hawaiian) and Mr D. Patton (clown) while the prize for the musical competition was won by Miss E. Mitchell. Miss Patton made a very efficient M.C. OTAUTAU METHODIST CHURCH (From Our Correspondent.) The first of a series of special services took place last Sunday evening in the Otautau Methodist. Church. The topic chosen by the preacher, the Rev. M. Ayrton, was: “The Attitude of Jesus Toward Men in General.” The text chosen was Matt., 14th chap, 15th and 16th verses. There is something strangely pathetic in a crowd of jostling men and women. Le Bon says that in order to move a crowd one must appeal largely to their imagination. The mass mind cannot stop to think analytically. A small thing will cause a crowd to laugh long and loudly. It is really the child peeping out in the man. A crowd will do things that they would never think of doing singly. When the crowd on one occasion invaded the rest of Jesus and His disciples the latter urged their Master to send them away and buy bread for themselves.

That is a fairly accurate account of what is being done to the multitude in every age—send them away—get out of sight. It is recorded that R. L. Stevenson once dressed in overall and a sleeved waistcoat and walked through the streets of London to see how he would be treated by others. Friends whom be knew well passed him by as an unemployed workman. And he said that he felt a much smaller man in London than he had ever felt before. There is just the danger of all of us becoming too respectable and losing the sense of human touch in the process. A few generations ago the Mother Country despatched her criminals across the seas because it appeared then as the simplest way and the least objectionable in dealing with a problem. As a matter of fact it was no solution at all. To send the undesirable portion of the population away into exile, instead of being a remedy, only tended to widen the gulf between the people and to harden the criminals in their crime. It was fellowship and love that were then necessary for the reformation of her population. The problem of sin was to be found in all of us, and what took place in human affairs was but a reflex of our inward nature. This was the outstanding need to-day as in all previous decades—the cleansing of the human heart of its folly and from its hardness. Christ said, They need not depart, give them to eat. The disciples living in the presence of k Jesus were unaware of the aower that Ha

possessed in dealing with the crowd. They needed bread, a physical want. They needed, too, the bread of life, a want equally as clamant. But first of all look at the despair that governed the thoughts of the disciples, and one is alarmed at the despair that controls the actions and creates the indifference that exists in the world to-day. The housing problem w’hich is so closely related to the moral life of the people is neglected. The drink question concerning an unnatural appetite that is apparent on every hand is toyed with by a large section of the community. The mechanism of our social life remains unchanged from generation to generation. And all the while we are unaware of the wonderful power in the person of Jesus Christ our Master. He is equal to meet all human needs. The heart can be changed and the structure of life can be altered.

The question was: Are we prepared to revise our conception of Jesus and His power to meet the needs of the Twentieth Century ? Those of us who have discovered this fact by inward spiritual experience had a duty to discharge in conveying the knowledge to our fellow men—there was our task, the field of duty w r as all around us.

CENTRAL METHODIST CHOIR

The annual meeting of the Leet Street Methodist choir was held in the Sunday School, Jed street, on Wednesday evening last. The president, Mr D. J. Wesney, presided over a good attendance of members. The annual report was read by the secretary, Miss P. Cooke, and showed that good work had been done during the year. In addition to the ordinary work in the service of praise Sunday by Sunday, special music had been rendered on several special occasions, and concerts had been provided for several of the country circuits. The bal-ance-sheet showed the choir to be in a healthy state financially, a good balance standing to its credit. The choir has lately installed at its own expense two additional gas-heaters for the church. The year opened with a membership of thirty, and closed with thirty-three. The election of officers resulted as follows—President, Mr D. J. Wesney; vicepresidents, Mesdames A. Lindsay and J. J. Wesney, Messrs A. Noble, A. S. Froggatt, J. Field, and J. T. Macdonald; choirmaster, Mr J. E. Taylor; deputy, Mr P. A. Pearce; organist, Mr N. James; secretary and treasurer, Miss P. Cooke; auditor, Mr G. R. George; librarian, Miss Padget and Mr H. Kerr; committee, Mesdames Jhmes and McLean, Miss Leete, Messrs Field and Christie, and Rev. A. Mcßean.

Very cordial appreciation was expressed with regard to the splendid services of the conductor, Mr J. E. Taylor, and also of the organist, Mr Norman James. During the evening Mr Pullin, who has just arrived from Greymouth, was warmly welcomed into the membership of the choir.

The business having been completed, the meeting resolved itself into a social, the members and their friends being entertained by Mr and Mrs D. J. Wesney. A very happy evening was spent in games and musical items. Songs were given by Mrs Edgar, Mrs Macdonald, Miss Padget, and Mr J. E. Taylor, the accompaniments being played by Mrs Wesney and Mr James. Supper was provided by Mrs Wesney, and a most enjoyable function was brought to a close with “Auld Lang Syne” and the National Anthem.