THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 20615, 13 October 1928, Page 12

THE CHURCH

NEWS AND NOTES. FROM PULPIT AND PEW. Church goers are reminded to put on their clocks a half-hour to-night, in order to ensure punctual arrival at the services. Friday has ceased to be the day of rest in Turkey, and Sunday has taken its place. There are at the present time 668 Christian missionaries in Japan, and about 20,000 students attending the schools. The graetest number of Christians in Japan is at Tokio. At the Salvation Army to-morrow the morning and afternoon service will be conducted by Sergeant-Major Braithwaite, from Dunedin. At night there will be a memorial service to the late Brother Lawson. “The peril of the level way was greater than the peril of the hills. There was nothing more exhausting than a dead level stretch, unbroken by change. More people break down beneath the monotony of life than beneath its changes. There is scarcely a greater achievement than the victory of the man who keeps fresh and vigorous on the level road.”— H. C. Manders, president of the Baptist Union. The Wesleyan Conference in England passed a vote of warm appreciation to the Archbishop of Canterbury on his retirement, Dr Barber pointing out that the great service he had rendered to the work of Christ in the whole of the land and throughout the world, the beautiful spirit in which he had done his work, the wisdom with which he had been endowed, were such that the whole Catholic Church rejoiced to do him honour. The Rev. William Grimshaw, incumbent of Haworth in the heyday of the Evangelical Revival, was wont to welcome to the pulpit the two Wesleys. He had “a way with him” which resulted in the races at Haworth being stopped and a most strict observance of the Day of Rest. On Sundays this energetic parson used to raid the nearest public house and drive the customers to church with a whip. He managed to raise the number of communicants from 12 to 1200. Foreign Mission Sunday will be observed in the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, to-morrow. The morning service will be conducted by the Rev. Angus Mcßean, and the preacher in the evening will be the Rev. V. Le C. Binet, of the Solomon Islands. Mr Binet will also lecture in the i Jed street Sunday School on Wednesday evening, at 7.30. The title of the lecture is Savages and Saints in the Solomons. There will be 60 unique and delightful limelight illustrations. The L.M.C. carries on its operations abroad a staff of nearly 8000, of whom only 300 (including wives) are Europeans. The remainder, 1000 of whom are ordained ministers, are drawn from indigenous populations. The Christian community in the mission fieds of the society number 570,000, of whom 107,000 are church members. The total area of the society’s field of operations is 450,000 square miles, with a population of 44 millions. Nearly half the cost of the whole work is raised on the mission fields. In answer to a war widow’s question of how to prevent another war, Dr John Bevan wrote: “If the day ever comes on which the Government has to decide whether we shall have another war, neither the women nor the men of this country will be consulted. By that time all sections of the community will alike be incapable of controlling the country’s policy or influencing to any real extent lhe Cabinet’s action. It will then be too late for any of us to do anything but loyally do what we are told—■ as we did last time. What can be done to prevent war must be done years before the crisis arrives, otherwise it can never be done.” The Rev. V. Le C. Binet, returned missionary’ from the Merhodist Mission, Solomon Islands, will be the preacher of St. Peter’s Methodist Church in the forenoon, and at Central Methodist Church in the evening to-morrow. Few men have laboured longer or had greater experiences in the

pioneer work among the natives of this important island group, and possssing the gifts of a charming and forceful speaker, makes the message he has to deliver wonderfully interesting and telling. He possesses also some valuable lantern slides descriptive of natives—churches, colleges, schools and hospitals. These will be used during his lectures at Otautau, Riverton, and Bluff. There will be no charge for admission to these lectures, but an offering will be taken up for the mission fund. Introspection does not mean morbidity, or self-centredness, or being engrossed in yourself and excluding everyone else; this faculty should help you to cultivate, and encourage you to grow your mental, emotional, and physical bodies according to the one supreme desire. Like a vine, whose instinct, is to grow in all directions instead of along one particular path, you will tend more and more to wander, unless, like a wise gardener, you control your mind and your heart as he would control the vine. Introspection must not tend towards morbidity or depression; this faculty should be used with absolute impersonal feeling, like a student who goes through his daily routine to achieve his end. Without introspection, without this solemn questioning and crossexamination, you do not build character; and without character, without qualities well developed to their fullest extent, logically and systematically, you will be like dead wood, without life, without the inherent qualities that are necessary’ for those who wish to follow, to create, to live nobly.—Mr J. Krishnamurti.

The special meetings conducted by Mr Alfred Mace at the Temperance Hall have been well attended during the week. The subjects of the addresses have been those that would specially interest Bible students. Mr Mace is well acquainted with problems of interpretation and his differentiations as to the various aspects of the great subject of “Forgiveness of Sins” have been very instructive. The speaker has shown that there are several phases of divine forgiveness, and he has dwelt interestingly on “Forgiveness once-for-all through the atoning death of Christ” as the privilege of all true believers. He has also shown, however, that there are other phases of the subject such as “parental” and “governmental” wherein the forgiven one is still in the sphere of discipline under the divine Father while in this life. “Instrumental” Forgiveness as bequeathed by the risen Christ to ths disciples and “Ecclesiastical” Forgiveness, relating to Church discipline were also' explained. The meetings will be continued next week, one night being devoted to the answering of written questions which are invited. Sunday night’s address will be a Gospel message. The annual Mabel Presbyterian Church social was held in the hall on Thursday night, the 4th inst. There was a good attendance of local people, also quite a number from Hedgehope testifying to the goodfellowship existing between the two parishes. A varied programme of competitions, numerous games and musical items were indulged in. Mr Hetherington opened the proceedings by asking all to stand and sing Psalm 100, Miss Agnes Campbell presiding at the piano. The competitions and games were successfully controlled by Messrs Jack Campbell, E. Sinclair and E. Stuck. The winning competitors were Mrs Potts, Miss F. Horton and Mr Jack Nicol. A duet, “Let us Grow Old Together” was sung by Misses Daisy and Doris Leebody. Miss Jean Hetherington gave two humorous recitations. A community sing led by Mr Hetherington was quite a popular item. Mrs R. Stuck was pianist and ably accompanied the singers. Supper was provided by the ladies. After supper Mr Hetherington read the report and balance-sheet, the adoption of which was passed at Hedgehope, the centre of the parish, a fortnight previously. The report was very satisfactory and showed good progress. A motor car had been purchased for the minister which enabled him to get more quickly in touch with his people and also shorten the distance between the parishes. He thanked the people for their support and kindness. He also thanked the ,

Sunday School teachers, Misses Campbell and Childs, for their work amongst the children and also the ladies who took charge of the church. Mr Edmund Stuck, secretary of the Bible Class, spoke on its behalf. He said since its inception some five months ago it had been a real live class. There were some 20 members and the roll call was always good. He thanked Mr Hetherington as their capable leader, and said at all times he had taken a keen interest in them.