S. PETER'S CHURCH, HAMILTON. ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1802, 24 January 1884, Page 2

S. PETER'S CHURCH, HAMILTON. ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS.

[ Thk aiimul meeting of the parishioners of the church (if S. Peter, Hamilton, was held in the Public Hall last night. The Rev R. O'C. Biggs incumbent of the parish, occuI pied the elhisr. The attendance was only ni'xbrats. After prayers, The Chairman read the following report and balance-sheet :— Report ov the Vestry of the Paho* chiu, District of S. Peter, 1883. Fi.vanci \h.— The vestry very much regret that they have not a more favourable balance- -.beet to present. Although a large sum !ms bjen raised by special effort towanU lii^ i eduction of the loans, the total liabilities have been reduced only £59 15s, as the ordinary income has fallen short, .uul has not sufficed to meet current expenditure. The vestry therefore di-ire to impress on the paiishioners the luuussity of punctuality in their payments, in order to wipe off the Bank o\ erdraft, and bring the. financial position of the pariah into a more satisfactory condition. Church Debt. — A sum of £81 Is has been raised for its reduction by— a sale of work, £»7 7s 6d ; monthly collections, £32 9s 6d ; concert, £9 ; lecture, £2 4s. Much praise is due to the ladies of the congregation for the zeal and energy with wlueti they worked to bring about the above happy result. Had the gentlemen appointed on the Gift Auction Committee, (which promised great tilings) worked with a tithe of the spirit evinced by the ladies, a much more sensible impression would have been made on the debt. The younger ladies, who undertook the task of collecting the monthly subscriptions, though not meeting with the response that was anticipated, have yet assisted materially in attaining the proposed object. It is for the meeting to decide whether any, and if so what effort shall be made this year to still further reduce the debt. SusD.VY-HCHOOL. — Early in the year it was considered advisable to amalgamate the two schools previously held, one at each side of the river, and the result has been satisfactory, showing an increase in the number, both of teacheis and children. Theie is also a branch school conducted by Miss Hunt at her residence numbering IG. Unsuccessful efforts have been made to establish another branch at the other end of Hamilton East, where it is much needed. The incumbent and superintendent, while thankfully acknowledging the cheei fulness with which the neeer-sary pecuniary assistance is given, yet feel deeply the lack of congregational sympathy and interest in the proceedings of the school. Forty - two volumes of books (a grant from the S.P.C.K. Society) have been added to the library, .and a sum of £5 has been sent t^ the same society, which they will supplement with another £5, and send £10 worth of books, besides paying the freight to Auckland. Our.iinn Work.— An afternoon service is takeu by the incumbent bi-monthly at Tamahere, and monthly at Pukete and What.iwh.ita. Latterly, also, at the special request of the bishop, he has been visiting Ngaruawahia, T.iupiri and Huntly once a month, his place in Hamilton on such occasions being filled by a clergyman from Auckland, but at no co-it to the parish. Statistics-..— The attendance at the Sunday services continue about the same, with perhaps a slight increase, but the incumbent is very thankful. The attendance at Holy Communion shows an increase of 104. There were 17 young pet sons confirmed by the bishop on Whit-Sunday. The number of baptisms was 34, of weddings 3, and of funerals 7. Two of these, however, were of non-residents. The vestry desire to record their deep .sense of the ioss which the parish has sustained in the removal, by death, of a most esteemed and valuable member, the late Mr Richard Gwynne. Thanks. — The thanks of the parishioners are due to the choir for their assistance in reducing the church debt by means of a concert, and especially for the efficient manner in which they have rendered the pr.ii.ses of the chuich ; also, to Miss New ell and Mr Bell, who, as organist and choirmaster, have largely contributed to produce that efficiency. The vestry very much l egrets that Mr Bell has resigned the office of choirmaster, which he has filled with so much credit for the last two years, but they venture to hope that he may be induced to reconsider his resolution. Thanks are also due to H. (i. Seth Smith, Esq., for his interesting lecture on writing ; to the superintendent and teachers of the Sunday-school ; to the ladies, and to all others who have in any way assisted in the good work of reducing the church debt.

The chairman said it would rest with the congregation whether the sum raised by special effort, £81 Is, should be applied to the reduction of the debt alone, or whether the amount of interest owing- should be deducted from it. Mr R. F. Sandes remarked upon the falling off in revenue as compared with the previous year. The current revenue was, however, quite sufficient to meet the expenditure if it were only paid. He urged the congregation to be more prompt with their payments, more especially in the matter of pew rents. On the motion of Mr Napper, seconded by Mr 1). M. Beere, the report and balancesheet as read were adopted. ELECTION OP OFFICERS. Mr R. F. Sandes was nominated minister's warden, and Mr P. Le Quesne was reelected people's warden. It was resolved that the vestry consist of five members, and the following gentlemen were elected ; — Messrs James Hume, J. M. Gelling, H. Chitty, Stevens, and F. Gaudin. Messrs Geo. Edgecumbe and C. F. Napper were elected auditors. THE CHURCH DEBT, On the motion of Mr R. F. Saudes, seconded by Mr P. Le Quesne, it was resolved that the interest due on the church debt be paid out of ordinary revenue, and that the £81 Is be applied to the reduction of the church and parsonage debts, pro rata. SPECIAL OFFERTORIES. Letters were read from the secretary to

. ~ i ! </"/.■>, • ' i*' f that a special offertory be taken for toe Diocesan Pension Fund, and another for the Melane.sian Mission. On the in ifcion of Mr Httme, it was agreed that the morning offertory of the first Sunday in November be applied to the pension fund, after deducting the average amount of the Sunday offertory throughout the year. Oil the motion of Mr R. F. Sandes, it was resolved, unanimously, to inform the standing cournittee that the parishioners did uot consider it advisable at present to devote a special offertory to the Melanesian Mission. This was all thn business, and the proceedings closed with the Grace.

Kuci ipts. £ s: d £ a. d. Collections at offertory — General 170 0 2 Home Mission ... 7 4 0 177 13 2 Seat rents 57 6 0 Subscriptions 42 19 0 Balance 45 15 2 Total 323 7 4 ExrENDHORfc. £ s. d. £ s. d Stipend 200 0 0 Verger's snlary 18 0 0 Interst— On loans , 23 8 0 On bank o\erdraft ... 518 10 20 8 10 Special offertory 1 — Home Mission ... 7 4 0 Insurance 6 0 0 New stable and repair ... 17 13 6 Sundries 9 3 1 Balance from last year ... 35 19 11 Total 323 7 4 Assets and Liabilities. ASSETS). £ s. d. £ s. d. Arrears of *e.it runts and subscriptions . ... 43 11 0 Less doubtful ... 13 11 3 30 0 0 Proceeds of special efforts Sale of work 37 7 6 Monthly collections... 32 9 0 Concert 9 0 0 Lecture 2 4 0 81 1 0 Balance ZH 12 7 Totnl 345 13 7 Limhliiips. £ s. d Church loan account 172 fl 8 Parsomge loan account 109 8 0 Interest on loan 11 10 0 Sundry accounts 610 9 Bank overdraft 43 15 2 Total 340 13 7 S. Pktek'.s Sunday School Accounts, 1883. RhU'll'lS. £ s. d. To balance January Ist, 18S3 1 15 9 Parish collections 14 0 0 Proceeds entertainment 5 17 6 Offertory children's service .... 8 4 Share of insurance in magic lantern destroyed in fire at Rev. H. S. Davis 5 0 0 Total 27 1 7 E\PJJNDIIUKE. £ s. d. By annual feast 9 11 1 Bibles 17 0 Entertainment ... . . 2 8 (i Sundries 6 C Dawn of Day 3 17 1 Remitted S.P.C.K. Society for books 5 0 0 Balance 5 15

Statement of tub Accounts oy the Parochial District of S. Peter's, 1883.