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Star (Christchurch), Issue 5777, 22 January 1897, Page 4

Woolston Methodist Chubch. — The new Methodist Church at Woolston has now been completed, and the opening services .ver© held on Jan. 10. Th© building, which is a very substantial one, has been erected in front of the old church, and is fifty-five feet long by thirty-five feet wide, with a porch nine feet by eight feet. The walls are fifteen feet to the angle of the roof, which is open and covered with iron. The building provides seating room for 300 persons, the choir being accommodated in raised seats behind the rostrum. The interior presents a very neat appearance with the plastered walls and oiled rimu principals. In the front of the building are a rose window and two lead-light windows, while at each side are six frosted windows. The artificial lighting is provided by five incandescent pendants and several "brackets fitted with the ordinary style of burner. Mr R. W. England was the architect and Mr J. Greig the builder. Yesterday evening, to further celebrate the opening, a tea-meeting was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, and between two hundred and fifty and three hundred people were present. Those who presided at tho tables were Mesdames Bottomley, Boundy, Newton, Wilson, Wise, Bensley, Crossley, Taylor and Firth, aud Messrs Wadnian, Peters, Gimblett and Taylor. A public meeting was afterwards held in the church, when there was a very good attendance. Mr R. Dawson presided. Addresses wero given by the Revs W. G. Parsonson, J. A.. Luxford and R. J. Murray, congratulating the minister, the Rev W. J. Elliott, and his congregation on having such a handsome place of worship. The statement of accounts in connection with the "building showed that the cost was estimated at =6655. Of that amount ,£499 19s had been raised, including .£2OO from the Building and Loan Fund and .£474 10s had been paid to the builder. Towards the balance it was expected that that night's gathering would realise .£2O ; further subscriptions amounting to .£25 had been promised, aud .£IOO more would be received from the Loan Fund. There would thus be about .£4O more to bo collected. At intervals during the ovening songs were sung* by Misses Spensley and -Moody, Messrs Bensley, Mason, Firth, Hollow and Spensley; Mr S. Ferguson gave a recitation, and the choir under Mr J. Spensley sang several anthems. The' meeting was closed with the- Benediction.