Gisborne.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume III, Issue 6, 1 December 1912, Page 96

Gisborne.

Vicar : Rev. L. Dawson Thomas. Visit of the Bishop. — Immediately on his return from England, the Vicar wrote to the Bishop asking him to 1 come to the Parish and open the Oriental Bazaar. Although it was so near to Synod, His Lordship most kindly agreed to come. The Parish authorities decided to seize the chance of extending a civic welcome to the Bishop and Mrs. Averill. The Mayor and the various public bodies unanimously agreed to unite m the welcome. The day of the opening of the Bazaar was a lovely sprin<r day . A very large gathering assembled to do honour to the Bishop amd his wife. The ministers of the various denominations very kindly attended to join m the welcome. On behalf of the residents the Mayor of Gisborne read the following address of welcome to the Bishop : — To the Right Bey. the Bishop of Waiapu, D.D. Gisborne, Oct. 2,. 1912. l>ar Bishop Averill, — We desire to welcome you and Mrs. Averill on your return from iDngla.nd. and to exoress our thankfulness that you have been able, successfully and with nleasure to yourselves, to carry out the objects which you hodin view. The activity and freedom of the times m which we live, the rapid evoHition of thouyht resulting from Ro.nt*! s**.'«ntific precision and modem discovery, and the changes m the hab't of life of all modern r>eot>les, will not have escaped your observation. Thesp changing conditions demand from Church and Senates svmpa,th«tio trcwtnipnt and wise eruidnncfi. which we are sure they win receive from yourself as our Bi«hop. The members of the Church at Gi shorn** t^oV w'th confidence to the future under your leadership, ana are

glad to avail themselves of this oprportunity to assure you that all your efforts to extend the work of (the Church, co-ordinate with' the closer settlement ot a new country, and to« adopt its ministrations to the necessities and spiritual advancement of its settlers, will have their heartiest co-operation and practical assistance. While we thus venture to encourage you as our Bishop m the strenuous work lying before you, in* overseeing so great a Diocese and m ministering to two races, we also very earnestly desire and pray that, while you are caring for others, Mrs. Averill, your family,.' and yourself may be sheltered from all ill, and be accompanied by every blessing. Commending you to Gad our Father, and desiring for you.' peace which passeth all understanding,— We are, your Lordship's devoted servants and friends. (Signed on behalf of the Clergy, Church Officers, and Laity of the north-east portion of the Diocese of Waiapu, the 2nd day of October, 1912.) His Lordship, m reply, thanked the people of Gisborne for the warmth of their welcome. He made sympathetic reference to the great difficulties that lie m the path of those who engage m public service. His Lordship also commended the enthusiasm of the people m erecting the fine Church. The Church and the various civic bodies were united m working for the common good. The Bishop expressed himself as being very pleased with the framed address presented to him, and said that it should hang m his studj^ at Bishopscourt. The Oriental Bazaar,.— The " Diocesan Gazette" went to press too early last month for us to report on the above effort m aid of our Parish Church Building Fund. We are glad to say that it was an unaualified success. The weather was altogethnr beautiful. The people general ly were determined to make the effort a success. With regard to the workers m the Bazaar, we cannot say too much m their praise. There was not one word of anger spoken at any time. For many weeks a. larpre band have cheerfully given their time to doing thankless tasks. It was a iqv and an inspiration to be amonp- su>>h p. stilendid lot of people. The financial result of the Bazaar was excellent. The gross takings were about £900. Some few da.vs after fTn n Bazaar the Vestry arranged "«. social evening, and inyited all the workers to meet them. A carrital fivpm'nf's pleasure was the result. Aireaxiv pome of the erood friends of fch** Church are planning further efforts on behaff of the Building Fund.