Thanks and Appreciation of Cambridge Presbyterians

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIV, Issue 108, 1 October 1947, Page 5

Thanks and Appreciation of Cambridge Presbyterians

SEVENTY-FIFTH MILESTONE—

"0 God, our help in ages'past', . Our hope for years to come.'' It was very obvious last Sunday and again at the Town Hall last itight that the truth of Isaac Watt's lines is fully recognised by the present congregation of Trinity Presbyterian Church. On Sunday there was a spiritual appreciation in record attendances associated with the 75 th anniversary and last night fully 600 people assembled at a re-union tea and social evening. The key-note of last night's function was thanks to God and appreciation of the inspiration He had been over all the years since 1872 to the workers all for Trinity Church. It M r as a memorable, gathering of past and present members of the congregation.

The re-union tea was an impressive ■event, many tables being arranged in the main hall and at these visitors and local members of the congregation renewed acquaintances in happy fashion and indulged in pleasurable, reminiscences. The Rev. Colin MacKenzie, Minister of Trinity Church, presided, and he extended a very warm welcome to everybody and especially to all visitors. There were a large number from various parts of the country and we hope to publish their names and addresses in the next issue. The chairman read gi-eetings and good wishes from a number of former ministers and members of tha'congregation unable to be prese/t, including a message from the JRev. A. C. McLean, M.A., and f rctoi Rev. (Dr.) John Mackenzie, M.k./of' Toor■ak, Melbourne. It was i/nentioned that the Rev Mackenzie, who rose to "be Moderator of Australia, was Minister at Thames from 1895 to 1900 and that he came over and opened the new Trinity -Church in 1898. It was his firm belief that in such a distracted world as we have today the church is the only real hope for the people. The Birthday Cake A feature of the tea was the piping in of the large birthday cake with its 75 candles and beautifully iced. Mr R. Bell was the baker of the cake and the decorations were the handiwork of Mr and Mrs Alf. Benn. In traditional style the 75 candles were lit by- three representatives of the. first elders of the Church. The elders were the late Hon. John Fisher, ■George "Watt and Captain James Runciman and they were represented respectively by Mrs Robinson, Mrs Macky and Mrs L. C. Short. Mrs Roseveare,, the wife of a former Minister, had the honour of extinguishing the candles, while Mrs T. F. Richards, wife of the present senior Elder, cut the cake, after which every person in the hall partook of a small portion. Congratulations and Good Wishes In offering congratulations and •good wishes from The Presbytery. The Rey. L. F. Gunn, also on behalf of the Rev. J. Heaslop, Clerk of the Presbytery, said that Trinity's achievement was a proud one. His thoughts were on those who had laboured for the church over the long years. Their splendid efforts were an inspiration for the administrators of the church today to go on. The Rev. T. H. Roseveare, a former Minister, expressed his pleasure and also on behalf of Mrs Roseveare, at the invitation to be present. Thirtyone years ago he had first contact with the Cambridge congregation. His mind went back over a quarter of a century and he visualised Cambridge as it was in those days. He noted the material progress in the community and in the Church, but he wondered if the spiritual progress was as commensurate as the material. He considered the efforts and the long labours of the old stalwarts had been .the real foundation of the Church, coupled with the individual spiritual appreciation. He feared that today there was too great a tendency to talk in groups, to talk unions, the party. "We don't talk so much as individuals—individual Christians. We talk of the 'Church,' but 50 years ago the. Church consisted of stalwart Christian individuals," said Rev. Roseveare. It was his view that the standard of progress of the Church was by the reality of the life of the ordinary man and woman. "We are

getting careless about our moral and Christian standards. That's not church progress, that's retrogression," said the speaker, who concluded by urging the Congregation of. Trinity Church to go forward with God. On behalf of the Mayor and the people of the Borough, the DeputyMayor, Mr M. Wells, offered congratulations on Trinity's splendid achievement. What had greatly impressed him.over 'the years was the happy relations between the local churches. On behalf of the Council Mr Wells offered sincere thanks to the churches for their great service to the people, : Congratulations and good wishes were also offered by Canon C. W. Chandler,ThL. (St Andrew's) and the Rev..C.|H. Olds, B.A. (St Paul's). The former expressed the hope that the splendid fellowship of the past would be enriched in the future and this sentiment was strongly supported by Rev. Olds. He agreed with previous speakers that' they had been handed a goodly heritage by the pioneers and, the future rested with the present congregations. A still greater union of churches would make for a stronger and better community. Mr H. Rhodes, of Faterangi, whose father, the late Edward Rhodes, was an elder of Trinity Church in 1881, offered thanks on behalf of his daughter and himself for the invitation to be present, and congratulations to the congregation. He told an interesting story of early church life in Cambridge. The Rev. MacKenzie extended * a special welcome to the Rev. D. M. and Mrs Cattanach, of Hamilton. The Session Clerk, Mr T. F. Richards, offered warm thanks to all the visitors for their attendance and a special vote of thanks to the Ladies' Committee and all the workers who had assisted in the preparations for the function. The Arrangements The arrangements for such a large gathering were commendable and all were catered for admirably, thanks particularly to the many lady workers and the hostesses at the respective tables. The decorations on the tables and stage were quite a feature. On the stage was a large arrangement of flowers in the form of the figures"7s," while additional flowers made an appreciative scene. Most appropriate was the spinning wheel, the old rocker chair and a patchworked cover. The floral decorations on the tables were arranged'by Misses E. and G. Vosper, and those on the stage by Mesdames R. Simpson and W. Godfrey. In a special tribute of thanks to all the workers, the Rev. MacKenzie made special mentjon of the ladies' convenor, Miss J. Thompson. The Programme After the hall had been cleared of tables a social evening was greatly enjoyed and the following items were appreciated. The choir, Jackson's "Te Deum" and Mozart's "Gloria in Excelsis. Fashion Parade (from 1800 to 1947); Miss Zoe Sinton (dance); Mrs L. A. Williams (song); Mr T. •Wiles (conjuring); Mr Geo. Goodwin (recitation); Mr K. Ritchie (bagpipes); Mr Playle (song); film strip showing various photographs of Ministers, Elders and groups of church workers, taken at- various stages of the Church's history.