NEW CHURCH HALL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 655, 6 May 1929, Page 14

NEW CHURCH HALL

OPENING BY PRIMATE CEREMONY AT MT. ALBERT lrf the presence of a crowded congregation, Archbishop Averili yesterday opened the new church hall erected in Murdoch Road. Mount Albert, for the use of residents in the western portion of St, Luke’s parish. sanctuary only was dedicated, as is the custom in the case of combined halls and churches. The hall, which is midway between St. Luke’s Church, Mount Albert, and St. Jude’s Church, Avondale, will be used for church services, as well as for Sunday school and social purposes. Archbishop Averill said the district long warranted a place for worship more conveniently situated than the neighbouring churches, which were one and a-half miles away. The new hall, which was built by the aid of the church extension fund, occupied a site half the value of which was contributed by the late Mr. A. C. Caughey, to whose generosity all were grateful. Local donations had totalled £2OO to £3OO, the total debt on the building and section being approximately £9OO. Even- j tually it was hoped to erect a vicarage on the property. The archbishoiD said the building was one of the best structures of its kind erected since the extension fund was established, and congratulations were due to the builder and designer, Mr. W. Weaver. By dedicating solely the sanctuary, it was possible to employ the hall proper for social purposes and also as a Sunday school, for which he hoped the building would be freely used. Archdeacon H. A. Hawkins, the Rev. A. J. Beck, vicar of St. Luke’s, who will conduct services in the hall every Sunday, and the Rev. A. Drake, vicar of St. Jude's, assisted in the service.

MILLIONS OF BIBLES

SOCIETY’S GOOD WORK SCRIPTURE IN 146 LANGUAGES The British and Foreign Bible Society has now been in operation for 125 years, and in that time it has seen a growth in the sales of Scriptures that is altogether phenomenal, said the Rev. David Calder, preaching in the Dominion Road Methodist Church. Mr. Calder also preached in St. David’s Presbyterian Church. Starting its operations at a time when the Bible was so costly as to be beyond the purse of any but the very wealthy, the committee now in charge of the society’s operations reports that for its last year the output reached the record number of eleven and a-half millions of copies of the Scriptures and in 618 different languages. The whole Bible has now been printed in 146 languages, the New Testament in 150 more, and at least one book of scripture in 322 more. As servants of the Christian public of the British Empire the committee has set as its definite goal to publish the Bible or some part of it in every form of human speech and in such numbers that they are available for all men everywhere. An inflexible rule has been established that no note or comment on holy writ must be found on the society’s Bibles and this has made possible a union of all the churches, both in the homeland and in the fields of foreign missionary activity. The Scriptures are supplied to missionaries on such conditions that no part of their cost falls on the exchequers of the mission boards, while also much of the selling of the books is done by the colporteurs. Nearly one thousand of thees travelling packmen are on the staff; and in one year they disposed of over six millions of copies by sale. In so doing they journeyed into the most distant lands of the earth, both east and west. The Bible Society is not a competitor with other missionary societies. Its service does not tend in the direction of division. Rather is it a binding link, placing in the hands of all the printed gospel message, without which their own service would be incomplete. The Bible Society and other missionary societies work together in close co-operation. To carry on its activities the society has established about 50 Bible Houses and many depots in the strategic points of the earth’s population and these are equipped with staffs of business and linguistic experts. The income of the society now stands at over £400,000 a year and of this sum New Zealand contributes about eight thousand pounds. It is however, that to keep the foreign missionaries of all the Dominions churches supplied in the Scriptures necessary to their work overseas the society is expending at least £ 9,000 per annum. Fortunately the gifts from New Zealand are growing from year to year and a definite effort is now being made to put the Dominion on the sunny side of the ledger.

CANON JAMES’S DEPARTURE

SHORT HOLIDAY IN DUNEDIN Canon Percival James, who has resigned from St. Mary’s Cathedral to take up an appointment as vicar of St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral, Wellington, stated in a sermon yesterday morning that he would leave Auckland this week for a holiday in Dunedin, but would return to Auckland for one Sunday before taking over his new duties. Canon James had intended to go to England for a holiday, but has cancelled the trip.

CLERGY REFRESHER COURSE

LECTURES AT KING’S COLLEGE Anglican clergy of the Auckland dioceso will take part in a refresher course to be held at King’s College from May 27 to 31 inclusive. On Monday, May 27, an introductory address will be given by Canon H. K. Archdall, and Archbishop Averill will deliver a devotional address on Tuesday. Holy Communion will be celebrated daily. A series of lectures on religious matters, based on the- syllabus for missionary schools, will be given by the Revs. W. G. Monckton, R. H. Hobday, H. T. Steele, E. E. Bamford, R. G. Coats. H. A. Coleman, F. G. Harvie and F, C. Long.