VALEDICTORY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 302, 22 December 1933, Page 5

VALEDICTORY

MINISTER FAREWELLED KEV. H. G. GOKING EULOGISED. “There are some iucn who talk a lot and do nothing, there are others who say less and du much. Air. Guring is one of those gentlemen who du things,” declared the .Mayor, Mr. 2s. G. Armstrong at the farewell to the Kev. 11. G. Goring at the Baptist Church on Wednesday evening. Mr. Goring is leasing to take a charge at Avondale. ‘‘There arc men and women whu have been suffering considerably and it is diihcult for them to sustain a balanced judgment in their circumstances, ilis influence has been such that 1 as helped many to preserve a balanced judgment. His work for the men m the unemployment camps has been particularly line and especially in his organisation for th c supply of boots. His organisation and methods were adapted into thc city when the Keliel Committee for the unemployed took up that work. Mr. Goring's inllueiice has extended beyond the camps to the city unemployed, and what has been so commendable was thc harmonious way in which he worked with the other organisations. 1 am sure that 1 express the sentiments of the Majority of the citizens of Wanganui when I say that his departure will be regarded with regret in Wanganui, but that he will take with him thc well-wishes of a large circle of friends and admirers.” * Ministers’ Association. Delegated by the Ministers’ Associa tion, me Kev. John Paterson, M.A., said that he welcomed the opportunity to be present and counted it a privilege to be able to speak. The ministers of this city were a friendly 10l of men, and because of it they were able to work together, he said. In the work of the Ministers’ Association, Mr. Goring had been very helpful. He had been president twice. He had done a social work among the men in the unemployed camps and he had enjoyed a wide influence through his work in the “Chronicle,” which, in the first place, grew out of the policy of the Ministers’ Association which had asked Mr. Goring to take up this work. “Personally 1 regret that he is going on. There has been a procession of ministers going and coming since I have been in Wanganui during the last ten years and it won’t b e long, I expect, when 1 ’shall see a complete change-over of thc ministers here. This is a different attitude from that which obtained years ago. In my home church, which has been going for 68 years, there have been only two minis- | ters in the church there and the second is still going strong. Th c liev. Mr. Auld was in charge of that church for 37 years. “There is a tendency for the congregations to look upon the minister as a sort of stunt artist, to be changed when his stunts have been worked out and cease to draw a public. Years ago it was considered to be the duty of the congregation to fill the pews. I think that we shall have to get back to that i sense of responsibility on the part of thc congregation. 1 should have liked I to have seen Mr. Goring remain on here so that he could have witnessed thc growing of a couple of generations. I have many friends but few intimate friends, and Mr. Goring is among my intimate friends, and it has been a pleasurfe to me to watch his development during the time he has been your minister. He is a better preacher today than when he came here and I am sure that he could have carried on for years in a successful ministry here. Mr. Goring will have the satisfaction of knowing that he has left his mark on many people in the city and on the civic life of this community, and on * his departure I have to give him the

fraternal greetings of his brother ministers and to assure him that he has the earnest prayers of us all in thc now work to which he is going.” Social Work. “As his personal friend 1 cannot pretend to be able to hold an unbiassed view of his ministry and influence in Wanganui,” said Mr. Hugh C. Jenkins. “Mr. Goring’s work on tile committee, which took charge of the Hawke’s Bay refugees at tne time of the earth- £ quake, in common with the rest of the < members of that committee which lab- 1 oared for so long under the leadership t of Mr. Fred. Byrnes, has never been < properly appreciated. That committee v silently went out of existence when its £ work was completed and neither asked nor received the thanks of anyone. ' Next, Mr, Goring took over the ad- t ministration of help to the men in the ( unemployed camps. We were convinced t in our mind that this work would find j little appreciation, and all that he | could expect would be some mud in his ears. But we were wrong in a great degree, for many of the men in the j camps have been very grateful for t what has been done for them. x “Th e first j°h he to °k 011 was the supply of boots. In the beginning of t the camps men were working with , pieces of bicycle tyres tied to their < feet, their boots having been worn out j by the hard work. Then the next thing t which ho tackled was the supply of ’ clothing and blankets. Mr. Goring had | to travel over two hundred miles in ( visiting the nine camps and had to , sleep out for one night. For a time he . did this visiting at his own expense. ; Mr. Goring’s contribution to the t “Chronicle” has won a wide public. J heard last week of a man who has for , three years attended the Hamilton j Public Library to road his articles. Mr. ; Goring has been contributing to the “Chronicle” for five years now, and . his work in that regard goes before no less than 30,000 people.” At the Schools. “I have been trying to think what everybody would like lli e say 0,1 occasion,” said Mr. F. W. Kowntree, Principal of thc Intermediate {School, ; “but thc man who can please every- • body has not yet been born and thc man who tries to please everybody is a fool. There may be some in this church to whom Mr. Goring has not been able to appeal. He has been here seven years. If you look back over that time how many of us would be able to tell of the sermons which he has preached? But all the time he has inspired us to hold the desire to be better men and women, and in that Mr. Goring has not failed. “As a preacher his sermons have always been well prepared, the result of much preparation and wide reading. He has been a welcome visitor in times of trouble. One of the finest memories 1 have is the recollection of the kindly message and actual sympathy which he expressed in my home in time of trouble. I well remember the ceremony when 1 was received into this church and the very appropriate welcome that 1 was given. Mr. Goring has a special ability in such circumstances as that. 1 have also to thank Mr. Goring for his talks to thc children at the Intermediate School. It is a great treat to hear him tell the graphic stories in his fifteen-minute talks to the 400 children every 'Wednesday morning.” Guides and Scouts. “The Girl Guides will miss Mr. Goring very much, lor not only has he given much time and attention to the troops belonging to this church, but he has generously helped the Wanganui Centre,” said Miss Bocberg, speaking on behalf of the Girl Guide movement. “There are over 4000 Guides in Auckland and they will appreciate his help there 1 am sure.” “There are 10,000 Scouts in Auckland, so thc Padre must join up there,” declared Mr. A. F. a. Woollams. ‘ ‘ What we ar c going to do without him we do not know, out it is said that no man is indispensable. That may be so, but we are finding it hard to keep smiling —a Scout motto —when we look round for his successor.” “As secretary of the church 1 want tu thank Mr. Goring fur all that he has done for us, and for the continuance an excellent spirit of harmony wnieh has prevailed in the church durrtig thc whole of his ministry,” said Mr. A. Sanow, who also acted as chairman or thc meeting. “Mr. Goring has decided to go to Avondale Church, Auckland, and that church can consider itself fortunate ill that he has accepted the call which they have been guided to make to him. The whole of the ofliceis and congregation wish him ‘God’s speed’ in his new work.” The Kev. E. N. Goring, of Wellington, brother of thc minister, expressed the thanks of his mother and himself at the kindliness which had been ex i tended to his brother and his wife during their ministry in Wanganui. Pastor H. W. Page, of the Gonville Baptist Church, expressed the regrets of the Gonville church and mentioned uis own loss because he had < »..,,ied on .dr. Goring as a collcage... . a long time to come. Air. F. Coneybeer, secretary of the Wanganui East Baptist Church, thanked Air. Guring for the line ministerial work which he had done for the church in the suburb. Air. Will Hutchens prefaced his vocal solo by expressing his own personal regret at Air. Goring’s impending departure and said that a resolution had been placed on the book of Trinity Church, Wanganui, registering the church’s appreciation of Air. Goring’s help and co-operation and encouragement. Mr. Gorrng’s Reply. Thc Rev. Harold Goring, on rising to reply, said that he could never bring himself to believe that a minister’s work should be confined within thc four walls of his own church. “I have, perhaps, not been available to drink afternoon teas with my parishioners, but 1 have felt that it was my duty to make contact with the world and not to spend my tiin c coddling my congregation,” he said. “Airs. Goring s health has not permitted her to take a large part in the work of thc church, but she has supported me in every wav i that 1 could wish. If 1 have been ti citizen of this no mean city it is because of thc help and encouragement vvlii' h she has afforded inm “The policy of the l J >;ipl:sl ''lu.irch tends lu mak • us individualists, but there is the social impact which must be made, and I ha\ c sought to make I ha! impact. 1 have, enjoyed my work j in teaching the school children ami also n. ? work in the ( ‘ Chronicle. There months when nothing seems to hapo n and then sonic response comes from the most unexpected places. L have Irnd iho satisfaction of knowing that my writings have gone forth regularly

to people in India, and as far away as China, as well as rem ixing letters from various distant parts of New Zea- I land.” Mr. Goring thanked his mans friends and helpers individually fur what they had done for him while he was ministering in Wanganui. He him self had a singular personality (a voice: Hear, hear!) and Mr. Nichols, who is to follow him, also hail a distinct personality. “Do not expect Air. Nichols to be another edition of me. Ho is not and he, won’t try to be. Assist him to express his own personality and this church will be greatly benefited thereby. ”