RICHMOND BAPTISTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1023, 14 July 1930, Page 14

RICHMOND BAPTISTS

TWENTY-SECOND ANNIVERSARY The Richmond Avenue Baptist Church celebrated its 22nd anniversary yesterday by special services, ■which wero well attended. In the morning the preacher was the Rev. E. R. Harries, of St. James’s Presbyterian Church, who won the attentive hearing of the League of Young Worshippers with a talk upon a spider’s web, which, as his text said, “was a poor thing to trust in.” He counselled them to put their trust in the children’s Saviour. Preaching later from the words, “Have not I sent thee?” Mr. Harries deprecated the pesimism, all too prevalent among Christian workers who, like Gideon, Moses, Jeremiah and others called in olden times by God to do special service for Him, excused themselves as personally unfitted for the task assigned, were also like them, unmindful of the fact that those whom God sent on HiR work were assured of strength sufficient to their day provided always they put first things first and were willing to do God's work in Ills way.

In the evening, Pastor Chant, speaking from the words, “And He went, as His custom was. into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day,” dealt with the present-day neglect of Church-going which was causing a lamentable decline in the spiritual life of individuals and was sapping the lifeblood of the nation. He clenched his argument by reference to the programme of Christianity which, on the occasion referred to in the text, Christ Himself read and expounded to the congregation. The mu3ic was also special to the oeasion, and the soloists in the offertory anthems, “I Am He That Liveth” and “King of Kings.” were Miss G. Wilkins, Messrs. L. Boswell and Cox. A public social will take place on Wednesday evening, when the chief speaker will be the Rev. A. J. Grigg, president of the Auckland auxiliary of the New Zealand Baptist Union.