THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 12

THE CHURCH

' NEWS AND NOTES FROM PULPIT AND PEW. Sister Alice, of the Invercargill Home Mission, wishes to sincerely thank all the kind friends who assisted in many ways towards making the anniversary such a great success. During the week-end the Rev. W. M. P. Lascelles will be visiting Invercargill and will preach in North Baptist Church in the morning. At the evening service Mr Trevor Gibbs will preach. The services to-morrow at St. Peter’s Methodist Church will be conducted by the Rev. F. E. Foot. There will be a continuation of the children’s story at the. morning service and the evening subject will be a talk of mission work in New Zealand. x .The thirty-second anniversary services of Knox Presbyterian Church, Ness street, will be observed to-mor-row. Both diets of worship will be conducted by the Rev. J. Douglas Smith, 8.A., minister of Kaikorai Church, Dunedin. Mr Smith is an old Invercargill boy, being a son of the late Rev. J. Gibson Smith, formerly minister of First Church. The meeting at the Salvation Army next Sunday to be conducted by Adjutant Thorne will be of an evangelical character, revival messages, song sermons and musical renderings. Those bright helpful meetings have been instrumental in imparting blessing, encouragement and comfort and are open to all. Members are notified of the important soldiers’ council to be held next Tuesday at 7.30 p.m. All children are especially welcome at the Sunday School. To-morrow’s services will be con-ducted-in the Esk street Baptist Church at 11 a.m. by the Rev. W. E. Lambert, his subject being, “The Wicked Husbandmen.” Morning Communion. The preacher at the evening service will be the Rev. W. M. I. Lascelles, the general secretary of the New Zealand Baptist Union, and the Missionary Society. Georgetown services at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.; preachers, Mr C. Schroeder and Mr G. E. Turner respectively. Mr W. J. Ward will preach at West Plains at 2.30 p.m. Visitors to the city and non-churchgoers are cordially invited. At First Church on Sunday the winter season of Holy Communion will be observed. A Gaelic preacher-poet has observed: “At the Blessed Board it is best to be still. We think of Jesus at it arid worship Jesus, the Brother of the Race, the Man Who entered into the secret chamber of every woman’s heart and made gentleness and purity her shield; the Man Who had a passion for children; Jesus the Saviour of the Race, the King of our Race, the Prince of Life who now says, ‘Come, be my guest and be refreshed’.” Communion Day is the day of days among people of Scottish stock. The diets will be at 11 a.m. and 7.45 p.m. The usual evening service will be held at 6.30. The anthem will be “O Worship the Lord,” by Alfred Hollins, the blind Scottish organist. While in Sydney on their recent visit to Australian, Miss Jean Bisset and Miss Jessie McLeod took the opportunity of attending the opening of the General Assembly of the New South Wales Presbyterian Church. Miss Bisset gives her impressions:—The Assembly Hall, Sydney, is a dignified pile worthy of the solemn gatherings it houses. Fashioned rather after the style of an old cathedral, its two square towers rise at either side of the main ball which is almost circular in shape and has one large gallery. The cream stonework shows up clearly the blue hangings and dark woodwork of the pulpit and supplementary furnishings. The retiring Moderator (the Rev. Mr Lundie) opened the ' N.S.W. Assembly for 1935 with praise and prayer and preached the sermon. He preached on the need for prayer and meditation in this rattling, bustling, modern world. While he spoke the din of trains and trams was such that parts of his sermon were lost—fervently did one agree with the need of greater quietness. The most impressive part of a dignified session is the installation of the new moderator. The procedure is quaintly reminiscent of a court until one remembers that “we are in court assembled.” “Tire Moderator!” The assemblage rises as the new office-holder, escorted by his predecessors, enters. The Moderator of New South Wales at present is the Rev. Victor Clark Duff, B:A. A man in the prime of life, he made an imposing figure as he stood there, in his robes of office, with the snowy lace of his court dress falling softly at wrists and neck. The former moderators standing round, the retiring moderator welcomes his successor and then takes his seat on the left of the moderatorial chair. Mr Duff’s address was a model of gentle sarcasm and refreshing sanity, his speech being clear and pleasing. He specified three weak points in modern life—the Press, parents and politics. He attacked the Australian Press particularly but without ranting. The quiet pun—if there is a gruesome Bridge suicide, a particularly unsavoury divorce case etc. you can’t get near for the Press, but if there is anything good, admirable or courageous you can’t get the Press near—was most apt. As was to be expected the politicians were censured most for the State lotteries, their vacillating policies and corruption. Much of this was old, but such was Mr Duff’s eloquence that it was presented in a new light. He seems to have that special gift. Thus regarding lotteries—as their most damning vice he pointed out their effect on charity. One of the justifications offered by politicians for them is that their proceeds are mainly for charitable purposes. The Rev. Mr Duff dismissed this illusion by showing the decrease in charitable gifts since the installation of the lotteries. The address over he proceeded to the business of the evening and put it throtigh with characteristic despatch from the welcoming of new or young ministers to the quiet restraining of a member who showed signs of garrulity. Throughout that gentle humour kept even the most “touchy” smiling. HOLY TRINITY CHURCH. The annual meeting of parishioners of Holy Trinity Church was held on Thursday, there being some fifty parishioners present. The vicar, reviewing the year’s work, thanked one and all for the support that had been freely given, and said it was indeed gratifying to watch the progress of the church in that part of the parish. The balance-sheet revealed the funds of the church to be in a healthy condition. Commencing the year with 13/4 the balance in the general account on Maj l ’ 31 was £l5 8/8. The building account was practically the same, but substantial payments had been made towards reducing the mortgage. Mr J. Pickard, the people’s warden, submitted the wardens’ report and favourably commented on the work that had been performed during the year. Reviewing the balance-sheet he stated that the money had been spent wisely in reducing the mortgage and in purchasing Building Society shares. Gas heaters had been installed during the year. The Loyal Orange Lodges of Invercargill had . provided the church’ with a handsome Bible. The inauguration of the weekly dances had proved an outstanding success. Church attendance had been good; over 5000 had attended divine service while over 1000 had partaken of the Holy Communion (mid-weekly services excepted). The Ladies’ Guild was deserving of special

praise for the very valuable work that they had performed. Mr J. F. Miller was re-elected as vicar’s warden, and Mr J. Pickard was re-elected people’s warden unopposed. The following committee was appointed: Messrs A. Dix, J. Pedlar, W. M. Grantham, S. Symon, F. R. Cook, L. Taylor, G. Davenport, J. Titchener and J. J. Stott. Mr M. W. Grantham was reelected secretary and Messrs J. Pickard and L. Taylor were re-elected as representatives of the church on the parish vestry.