Waiapu Church Gazette. THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 1910. The Value of Pennies.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume I, Issue 6, 1 December 1910, Page 8

Waiapu Church Gazette. THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 1910. The Value of Pennies.

The annual session of Synod brings to the front . the many calls for financial assistance, and calls that should be met. This year was not by any means an exception to the rule, rather we should say, it was one of exceptional calls. The urgent necessity for the completion of the Bishopric Endowment Fund was once again emphasised by the Archdeacon of Hawke's Bay, who has for several years himself worked so hard for its completion. He told us that the sum of £1000 was collected during the year, which being subsidised £ for £ by members of Bishop Williams' relations, added the substantial amount of £2000 to the Fund. -To complete the Fund a sum of £5000 is needed, half of which is promised by the same group of guarantors. The lay representatives of Synod met together after the adjournment on one of the evenings of Synod week, and formed themselves into a committee to undertake the collecting of

donations m their respective districts, and we hope very much that their efforts may result m a large addition to the Endowment Fund. We cannot surely expect those who have made so generous an offer to the Diocese of £ for £ subsidy, to keep that offer open to us very much longer. Here, then, is one call to the Church people of this Diocese. Another call and surely also a most urgent one is the provision for an Ordination Candidates' Fund. Clergy are needed for vacant posts, the Diocese is sadly under-staffed, new parochial districts must be formed before long, the situation is nothing less than serious." Yet men are offering for the ministry, men who after four or five years of study and training would prove a strength to the Church, but the difficulty is that some of them need financial assistance during their years of preparation. The Standing Committee has been asked to consider the best means of establishing a fund for this purpose. A third call for assistance will be found m the columns of the „ Gazette, a call which we hope will be one that will receive a sympathetic response throughout the whole Dominion, namely, the rebuilding of the Hukarere School. This is not a purely Diocesan matter, rather is it one affecting the whole Provincial Church. And while we are writing of a school which has been bound up so closely for many years with the work of the Church amongst our Maori brethren, we cannot but remember that our President m his address said that he had decided that for the future the Native priests should be paid a minimum stipend of £100 per annum, and the deacons £80. And he added : "The increased stipends will need " greater liberality towards our Maori " Mission Fund, but I am convinced " that Church people will respond " accordingly." These are a few of the many urgent calls for financial assistance, lying outside our ordinary and extra-ordin-ary Parochial calls. And what will be our response ? The Bishop m his address told us that the estimated total wage earnings of the Church people of the Diocese amounts to about £839,000, and this leaves out income from investment of accumulated property which amounts to a very large sum. There can be no question then that all the calls could easily be met if the Church people generally would set apart willingly and thankfully a sys-

tematic proportion of their income towards the building up, strengthening, and developing of the work of the Church. One fiftieth part of the wage-earnings, would represent alone a sum of about £16,000 per annum! And this is just where we fail. m. all our financial organisation. , , We do receive from many men of larger incomes a considerable amount of systematic and regular help, biit we fail to touch the pennies of the wageearners. We have never yet successfully organised and carried out the collection of the smaller sums. But why should we not do so ? Could we not organise a " Diocesan Penny Gift Guild " ; and not only organise it, but make it a reality? A band of collectors m every Parish and Parochial district, given each a few to collect from every quarter,; according as each can afford to give,, it may be only a penny a' month, others one penny a week, others again one penny a day. . . We feel sure of this that our finances will never be placed on a satisfactory footing until every member of the Church is at least given the opportunity of contributing systematically, and giving m small sums, and at stated intervals. We think it was Mr Moody who said that the last, thing a man consecrates to God is his purse, and Mr Moody was a very shrewd observer of human nature. The Mission was an appeal to the heart, but if the heart has been touched, if the heart has been surrendered to God, then comes the realisation of stewardship. The stewardship of our money, as well as of our time, and of our talents. The money, the opportunities, the gifts, that God has bestowed upon us, He asks us to use as those who are responsible to Him the Giver. Judging by the reports presented to the Synod we feel ashamed to be obliged to confess that a vast number of Church people have not yet realised the privilege and happiness of giving. There must be something vitally wrong when it is as great pain to a professed Christian to part with half a crown, as it is for a timid patient to lose a double-tooth. "How to reach the outer circle" is the heading of an article m a recent magazine, The writer continues : "We want their gifts. We aro not too ashamed to say that we want their money. "How shall we get it ? By drawing attention to the money they spend,

m luxuries? I think not. By telling them .of the much that is. needed ? Possibly. But, I think, chiefly by reminding them with tact and love of their stewardship, and of our perfect example of self-sacrifice. One learns more and more as life goes on that unless the Mart is touched with the Christ-love the pocket remains untouched. I believe m a * periodical house-to-house collection. It gives an opportunity to some who are willing to give a small sum but are too modest to bring it m unasked. " Let us put these gifts on a high level."