PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, LAWRENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1672, 8 March 1890, Page 3

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, LAWRENCE.

The annual meeting of the Lawrence Presbyterian Church was held on Wednesday evening. In connection with the above, a TEA MEETING was held in the schoolroom adjoining the church, at which a large number partook of the abundance of good things which were temptingly arranged and handed round by the following ladies : — Misses Nicoll, M'NicoL M'Queen, Arthur, Elder, Loudon, Evans, and Mesdames Stenhouse, Anderson, Sutherland and Macdonald. After the cravings of all those who sat down to the soiree had been satisfied, an adjournment was made to the church, where the intellectual part of the evening's proceedings was held. The Rev. I. Jolly presided, and, after opening the meeting with prayer, called upon the choir to render " Him that Cometh." The Chairman, before proceeding to read the Kirk Session's report, referred to the attendance not being as large as might have been expected, but the harvest being so forward prevented many from putting in an appearance. He called upon the clerk of the Sessions Committee (Mr J. Marshall) to read the minutes of last meeting, which were duly confirmed. KIRK SESSIONS' RETORT. The Chairman then read the Kirk Sessions' report, which was as follows :— In presenting their report for the year that has closed, the Session would seek to render thanks to God for the many mercies that He has given us during the year. To Him we would give all the glory for whatever of good has been accomplished. In the course of the year, the Session have admitted 13 to the membership of the congregation, seven of whom were received by certificates from other congregations, whilst six were received into membership on profession of faith in Christ. Owing to the fact that so many have had to leave the district, our losses for the year have been fully •qual to our gains. Among others, we have to regret the loss of Mr Robert Neill, who faithfully discharged the duties of an elder among. us for a number of years. We have also had to part with two of our members by death. Mr D. Lawrence was taken from us after a lingering and painful illness, and Mrs M'Hattie was called away suddenly. We have also had to mourn the loss or some who were adherents of the congregation. To us it is another message th*.t we should redeem the time. The Lord's Sapper has been dispensed three times during the year, and 18 have received the sacrament of baptism. The attendance at the regular Sabbath services has, on the whole, been gratifying ; and the Session feel that it is encouraging to see the interest the congregation shows in Divine things by attendance and attention at Divine worship on the Lord's Day. We have also reason to hope that the Word of God has not been preached in vain, and that careless ones have been stirred up and believers encouraged and helped onward in the Christian life. The Session, however, regret that some members and adherents allow trifling matters to interfere with their attendance at the house of God, and they would urge all the congregation to greater earnestness and prayerfulness in waiting on the ministry of the Word. Besides the services in Lawrence, services have also been conducted successfully at Blue Spur and Clarks Flat. In lassisting at these, Mr Edie and others have shown commendable zeal.

With the exoeption of about a month, the weekly prayer-meeting has been continued throughout the year. It is to be regretted that, judging by the attendance, the Wednesday night meetings cannot be pronounced a success. We would earnestly ask those members and adherents of the congregation who do not make an effort to be present at the prayer-meeting, to consider whether they may not be forgetting an important privilege and neglectIng a sacred duty. & the Divine blessing is to rest upon us, we must be earnest in prayer. Fortnightly services have been held on Tuesday night at Blue Spur and monthly services at Clarks Flat on Thursday night. These have been better attended and more appreciated than the week-night services in Lawrence. The Sabbath schools have been efficiently conducted during the year. The Blue Spur sustained a severe loss through the removal of Mr Neill from the district. Mr Neill had superintended the Blue Spur Sabbath school for a number of years. Since Mr Neill's removal, Mr M'Hattie has taken up his work moat successfully. The Session would here express -the f eeling- tlia.t tHe sixperiii-tencleiitsjMessrs j Stenhouse and M'Hattie, and the teachers associ- 1 N -ated with them, have placod the congregation under a, debt of gratitude by their work among the young. The Sesßion would remind both teachers and parents of the Saviour's injunction to Peter— " Feed my lambs." The future of the church must depend upon the young. Mr Jolly has conducted a Bible" class for young men and women on Friday nights during eight months of the year. The attendance and interest at this class give cause for thankfulness. The subjects of study were the first half of the Acts of the Apostles and the first part of the Shorter Catechism." The Session would urge the young people in connection with the congregation to take advantage of this class when it re-opens, so that they may get & better acquaintance with the Word of God. The Bible class at the Blue Spur has continued, under Mr M'Hattie's tuition, to do good work. Quite a uumber of the members of this class have won prizes and certificates at the Synod's examination. The Session desire to mention the services rendered to the congregation by the choir. By their efforts the service of praise in the congregation has been beautified. We would seek to impress on those in the congregation who have the gift of song the importance of their using it in the service of the sanctuary. In conclusion, the Session desire to thank all who have in any way helped on the cause of Christ in our midst. May past shortcomings and successes spur us on to greater diligence. It becomes us all to listen to Him who said : " I must work the work •f Him that sent Me while it is day, the night oometh when no man can work." The Session would ask the congregation to look to the future with thankfulness and hope, and to pray more earnestly for an out-pouring of the Divine Spirit, without whose aid all our efforts will be fruitless.

After the report had been received, Mr Finlayson read the

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF > MANAGEMENT for the year 1889, which was in the following terms :— i The Committee of Management, in submitting its report for the year ending 31st December, 1889, has < reason to be grateful for the continued measure of material prosperity which the congregation has • experienced during the year. J The church-door collections show a considerable increase over last year. The amount received dur- < ug the year reached the sum of £203 14s 9d. ' The sum -contributed to the sustentation fund for 1 1889 has been £129 8s 7d, being a slight increase ' over last year. ' The revenue from seat rents for the year amounts to £54 Is, being a decrease of about £6 on last year's ■ receipts from this source. >_ The ordinary contributions from all sources ■ amount to £412 lls 6d. The liabilities of the church on the 31st December, 1889, amounted to > £226 12s 9d. The mortgage over the church has been paid off during the year. • TREASURER'S REPORT. The Treasurer (Mr J. C. Love) read the ; balance-sheet for the year 1889, a summary of : which appears in the report of the Committee < of Management, showing the church to be in a j very good position financially. ' AUDITORS. ' Mr Stenhouse proposed that Messrs A. i Robertson and A. M'Lean be re-appointed auditors.— Carried. ] SABBATH SCHOOLS. j The Superintendent (Mr Stenhouse), in re- < f erring to the Lawrence Sabbath school, said there were 11 teachers and about 120 scholars. > The attendance was pretty regular ; they could ' always calculate on having 100 scholars. Lately J some £15 had been expended on books. They had now a library with over 400 volumes, < which were well read and attended to. A new < hymn was taught every week, and before opening the school ten minutes were spent in j singing. They adhered closely to the time- ] honoured -custom of "reading and explaining i the Bible and 'the Shorter Catechism. One < thing he regretted was that when the scholars ] began to enter into man and womanhood they j left off attending the Sabbath school. Some- ' thing should be done to retain them, so that 1 they could supplement the staff and become : elders and pillars of the church ; indeed, if they could be induced to take a class in the I Sabbath school, under the guidance of the i Saperintendent, they would be following in _,J_ s footsteps of our Saviour, M'Hattie, Superintendent of the Blue i Spur Sabbath school, said they had a very : efficient staff of teachers. There were nine teachers, and from 75 to 80 pupils. He re- 1 gretted that no one more capable than himself j offered to come forward and impart Bible i truths to the children. Questions were easily ■ asked, but it was doubtful if proper answers j were always given. He looked upon the work ' done in the Sabbath school as the sowing of j seed. God,, in His own time, would reap the 1 harvest. " The Chairman said he could bear testimony to the very efficient work done at the Blue : Spur Sabbath school. , PUBLIC ADDRESSES. The Rev. Mr Chisholm, of Milton, was next • called upon to say a few words. After refer- : ring to the pleasing reports, and financial position of the church and the unity that cvi- < dently existed between the congregation and ; their minister, the rer. gentleman gave an interesting and edifyingdiscourseon " Words." Some were talking, some were listening, and it was astonishing the number of words uttered mdiMdeUMOf in tiw world. He referred to

the power of words -to words of command j given to soldiers; the power even of a whistle, " O, whistle and I will come to you my lad ;" the words spoken by parents to children, long remembered and refreshed by memory. Kindly words spoken were long remembered. He chiefly referred to the power of God's Word, and exhorted those present to keep clearly before their minds the great good derived from studying God's Word. Some books were merely read, others were read with diligenoe, but the Word of God should be chewed and digested. They should cultivate a taste for good literature. St. Paul says it was required of a minister to be faithful, and for the followers to receive the Word of God with all meekness, so that their spiritual appetite might be strengthened. The Rev. Mr Ourrie, of Balclutha, being next called upon, said he would gather what he had to say round the two ideas of man's individual responsibility to God, and, secondly, the need of co-operation. They were responsible to God for the powers they possessed— for their time, for their opportunities, for all their possessions. In the day of temptation and trial and difficulties, they should remember that they were master and not, as much current teaching would make believe, the plaything of circumstances. Work, too, they had to do. As had well been said, others might do a greater work, but they could not do their work. Replying next to the need for co-operation, he said that the law that held true in other kinds of work held true of church work too. The minister's horse, he said, should not carry the session and committee. It was enough that it carried the minister himself. How necessary, too, in many departments of church work was the sympathy and help of others. Altogether, he could not leave with them two ideas more germinant of helpful thought than these— their individual responsibility to God, and the need in the year before them of helpful co-operation. The Rev. J. Smith congratulated the Rev. Mr Jolly on the very excellent report presented to the meeting, showing financial prosperity, and, without doubt, there had been spiritual prosperity, the measure of which could not be exactly ascertained. He also complimented Air Jolly on the systematic manner in which the business of the church was evidently conducted, proving that he had intelligent laymen of good business capacity to assist him. It had been said that Scotland owed much to oatmeal and the Bible. He (Mr Smith) believed there was some truth in the statement. Out in these colonies we had no glorious traditions of the past to look back to ; but Presbyterians could cherish the memory of such a grand man as Dr Chalmers and such a brilliant pictorial orator as Dr Guthrie. Both of these men could thrill and enchant their hearers and inspire them with reverence for the glorious truths of Christianity. Here in Otago they had learned and able men, and a grand work was being done for Christ. Being a Wesleyan he could claim kinship with the great Presbyterian Church ; for his own church was essentially Presbyterian in its mode of government. The church was a great power in the world. The world is not going to be handed over to be ruled by scoffers and sceptics. We need not fear the progress of science. Dr Chalmers said "the highest science and the deepest sacredness are perfectly at one." We may rely upon it, "the Bnger of God is at work in human development." Let us trust God with reference to bhe future of the church. Mr Smith concluded a somewhat humorous speech, interspersed with amusing anecdotes, by wishing Mr Jolly and his church prosperity during the coming year. The Rev. Mr Taylor said he had been requested by the Chairman to be brief. After referring to the unanimity that existed in the church, and to the pleasant evening he had enjoyed, he said that he had intended to address them, but was prevented by the lateness of the hour. He hoped the congregation and minister would continue to prosper and pull together. The Chairman apologised for the absence of bhe Rev. Mr Skinner, who was engaged lecturing in the Catlins district, otherwise he would have been present that evening. Mr M'Lelland, in moving a vote of thanks to the choir, paid them a high compliment for their singing. Votes of thanks were also accorded to the speakers, the retiring Committee, the ladies, and the Chairman. The proceedings closed with the benediction, pronounced by the Chairman. The following selections were rendered at intervals by the choir, which was under Mr A. Macdonald's able leadership, during the eTening :—" Him that Cometh," "He that heareth and believeth," "O'er the Hills" (duet and chorus), "Glory to God," "We shall meet no more " (duet), and " The Christian's Good-night."