THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 21897, 24 December 1932, Page 9

THE CHURCH

NEWS AND NOTES. FROM PULPIT AND PEW. Pastor L. P. Bryan will be the preacher at the North Baptist Church to-morrow morning and evening and will deliver appropriate addresses. Midnight Mass, followed by Benediction,' is to be celebrated in the Catholic Church, Otautau, this evening (Christmas Eve) by the Rev. Father McGettigan. A special communion service will be held at Esk street Baptist Church on Sunday morning. In the evening Mr Smart will take for his text: “There was no room for them in the Inn.” Special Christmas hymns will be a feature of the service.

Christmas services will be held at the Salvation Army on Sunday at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. We invite you to come and sing the old Christmas carols with us, and hear the messages of Christmas. There will be a real Christmas welcome and blessing. “Christ the Long Expected” and “In Quest of the Christ” will be the morning and evening themes respectively of the Rev. C. H. Olds. 8.A., at the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, on Sunday, Christmas Day. The evening anthem will be “Let us now go even unto Bethelem.” Miss Margaret Bondfield, the exMinister of Labour, says that the Christian spirit is not always the visible guide and determining factor in party politics, and that, in her opinion, party politics should be animated by the Christian spirit, and should be used to secure the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

For some time back the halls of a number of the Presbyterian Churches in Glasgow have been open as social centres for the unemployed. The activities comprise men’s clubs, lectures, shops for cobblers and carpenters, and ambulance classes, and they have been encouraged by the Minister of Labour, the work done not being remunerative

A service, illustrating friendship and fine Christian spirit between an Anglican Church and a Free Church, was held on a recent Sunday evening in Park Chapel, Crouch End, London. The organist of one of the churches, conducted the combined choir of 80 voices, and the organist of the other was at the organ, in an impressive musical service held after the ordinary services. A worshipper in a Welsh church one Sunday this summer, speaking of the relative, values to him of the sermon and the chief prayer of the preacher, assessed the sermon at five shillings and the prayer at fifteen shillings. It is a reminder to us that there are many people who seem to derive more benefit from pulpit prayers than from pulnit preaching, as well as a reminder that some sermons have little “meat” in them.

In the course of an article in “The Presbyterian Messenger,” a writer says that the time demands faith, but they help also to create it. The world is on the move. Changes were. never so numerous, nor so deep going. It is altogether possible that a new social order may be born before our very eyes. But out of the whirl of events a greater faith is bound to emerge. The quicker both individuals and Churches catch this new spirit, the happier will they be. It looks as though a now social and economic order were on its way—and it is our privilege to have a share in its creation At First Church being Christmas Day the services will be in keeping with the celebration. At the morning diet at 11 a.m. the subject will bo “I have come to save,” with further sidelights on Karl Barth’s theology. At 6.30 p.m. the subject . will be “How shall we keep the Prince of Glory.” Christmas they say comes but once a year. Is this the teaching of the Christian faith. Does not the New Testament teach that the spirit of Christirjs is and must be the spirit of our daily Christianity if our religion is to be of any value to the world? How then shall we keep the Young Prince of Glory in our midst?” OTAUTAU METHODIST CHURCH. Sunday School anniversary services were conducted in the Otautau Methodist Church last Sunday, the preacher at both diets of worship being the Rev. N. Challenger, who delivered appropriate services. The children, who were trained by Mrs W. J. Wesney sang appropriate hymns and in the evening Miss Wesney sang the solo “O Divine Redeemer.” On Wednesday evening there was a good attendance of parents and scholars at the anniversary concert and break-up for the year. An enjoyable programme was submitted as follows: Choruses, scholars; mouth organ solos, Gordon Hill; reading. Mr R. R. Walker; song, Joyce Thomson; duet, Raymond Wesney and Richard Goodson; recitation, Ruby Searle; song, Miss Wesney; and song, Eric Hill. The chairman paid a tribute to the self-sacrificing labours of the Sunday School teachers during the year, and specially thanked Mrs Wesney for training the children for the Sunday services and Misses Brooker and Wesney for the programme which had been submitted that evening. Thanks were also due to all who had* contributed donations, and to all who had in any way assisted to make the function a success. Mr Challenger then presented the prizes as follows:— Cradle Roll.—Noeline McMillan, Thomas Wright, Bruce Wright, Shirley Thomas, Norma Thomas, lan Thomas, W. Thomson, Victor Hibbs, O. Hibbs, Raleigh Lightfoot, V. McConnell, May Fairweather and Ivan Goodson. Infants.—June Ballam, Valmai Pulley, Desmond Walker, Charles Ballam, Douglas Eason, Thelma Challenger, Raymond Wesney and Richard Goodson. Mr R. R. Walker’s class.—John Wesney 1 (lessons), John Brooker 2. Progress: Gordon Hill. Mrs Challenger’s class.—Annie Searle and Edith Hill 1 (equal in lessons), Connie Stevens 2. Miss Wesney's class.—Mavis McMillan and Reay McFadgen 1 (equal for lessons), Ruby Searle 2. Mr W. Challenger’s class.—Eric Hill 1 (lessons), Selwyn Pulley 2, Robert McMillan 3. J Miss Brooker’s class.—Margaret .Ballam 1 (lessons), John Herron 2. Attendance prizes.—Ruby Searle, Mavis McMillan, Robert McMillan, Hugh Herron, John Herron, and Joyce Thomson.

Young Worshippers’ League.—Mavis McMillan, John Wesney, Robert McMillan, Ruby Searle, John Herron, Hugh Herron, Joyce Thomson, Edith Hill and John Brooker.

According to their usual custom, St. Peter’s Methodist and Knox Presbyterian Churches will give further evidence of practical church union. Commencing tomorrow and continuing throughout the month of January services will be held in each church alternately. Tomorrow the Rev. O. S. Pearn will conduct the morning service at the Knox Church and the evening at St. Peter’s, Elies Road The subject in the morning will be “The Two Incarnations” and in the evening the theme will be “A Song of Two Worlds,” with, special reference to World Disarmament. In past, years these combined services have been largely attended by the local xesi~

dents and visitors to the city have come to see the union and have remarked upon the true , evidence of Christian friendliness. OTAUTAU PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ‘ A choral service by the senior choir was held in the Otautau Presbyterian Church, on. Sunday last under; the leadership of Mr. H. Hogg, Mr Jellyman officiating at the organ. The following numbers were given: “Comfort Ye,” “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” (solo, Mr Hogg), “The Glory of the Lord” and the carols “Nowell,” “Over the Fields” and “O Worship the King,” also “O Thou that Tellest” (solo, Miss V. Bird), "Joy in Our Inmost Hearts,” “Silent Night” and “All Hail the Power,” concluding: with the anthem from the Messiah “Lift Up Your Heads.” The Rey. Mr Howes took the opportunity to thank the members of the choir, conductor and organist, and intimated that a special children’s Christmas service would be held on the following Sunday with a Christmas service in the evening.